One of the most famous Microsoft sagas makes the leap to turn-based strategy. The result is remarkable and seamless, typical of an IP that has been surfing this territory for years. Welcome hominid.
It is not exactly the genre of turn-based strategy that is easily accessible. And there it has gotten, with a sharp blow, Gears Tactics. It requires prior knowledge and skills on the part of the development team, especially with regard to very specific fields: how is the AI going to move? Does this percentage of shooting correspond to what appears on the screen? What is the optimal number of critics according to the level of difficulty? And so a very large number of unknowns.
Jason Schreier, the writer of Blood, Sweat and Pixels, recounted in the chapter dedicated to Halo Wars, that the studio suffered a lot during the early development of this game. The reason was that the bulk of the members of the extinct Ensemble Studios was in another department, and that the new ones had trouble programming the variables so difficult that a strategy game has. The game went well despite the complications, and the same has happened to Gears Tactics.
After a joint development by Splash Damage and The Coalition, no one would think that this title is the first Gears of War in a strategic format. It seems that they have been settled in this genre for years, that they dominate it with the same ease that Firaxis has with their beloved XCOM.
Gears Tactics has become one of the surprises of this first quarter of 2020. And it does not innovate or stand out much compared to direct competitors, but everything it does runs wonderfully. And blessed be.
The Gears Story
Although the complexities of a strategic game are there from the first hour, there is no doubt that both studios have had extra “help”. Both Splash Damage and The Coalition have been in charge of the franchise since they took it for Gears of War: Ultimate, so they have years of experience in it (and a lot of travel gained after Gears 4 and Gears 5).
Being good connoisseurs of the saga has not only earned them so that everything that appears on the screen carries the Gears seal, but also the story itself. To be exact, we are 12 years behind the first Gears of War. In other words, we have a prequel. But what a prequel.
At the controls of it is Gabe Díaz, the father of Kate Díaz (the same from Gears 5, yes). The objective is twofold: on the one hand, to recruit as many Gears as possible to save them from the clutches of the Locusts (and which, in turn, affects the gameplay), and on the other, and here is the axis of the story , finish off Ukkon, a scientist involved in very macabre experiments after enemy hours.
All this forges an adventure that does not detract, at any time, from what we have already seen in previous Gears. There is action everywhere, blood spurts, testosterone shot and all the usual elements of the franchise. Of course, the key is that it does not do it as a third-person action game, but rather as a turn-based strategy game.
It would be unfair to say that Gears Tactics is an XCOM with the skin of the Microsoft saga. That he drinks and uses the scheme of the playable elements of the Firaxis saga is undoubted, but that he reproduces the XCOM paradigms to the letter is not so. Saving the distances, it is similar to what Mario + Rabbids Kingdom Battle achieved at the time, that is, having its own personality, its battery of unique characteristics so that it cannot be blamed for: "You have copied 100%". The strategy does not evolve, but it improves it and, most importantly, everything it does nails it.
The approach of each mission, whether primary or secondary, is born from a premise: four units deployed (or less, according to parameters or restrictions) and a series of objectives to carry out, from taking supplies to rescuing soldiers or ending a few waves. Occasionally, the side quests are repeated and lengthened too much, but the disparity between the time in which they appear is enough so that it does not get heavy.
With the troops deployed – units that we can recruit from our “base” – everything is now delegated to the Action Points. Each soldier has a certain number of points that they can spend per turn: move, shoot, hide, activate guard, use skills, etc. The amount of different commands becomes overwhelming in the first few hours. Like a tsunami taking everything ahead. But once the interface is controlled, the feeling of mastery is so pleasant that the mime and the hours it has had behind by the designers are observed.
Everything responds in unison. Action Points can be used interchangeably, so it doesn't matter if Gabe uses a point first and then moves on to another unit in the group. The idea is that all of them combine to make the fight face up, the shooting percentages are optimal and the enemy's turn is as pleasant as possible.
We have been pleasantly surprised by the final bosses that appear. They are not easy at all, and some of them have taken several attempts to overcome them. The best of turn-based strategy is combined with parsimony, know-how and mathematics. Not pulling the trigger that fast and using the nosepiece before doing it, something that is not so common in the Gears saga.
All of this is introduced in a single player campaign that doesn't need multiplayer at all. It is vibrant, fun and with many hours behind it (it all depends on the time one wants to entertain in each mission or doing secondary). Also, if overwhelming is the battlefield with abilities, more so is character customization.
Here we will not find small modifications of skills or weapons: we have a complete skill tree (with almost 30 per character) to develop our troops. Each mission gives us experience, and with experience and level up we gain skill points and better statistics. The vicious circle of good RPG combined with turn-based strategy.
Likewise, each character has such a large number of objects to personalize their equipment that one will also be lost during the first hours, as we said before. We are not talking about changing the color, something purely superficial, but about improvements to the knee pads, armor, boots, sights, bolts, butts and a wide etcetera (you can even modify the helmet). And to get these improvements, we can find them in loot boxes around the stage or on missions. Oh, and a very important detail: there is nothing to pay. Zero. All lootboxes that appear on the screen are free. All. Of course, the game does not have a layer of base administration, operations, sending soldiers, etc., which is missing when you already have so many troops waiting on the eternal waiting list.
With the gameplay crumbled, there is little to add to the technical and graphic section. It is appreciated the amount of customization options that the game incorporates, so that even PCs with more performance problems can run the product. We have done this test with one dressed in a GTX 780 and another with a 1050. Although the first one was just-you could play cutting in textures and some other option-, with the 1050 we have thrown almost everything in Ultra without problems.
Gears in their purest form. The Unreal Engine 4 unleashed when it comes to taking advantage of it. The experience of many years working with this engine in mega-detailed characters, scenarios that are scandalous in that isometric perspective and one environmental effects that take advantage of the power of the engine. And like everything, everything with its corresponding and excellent dubbing into Spanish.
CONCLUSION
Gears Tactics is one of the pleasant surprises that this 2020 will leave us. Not so much for what it contributes to the turn-based genre, which is more limited, but for how well it executes each and every one of the proposals it proposes (and puts ) onscreen. A technical and graphic section of scandal, a gameplay that fits and knows how to delve into specific points, and the magic of the Gears saga. Has a subsaga been created? Let no one doubt it.
THE BEST
- Betting on an offline campaign bearing the Gears seal.
- Direct gameplay and with thousand details.
- A sublime technical and graphic section.
WORST
- The input learning curve can be overwhelming.
- The regular RTS or turn based may seem short, especially since they do not have the management layer of the base of operations.
- That, on occasions, the secondary ones are lengthened insubstantially.
Very good
Game with a remarkable finish that we will enjoy and remember. A good purchase, highly recommended for lovers of the genre. It is well cared for at all levels.
