Gears Tactics is another product of the western tactical RPG renaissance, offering some intriguing twists on the XCOM template, though the Gears wrapper almost lets it down.
The core gameplay is satisfying, which is unsurprising, and feels like an incredibly faithful adaptation of the mechanics of the primary 3rd person shooter franchise - Audio barks and sound design cues are all very familiar feeling, and Gears Tactic's expanded and flexible action economy makes stringing together combos to elongate your turns uniquely satisfying in the genre while also recalling the pace of ducking in and out of cover from other titles in the franchise.
Gears Tactics also offers a lot of progression and customization when compared to its XCOM roots, which is always welcome, but the amount you might appreciate these options might rely on how invested you are in the world and aesthetic of Gears of War to begin with. Even as a casual Gears of War fan who has a solid admiration of Gears of War 3 and Gears 5, there's nothing that Tactics brings to the table story or atmosphere-wise to keep me interested in completing a campaign. None of the story or the main cast of characters are very compelling, which is probably fine for Gears, but they also lack any tacky charm on the surface.
The audio and visuals are top notch, but there's no thematic intrigue to keep me on my toes - No fear of the unknown, no attachment to my troops or tension of losing them, no urgency to keep me constantly thinking multiple missions ahead.
In a sentence, It's all "XCOM", and no "Enemy Unknown".
The core gameplay is satisfying, which is unsurprising, and feels like an incredibly faithful adaptation of the mechanics of the primary 3rd person shooter franchise - Audio barks and sound design cues are all very familiar feeling, and Gears Tactic's expanded and flexible action economy makes stringing together combos to elongate your turns uniquely satisfying in the genre while also recalling the pace of ducking in and out of cover from other titles in the franchise.
Gears Tactics also offers a lot of progression and customization when compared to its XCOM roots, which is always welcome, but the amount you might appreciate these options might rely on how invested you are in the world and aesthetic of Gears of War to begin with. Even as a casual Gears of War fan who has a solid admiration of Gears of War 3 and Gears 5, there's nothing that Tactics brings to the table story or atmosphere-wise to keep me interested in completing a campaign. None of the story or the main cast of characters are very compelling, which is probably fine for Gears, but they also lack any tacky charm on the surface.
The audio and visuals are top notch, but there's no thematic intrigue to keep me on my toes - No fear of the unknown, no attachment to my troops or tension of losing them, no urgency to keep me constantly thinking multiple missions ahead.
In a sentence, It's all "XCOM", and no "Enemy Unknown".