Platforms: Xbox One, PC
You don't have to play Gears 5 for long before you realise it's an evolution for the Gears of War series. From the opening moments of the campaign – complete with a 'previously on' segment that’s more an immediate statement saying the story matters and isn’t just a framework for cover-based shootouts – to an enhanced array of multiplayer modes, it's easy to see this is the best the series has ever been.
The biggest evolution is clear from the name though. Dropping ‘of War’ from the title, this instalment being simply ‘Gears 5’ speaks to a shift in focus – while there's no shortage of war to be found across the game's acts, it's less important than characterisation, than emotion, than making us care.
A lot of that comes from the shift to Kait Diaz as the main character, with a storyline that's deeper and more personal than another vengeance-driven shooting match against Swarm hordes. Even away from Kait, the writing here is significantly improved, elevating previous protagonists Marcus Fenix, his son JD, and Damon Baird thanks to a tighter focus on personality, dialogue, and interpersonal connections. By the time the credits roll, you'll feel closer to the entire cast from this one game alone than the entire series to date – and after a couple of world-shaking decisions you'll have to make, you’ll be desperate to revisit them in the inevitable Gears 6.
This is easily the best-looking Gears game to date.
Mechanically, Gears 5 moves forwards too. The core is largely untouched – lots of cover shooting, a variety of delightfully savage heavy weapons to get to grips with, and an emphasis on fighting as a squad, with only a few swaps to the previous control layouts to challenge returning players. However, the introduction of combat drone Jack adds new options and a shade of RPG-like customisation. A bleep-blooping R2-D2 made for battle, Jack boasts a host of combat and stealth abilities that can be upgraded as you go, in exchange for components found in the course of the game. Whether it's stunning foes for you to take down manually, possessing them to turn them against each other, or simply shielding and healing you, the robot ally is now an integral part of the team and changes how you think about each combat encounter.
Gears 5 also steps away from the linearity of its predecessors, gifting the game some much needed freedom. Open world areas, navigable on your Skiff vehicle, offer up some light side-quests – mostly rewarding you with rarer weapons or more upgrade components for Jack – but also provide breathing room, both from the corridors elsewhere in the game and from the weightier story moments, allowing you time to digest big developments and explore the world before plowing ahead. And what a world – this is easily the best-looking Gears game to date.
Having the finest campaign in a Gears game yet is one thing, but the series has always excelled at multiplayer. That doesn't change here – familiar modes such as Horde and Versus return, but it's the new Escape mode that leaves its mark. Playing as Team Scorpio, a "hivebuster" squad, you'll have to set Venom Bombs, then fight your way out of enemy territory before the poison gets you too. It's a refreshing twist on Gears multiplayer, with an emphasis on progression at all costs rather than gunning down every single opponent. Although multiplayer sessions were limited during the review period, it's shaping up to be a great addition to the series.
There are frustrations. Characters still feel too weighty and clunky, the camera view feels too tight even when fully expanded in the settings, new character Fahz is annoying at best and – in suggesting protestors in one scene should be culled – deeply problematic at worst, and ultimately the set-piece battles are still mostly "shoot the big thing until it's dead". None of these offset the fact that the tweaks, improvements and additions elsewhere make this a singular high point for the series to date. If this proves the Xbox One's swan song before the next console generation arrives, it's a high note to go out on.