Review: Gears of War 4

It’s been more than 10 years since “Gears of War” was released on the Xbox 360. The franchise has become one of the greatest pillars of the Xbox family. It brought endless hours devoted to multiplayer, cooperative campaigns, among other things. Franchises like “Gears of War” rarely take a break. Now, the new “Gears of War 4” arrives to bring even more attitude to the Xbox One.

In its new chapter, we are presented with a storyline that mixes a series of unified elements. There is a clear renewal of the franchise’s protagonists—the return of characters filled with nostalgia for the longtime fans—along with a good dose of humor and exaggeration, elements that have already become a hallmark of the series.

The plot takes place 25 years after the events of its predecessor. The planet Sera now lives in a constant state of peace, striving to rebuild after its population was nearly wiped out by the Locust attack. The COG have now given way to new soldier-robots, called DeeBees, which are programmed to establish harmony among everyone.

Unhappy with the leadership of Jinn, Sera’s prime minister, a group of rebels led by JD Fenix seeks solutions to extract energy in their village. This provokes the sovereign’s wrath, who launches a personal war against the group and its allies. This is just a pretext for a larger storyline to begin unfolding, to the point where it includes Marcus Fenix as one of the title’s main protagonists.

The plot unfolds in a less forced manner than in the other games in the series. There is a greater interest in understanding all the reasons behind both the uprising of the young group and the return of Marcus Fenix. And the most interesting part is that the player is constantly bombarded with new elements and surprises, especially for those who have played the previous titles in the franchise.

We can say that the story of “Gears of War 4” is attractive and exciting, although it is often hampered by a series of overly repetitive shooting scenes. Although the essence of the game is all about exchanging bullets at every turn, it lacks a greater dose of creativity when it comes to presenting all that action on screen.

For example, right at the beginning of the storyline, the player is bombarded with combat sequences against the DeeBees robots. However, the way these encounters occur—always in the same setting, with the same characters, and without other elements influencing the scenes—ends up making the game feel too repetitive.

Still, there is a big problem that affects many games in the genre: the linearity of the plot. It’s rare that you’ll ever feel lost or unsure of what to do, because everything boils down to moving forward, eliminating enemies, and watching the next animated scene play out. There is a lack of freedom that would allow for deeper exploration of the environments and perhaps introduce elements that make the player think, rather than merely using bullets to progress.

The gameplay of “Gears of War 4” stays true to the series’ standard. It basically comes down to shooting and taking cover using platforms, structures, and walls. These, however, no longer fully protect the player. Depending on the adversary’s firepower, they can easily be shattered, leaving the character exposed in combat.

As for the visual aspects, “Gears of War 4” delights as expected. Right at the beginning of the game, you can’t help but notice the fresh atmosphere of the settings, which are now lighter and crisper than in previous versions. Furthermore, the story helps to introduce more structured environments, such as factories, mansions, and villages, as opposed to the traditional backdrop of destruction.

The characters have also evolved. Both the Locusts and the old characters now look more realistic, yet without losing their distinct traits. The effects of explosions, storms, and chunks of flesh flying through the scene catch the eye with their rich details.

Unfortunately, when it comes to the audio aspects, the game leaves much to be desired. There is impeccable work on the sound effects—there’s no denying that, as the explosions and chainsaw cuts sound agonizingly realistic. However, the voice acting, which is poorly placed and performed, disappoints and fails to convey the feeling or emotion that the scene was meant to express to the player.

The traditional multiplayer has gained the new modes Dodgeball and Escalation. The former consists of a 5-versus-5 match where a player who is eliminated must wait for an opponent to be taken down before rejoining the match. The winning team is the one that eliminates all opponents before anyone comes back in. As for Escalation, it is the mode the developers deemed suitable for positioning “Gears of War 4” in the eSports arena.

And what do you think about Gears of War 4?