Gears Tactics

A strategic turn of Gears

Whenever I evaluate a game, I like to spend some time on it, then walk away for a few hours or days and see if I have an urge to play it again. To me that is the best way to evaluate first and foremost the level of enjoyment that game has. I have had my copy of Gears Tactics for a couple of weeks now and I do catch myself looking forward to the next gaming session.

To start this is not your regular Gears of War game, it is not a shooter but a turn base strategic game, somewhat akin to the games of the X-Com series. To some this is not the type they like or even looking for, as they say the game is not exciting enough and even to the point of being boring. Sorry to disagree, but a game like Gears Tactics is anything but boring and here is why:

Storytelling: Flaming Hot
The game events takes place before the previous Gears of War games and you get to play Gabriel “Gabe” Diaz. The cinematic are great and they properly serve the purpose of getting the player interested into the plot and increase the anticipation of the next deployment. That plot can give many Hollywood product a run for their money. Yes the story is linear with Act and chapter, but with like any movie or book, if you are hooked, it is how it gets you to the end that counts.

Graphics: Hot

When it comes to strategy games, often more time and energy is spent on the mechanics and the visual aspect of the game is often forgotten. For Gears Tactics , I was surprised not only of the quality of all the cinematic, but also of the actual game, from the plan view to the action shots, the amount of details is surprising and increases the enjoyment of the whole game.

Sound: Warm

The soundtrack is good and keeps you on the edge of your seat, but if the gun fire and the game sound effects are cheap you would quickly loose the interest of the game, well this is not the case for Gears Tactics, my only complaint is the verbal comments from the characters are somewhat too repetitive, but it did not get me annoyed at it as some other games have managed in the past.

Mechanics: 5 Alarm Fire

In the beginning I did compare this game to the X-Com series ones but beside having humans fighting and alien invading force on a turn based strategic combat game, where the computer generated and controlled enemy is very smart, but this is were the similitude stops. In Gears Tactics, you can upgrade your soldiers, but to do so you need to find the the loot during the game and take the action to recover the loot while completing the objectives. The equipment found is not available to all your teams members, some are class specific but also you have a limited amount, so if you found a barrel that can be used by the scout class members of your team, you must decide to which team you will give that piece of equipment to. That is not the only decision you will have to make. As they get used on missions, your team members will also gain experience and you can choose where to spend the points in the ability tree.

Replayability: 5 Alarm Fire

Replay value and game enjoyment is very important, if you are to spend your money on something you want to get the most enjoyment out of it and that is just normal. Gears Tactics because of the multitude customization of the equipment, abilities and which team members you bring on specific missions can have a different result. So you can play that game a number of times and get different results based on your Gears abilities, equipment and deployment.

Overall grade: Flaming Hot

This game has a lot to offer and with the replay value up there , this game is a must for all the Gears of War fans out there, it may not be what you are used to but you will get the same adrenaline pumping action than the  shooters, but this time you brain must be stronger than your trigger finger. Let the hunt begin!

Gears Tactics was developed by Splash Damage with the collaboration of The Coalition and published by Xbox Game Studios. It is available on Windows PC via Steam or Xbox Game Pass for PC.  My copy was generously supplied by Xbox via Steam and the game was tested on an Asus Republic of Gamers laptop.