The Coalition have been promising for some time now that Gears 5 is the game that’ll represent them pushing the envelope with the franchise. Of late, we’ve heard about open world elements, and how the game is inspired by other open world titles– and now, thanks to a panel at PAX West that was attended by The Coalition chief Rod Fergusson (which you can view through here), we have a bunch of very interesting new information on the upcoming shooter.
The Coalition insists, as it has been doing since the beginning, that Gears 5’s campaign is the biggest in the series yet. In terms of actual size, that means larger playing areas. For instance, the area the third act of the game is set in – an open world hub area – is 50 times bigger than a regular Gears of War level.
There are, of course, several side missions as well, but Fergusson also makes it clear that they’re not same-y fetch quests. They’ve been hand crafted and offer unique experiences. For instance, the bot who travels with the player, called Jack, has combat abilities, and players can unlock ultimate abilities for him by completing side quests.
Speaking of Jack, he’s a major new mechanic added to the game here. The bot introduces light RPG mechanics, and has various abilities, both passive and combat, that can be used in combat, from healing and cloaking you to dropping shock traps for enemies. Players unlock these abilities throughout the campaign, and these are also upgradable.
And even in combat scenarios, players are now given choices in how they want to approach situations. Rather than being forced into combat, players can plot out their fights, and even go into stealth (which Jack’s cloaking abilities help with).
It’s clear, then, that The Coalition are doing some really interesting (and different) things with Gears 5. We’ll find out how well it works out when the game launches for Xbox One and PC on September 10. On Xbox One, you’ll require roughly 58 GB of free storage space. If you’re playing on PC, check out the system requirements through here.
