Tales from the Grieve - A Review of Gears of War 4

Please note that the following game was reviewed on an XBOX ONE console with an Elite Controller.

In the absence of a mainline Gears of War game since the fall of 2011, which saw the conclusion of Delta Squad's journey together, the Xbox has been steadily milking interest in the brand for a couple of years. Whether it's been with the People Can Fly co-development of Gears of War: Judgment in 2013, the re-mastered Ultimate Edition for the original classic last year, or even Microsoft's acquisition of the series from EPIC, it became evident that the franchise was revving up its lancer for an imminent comeback. The end result saw the inception of Gears of War 4, the first part in a new trilogy developed by The Coalition, Microsoft's new studio for everything Gears of War a la 343 Industries with Halo.

From the menu, there are three game-modes to choose from: Campaign (the story), Horde (an arcade of waves of increasingly difficult enemies), and Multiplayer Matchmaking. In each of these game-modes, players can team up with a buddy, either in local split-screen (aka couch co-op) or online, which has a strong community and tight-controls. The most accessible mode to play solo is easily the campaign.

Picking up 25 years after Gears of War 3, the game wastes no time in setting up the current world-state through a series of flashbacks set at 3 key moments in the Gears timeline that pre-date and overlap with the prior entries in the series. Within these brilliant playable-flashbacks, players are treated to a history lesson of the planet Sera as well as a comprehensive tutorial of the game's controls but veterans of the series will ultimately feel right at home, and good thing too. It immediately brings you back into the 'destroyed beauty' aesthetic and rich universe of the original trilogy, while also welcoming new players with open arms...a trend that the entire campaign follows through on in its 8-hour journey.

You play as JD Fenix - the son of original trilogy protagonist, Marcus - and Kait (in co-op), who are accompanied by their friend Del and occasionally other characters both new and old. The tale begins with JD and crew breaking into an incomplete COG (Coalition of Ordered Governments) city to steal a weapon fabricator for the Outsiders, a band of people who would rather live outside of the COG's rule. First Minister Jinn quickly blames JD for a series of abductions of COG citizens and turns the mechanized DeeBee soldiers on the team and assaults the Outsiders' camp. Shortly thereafter, Raina, Kait's mother and leader of the Outsiders, is kidnapped and the team go out in the middle of the night in a desperate search to find her. In order to do this, JD must re-enlist the help of his disgruntled father, which catches players up on Marcus' life after the Locust War as they hunt the new enemies: the Swarm.

The story takes place from late afternoon on one day to the following morning with time stamps set at key intervals in the 5-act structure the Gears games are known for. This sense of time keeps the story personal and on a relatively small-scale, which allows for intimate moments with the characters and brings everything back to basics of a small squad fighting a series of interconnected battles in a larger conflict. The smaller scope also allows for greater tension and horrific opportunities with the Swarm. The whole game feels much more claustrophobic with horror elements harkening back to the original 2006 title...and this reviewer wouldn't have it any other way.

For all it does right, the campaign does have some missteps that can be a detriment to your time with the squad. The new protagonists are less fleshed-out...particularly Del, who fills in the witty banter void but is rather one-note most of the time with the focus being on the co-op playable JD and Kait - who is an excellent addition to not only the lore of Gears, but also a strong female character who is treated with the same respect as JD. There are a couple of pacing issues with the campaign in which the characters are unraveling the mystery of the Swarm in act 3. The first 30 minutes or so of this act were excellently crafted but after they meet one enemy type, the pace slows to a plodding chase sequence through ruins. Similarly to the build-up to meeting the Didact in Halo 4, the 3rd act of Gears 4 feels like it'll only be as good as the first time you play it as that sense of mystery will be gone by the time you choose to re-play the game. Similarly, there is a new enemy-types that can abduct you mid combat and if you're playing solo, these can get infuriating fast as, if it takes you or one of your squad too far out of the battle, it's a bitter Game Over screen for you. Having the opportunity to play these sections with someone else would greatly rectify these occasional segments.

There are also 3 segments in the game where almost an entire campaign chapter (for each segment) is devoted to teaching the player about Horde mode, which is a co-op multiplayer game-type where players must face wave after wave of increasingly difficult enemies after laying out fortifications. While the campaign utilizes high-stakes to convincingly justify the use of Horde in the story, it also does a number on the pacing as they are glorified 'defend this position' extended missions that can be up to 15 minutes long. Typically, missions of its ilk are really only fun in small, bite-size doses and ultimately feel more like campaign padding than an enjoyable section of the game. Finally, there's the ending. While Gears of War 4 actually ends on a high-note, its cliffhanger ending really makes it feel like the first chapter of a larger story, even going so far as to throw a last-minute plot twist into the mix that players surely aren't expecting...and may not even understand unless they're familiar with a key character from the previous games. It can be very jarring if you're not prepared for it - fortunately the final 2 chapters of Act 5 are awesome - no spoilers.

Aside from a suite of new, energy-based weapons from the DeeBees, newer standouts like the buzzkill with its ricocheting saw blades offer high-risk, high-reward gameplay as it's easy to accidentally kill yourself in the process of mastering this weapon. The Hammerburst and Torque Bow also return from the Locust War with the Hammerburst being particularly satisfying this time-around as a precision-based headshot weapon. Along with the new weapons comes a new element of combat: the environment. Throughout the night, the team is chased by a freak storm called a wind-flare: a fire tornado that emits short bursts of electricity you have to dodge from time to time. The storm also allows for some destructible environments that can help quell the number of enemy forces th game pits against you. It adds a unique layer to combat as the wind can even re-direct gunfire, forcing you to get creative within the sandbox of weapons...be careful you don't hit yourself back in the confusion!

The controls in this game are polished with buttery precision: so intuitive in their response that the previous games begin to show a bit of their age. That may be because of the ultra-responsive custom controller settings I used, but the overall feeling of playing the game can't be denied: it's unadulterated mayhem at its finest with some major blockbuster set pieces to boot.

The new features like aggressive enemies that constantly try to flank you are very impressive: the DeeBee robots don't flinch when they're hit and walk right over cover, making your job infinitely harder. There are also a couple of boss segments such as an attack helicopter that relentlessly persues you in Act 2.

Multiplayer Matchmaking returns as polished as ever at 60 frames per second (fps) but the overall fun experience of playing competitive games is hampered by the use of micro-transactions, which are worked in as digital un-lockable cards, which grant limited boosts to your characters with the option to either earn more, or purchase deluxe packs with your credit cards. Customization options with your player character, weapon skin, and emblem work the same way but as it's impossible to know what cards you'll get, most will be repetitive unless you do splurge a little bit from your own pocket.

While matchmaking game-types are inspired and thoughtful with various objective-based modes, it's Horde that delivers true co-operative excitement with 50 waves of enemies and a tower-defense approach to combat. Horde allows the use of a fabricator, which allows you the ability to create defences from barbed wire fences to automated gun turrets and strategically place them around the map. The objective is simple: to see how long you can last before your entire squad is overwhelmed by the horde.

Very few big blockbuster games have such a small, personal feeling and tone coming off such over-the-top fare as the previous entries. It is a grounded story with awe-inspiring visuals and still manages to throw in some spectacular action set pieces despite only focusing on 3 characters. However, introducing Horde 3 times in the campaign and leaving such an ambiguous ending with some seriously frustrating enemy encounters, keeps this game away from being the masterpiece it could have been. That said, what Gears of War 4 does well, it excels at and is ultimately an easy recommendation to existing Gears fans and is definitely worth a look for someone who has yet to experience the chainsaw-cutting franchise in all of its bloody glory.

4/5

Here is the Launch Trailer: