#Gears tactics level up series#

What’s more, executing downed enemies via Gears’ signature brutal finishers rewards additional moves. Instead of having one turn for movement and one for attack, you get three moves that you can use in any manner of your choosing. Instead of placing everything inside a grid, Gears Tactics has open levels that feel more fluid. The main way Gears Tactics sets itself apart from other tactics games is that it’s far less rigid. Ultimately, Gears Tactics feels a lot like a straightforward “hunt the bad guy” action movie, with very few twists and turns.

Gabe and the rest of the crew don’t standout as characters either, certainly not to the degree we’re used to seeing from the Gears franchise. While the setup is compelling and the cinematics are top-notch, sadly the story doesn’t really do much beyond the initial premise.

#Gears tactics level up series#

Ukkon is responsible for creating all the giant monsters you see throughout the Gears series and so dealing with him becomes a priority for the COG. The story focuses on Gabe Diaz, ancestor of Kait Diaz, the protagonist of Gears 5, and his crew as they hunt a Locust named Ukkon. In between gameplay segments one might even mistake it for a proper mainline entry in the series, which got me invested in the story more than other tactics game has succeeded in doing. Gears Tactics immediately differentiates itself from other tactics games by having a pretty compelling story, and one that’s rooted deeply in the lore that Gears fans have been following for more than a decade.

Luckily for us, this gamble has resulted in an awesome, complex, addictive, ambitious strategy game that’s far better than it has any right to be. Gears Tactics is a turn-based strategy game that throws the old Gears rulebook out the window and reinvents itself in a completely unexpected way, which is a pretty weird move for a series that has always been associated with fast-paced shooting and gore. On the heels of another truly awesome entry in the Gears series, it might seem bizarre for The Coalition to release the exact opposite kind of game you’d expect fans to have an interest in.