Its time to rev up your lancer's chainsaw and start cutting through grubs. Gears Tactics released on April 28th on Windows PC with a hinted at Xbox One release coming later in 2020. The game is well made and a very interesting take on the Gears series. Instead of the typical Gears style of third-person shooter, they are taking the series to a new genre going to that of turn-based tactics. This game takes a lot of the good from the X-Com games and adds a Gears flair onto it which for the most part worked out very well. The story takes place 12 years before the OG Gears of War game during the start of the Locust emergence. You play as Gabe Diaz and you are now tasked with recruiting and finding more of your fellow Gears to help you in hunting down a powerful foe in the Locust army named Ukkon. The Gears that you recruit will fight alongside you in missions but be careful even though the main "hero" characters can not die the random Gears that you pick up will be able to die and this death is a permanent one. Speaking of Recruiting those you do pull into the fray will be assigned a class that you can level up and build their skill trees.
SUPPORT These are the soldiers that keep the team fighting the long fight. Providing medical treatment and some leadership to help heal and give the team boost to movement and more. With a skill tree that will turn the unit into that of a Surgeon which really boosts the units healing abilities or the way of paragon to give passive and active buffs to the whole squad.
HEAVY These units will be laying down the lead in battle. With their Gatling guns and the special anchoring bonus which stacks as they hunker down and fire from a fixed position. Their skill tree has demolitionist which will focus on granting and improving the unit's explosive output or you can go into the defender subclass to really build that hard wall to stop the enemy. SNIPER Long-range killing is what this class is about. They will allow you to kill your enemies before they even get the chance to get close. This class shows off some abilities to give them a reduction in accuracy penalties allowing for better-aimed shots. Even a neat little concussive attack to stun any enemy that stands in their way. SCOUT This class is all for those who rather take the fight up close and in the face. With a flanking and getting behind enemy lines the show off a very cool and useful cloak ability to really allow them to sneak around unseen.
VANGUARD
Tank is the best word to describe this class. Having the means of healing themselves but not only that they can also disrupt and distract enemies. Meaning while the vanguard takes the heat another unit can get to safety or could even flank for a better position. But this unit can also pack quite the punch and is a very integral part of any squad.
Unlike that of X-Com games, there is no base-building aspect but there is a good bit of loadout customizing. As you are fighting you will be able to find and pick up these supply creates which you can then open up and head into the loadout screen for your unit and mess with their equipment adding extended mags, scopes, and stocks just to give your squad that slight edge in battle. There is a lot on offer in this package for $59.99 (my runtime was over 25 hours on normal) or even a better deal is getting game pass ultimate which not only gives access to Gears Tactics but loads of other games as well. So if you like the X-Com style tactics game then you will feel right at home with how difficult and the play style of Gear Tactics and should pick it up but if you were never a big fan of these kinds of games Gears Tactics is a great jumping in point and could be your new favorite game to play.
OVERALL SCORE: 8.5
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