Gears Tactics is big and brash at times, but it’s also deep, intelligent and balanced, with all the heart and passion we’ve come to expect from a Gears game.
Gears Tactics won’t be for every Gears fan, simply because of the genre switch, but for those looking to embrace something new, they’re going to have the pleasure of experiencing yet another wonderful take on the franchise, only from a totally new perspective.
While it might be a surprising translation between genres, Gears Tactics plays like it was meant to be. The game is often quite challenging and instead of the twitch reflexes of a shooter, it demands smart and strategic thinking. It nails the look and feel of Gears and adds some welcome refinements and improvements to the now-standard turn-based formula. Lengthy and populated by familiar and violent Gears of War moments of triumph, Gears Tactics suffers a bit in the areas of story and character and repetitive mission structure. In most ways, however, Gears Tactics is a refreshing and unexpected take on the Gear of War saga.
There’s a sense that this is Splash Damage and The Coalition playing to the crowd with Gears Tactics. It undoubtedly captures the look and feel of the Gears universe, squeezing it into a slick turn-based tactical game, but while I can see a few genre fans attracted to its more cerebral form of warfare, it’s the series fans who are going to get the most out of it.
Gears Tactics tries some new things, but ultimately results in a game that’s less tactics oriented than the name suggests. It’s a competent experience, but completely whiffs on character with a lackluster story and every tool is a hammer class design. Add in repetitive mission structure and Gears Tactics is a far sight less replayable than the giants of the genre.
I'd give it a solid 7/10.
A lot of negative reviews come from people complaining about needing an Xbox account, it's 2021, multiple platforms are needed for both TV and Games and even music now, time to get over it.
As for Gears Tactics, it's like XCOM and it isn't. You get a bit more freedom in Gears Tactics I feel, in terms of positioning and action points. Being able to redeem action points through executions also adds another layer of tactic to the game.
The armour customisation is phenomenal, you can make some really badass looking gears with the different colour and decal scemes.
There is little to no character customisation though, unlike XCOM you can't change the gender or race of the characters you recruit, so making accurate (somewhat) looking versions of your friends can be difficult. (Use helmets and long t-shirts to sorta overcome this).
The gameplay is satisfying with all the sound effects and animations that we've grown to love over the years since 2006.
The story is alright, some people don't like it, I personally think it's not bad; very middle of the line, if you're not a Gears lore fan, it might be somewhat forgettable.
The Boss fights however, I feel, take far too long. It's not that the bosses are hard, it's just that mobs spawn in during the boss fight, forcing you to deal with them, which just creates artificial length. However there is an argument to be had that the bosses might be too easy without these added swarms.
Tickers are a genuine threat in this game as opposed to the shooters.
Overall, a 7/10. Get it on sale if you like a XCOM or Phoenix Point, or even if you like Gears and want to broaden your horizons a little. I don't think you'll be disappointed.
As someone who has put a lot of time into Xcom and Xcom 2, I was excited for a new take on that style of turn based shooting genre. While Tactics adds a lot of quality of life changes some Xcom players may enjoy seeing (such as multiple shots on overwatch, cool-downs on things like grenades, etc), this is kind of like a pretty but very dumbed down version of Xcom.
Pros:
-Graphics
-Innovative changes to existing mechanics like overwatch and consumables
-Very well optimized- I've encountered very few bugs while playing
-A 90% chance actually feels like a 90% chance to hit
-A more risk-reward loot system for weapon mods rather than sheer luck
Cons:
-Mediocre story
-Grindy, repetitive missions and lack of variation on enemies
-Very simple (to a fault) customization system, and lack of variation
-No between mission content: games is purely about Main missions and side missions; you get a big ass mobile transport in the beginning and it is never revisited.
The game isn't explicitly terrible, but my initial thoughts ranged initially from disappointment to frustration as I found the game just wasn't worth all the frustration I had with it. I saw a review on here where someone basically called it a mobile game, and that's pretty close. Take Xcom, give it some streamlined changes, and make it more grindy and more focused on the action and less on the story. Do that, and you pretty much have gears tactics. At LEAST wait for it to go one sale- this is not a $60 USD game by any stretch.
SummaryGears Tactics is the fast-paced, turn-based strategy game from one of the most-acclaimed video game franchises – Gears of War. Outnumbered and fighting for survival, recruit and command your squad to hunt down an evil mastermind who makes monsters.