Gears 5 provides a fun, action packed, gory rush for gamers

By: Zephaniah Jackson

Staff writer

“Gears 5” is an unexpectedly fun filled ride from beginning to end. While the campaign gameplay and multiplayer modes had fast paced action, new weapons and some great gunplay, the game does have its fair share of faults. 

Story and Campaign: “Gears 5” starts right at the end of “Gears of War 4.” JD Fenix, along with his friends Kait and Del, are on a mission to regain control of the abandoned Hammer of Dawn superweapon. 

The trio are joined by JD’s father, Marcus, who was the protagonist of the original trilogy. Fan favorite characters like the lovable and hardy Cole, and the sarcastic yet enjoyable Baird, return as well. New characters are also introduced into the story, such as Fahz, an arrogant and mean-spirited person who has a history with Del. 

The protagonists fight hordes of Swarm enemies to gain control of the Hammer and then must save civilians from a sudden Swarm invasion. After the newcomer Fahz reveals a secret about JD at the end of Chapter One, Kait and Del become distant from JD, and treat him coldly. Four months pass and now Kait and Del are on the hunt for answers.

 Kait has been having nightmares about the Swarm and their predecessors, the Locust. It’s revealed that Kait is connected to them somehow, as the pendant her mother Reyna gave her before her death contained the Locust symbol. They head off to the cold and wintery mountains in the North of Sera to find answers and find out Kait’s true place in the upcoming war. 

Many of the returning characters from “Gears of War 4” have gained more character development. Kait and Del both have more personality than the previous title and that, in addition to their friendship, has made them more likeable. However, one major problem with the game’s story is the lack of development and background for the Swarm which is never truly explained.

The gameplay in the “Gears 5” campaign is very well developed. Fighting off against the Swarm is a heart-pounding adventure, and the character’s catch phrases help lighten the mood a bit. What was very surprising to me was how the developers, The Coalition, went for a more open-world style of level design. Where the previous titles were more linear and had you walking from point A to B, Gears 5 focused more on exploration and side missions to further develop the world and story. 

The Skiff is a new vehicle introduced that allows up to 3 people to ride around the snowy plains and red deserts of Sera. It’s an extremely fun vehicle and I found myself spending more time riding around in the Skiff exploring the open environments rather than going straight for the next mission. However, some missions seemed like they were only trying to show off the graphics and weren’t very rewarding.

Overall the “Gears 5” campaign was a very enjoyable experience that entertained all the way until the end. 

Multiplayer Review 

Multiplayer: Multiplayer in “Gears 5” is an absolute joyride. Versus mode is arguably the best in the series. Gameplay is fast paced, with an emphasis on teamwork and coordination. Main modes include the fan-favorite Team Deathmatch, Guardian, Escalation, King of the Hill and a new game mode called Arcade. Arcade was made with the intention of letting newcomers get a taste of how “Gears” is meant to be played. However, I have many criticisms of it due to changes with the weapons used. 

Another game mode introduced was Escape. In Escape, the objective is to fill a Swarm Hive with a chemical that will kill them all, and you and two others must escape the hive before that happens. This new game mode is a welcome addition to the franchise and is a thrill ride. 

Horde also makes a return from previous games; however, this is where I believe the Coalition dropped the ball. In “Gears of War 4,” the Coalition introduced classes like Soldier and Engineer. They were fully customizable, and you could play as any character you wanted. In “Gears 5” however, the classes are locked to specific characters and there aren’t many to choose from. Long time characters like Anya Stroud, General Hoffman and Tai Kaliso are all unavailable. However, The Coalition has announced that new characters will be added to the game in the future.  Also, the hardest difficulty is unfair allowing enemies to wipe out your team on Wave 2. None of the previous games have had this problem and it is an issue that the Coalition will hopefully resolve.  Overall, “Gears 5” is a great addition to the “Gears of War” franchise and has a lot to offer. Campaign is a joyous adventure throughout, and the multiplayer is arguably the best in the series. However, issues like the lack of character choice, major plot holes and the watered-down Horde mode weigh down the game.That is why my final verdict for “Gears 5” is an 8/10.