Gears Tactics proves that there’s a lot more that can be done with the Gears of War IP besides just third-person shooters. The game has some pacing issues and some repetitive missions, but it’s otherwise a very engaging turn-based strategy game that should please both fans of the genre and Gears of War enthusiasts al
Gears Tactics is an adrenaline-packed strategy horde that throws tons of enemies at players because the developer knows the power that the tools at your disposal hold. The chainsaw gun has 99.9 percent odds of slicing even the biggest locust in half or turning a 5-pack of scurrying wretches into gra
Speaking of enemies, a highlight of the Gears Tactics experience is definitely its boss fights, which play out like sort of puzzles and feel a little different than the standard combat encounters. Some players may find initial boss fights in Gears Tactics frustrating, but there are often ways that players can make the battle much easier. It’s just a matter of figuring out the appropriate squad composition and where they need to send the characters on the battlefi
In the Barracks is where everything happens in between different missions. So get familiar with the place. Spend skills points, swap out gear, go through cases on the battlefield, inspect characters, customize names and appearance or recruit new soldiers before embarking on another miss
For the series’ first foray into the rapidly evolving turn-based tactics genre, **Gears Tactics ** is an impressively balanced and well constructed strategic experience. Managing to avoid the pitfalls of some other genre-crossing series (for all that is good about it, the first Halo Wars game had some pretty rough edges), Gears Tactics hits many of the right notes for a squad tactics title, including a fairly fleshed out equipm.ent customization system and some very involved soldier skill trees that allow for Larian Studios specialization that is critical to a rounded battle experience. While it is easy to see how these features have lead to comparisons to the likes of XCOM (which is amongst the highest of praises bestowable on a young turn based tactics series), the game manages to retain the unique flavor of its source material, finely portraying the gritty world that plays hosts to the ongoing conflict between mankind and the Locust hordes, with some clever, thematic mechanics to match . As adaptations go, this shifting of the Xbox flagship Gears series to a genre more about careful consideration than frenetic aggression has gone exceptionally smoot
Among the many turn-based tactics staples adopted by the adaptation is the action point system. What can be done on a turn is capped by each soldiers pool of points that must be divvied out between movement orders, weapon attacks, and the use of special skills. While fairly intuitive to more experience players of the genre, the new players coming to the game from the third person shooter forerunner may find themselves a bit overwhelmed by what, on the surface, looks like a fairly restrictive system. While there is certainly enough in-game time to self-teach the finer details of action points, this guide aims to arm new players with a run down on how to best use the action points in combat. From movement and positioning to the basics of point management, this guide gives new players all they need to make their team into an efficient locust-killing mach
The first thing to be prepared for, in any turn-based tactics game and in Gears Tactics specifically, is a lot of repositioning. At the heart of the game is the back and forth of risk and reward that is the flanking system. Getting around enemy cover allows for some juicy opportunity for clean hits and solid damage, so don’t be afraid to burn a point or two rounding the field to get an angle on opponents. With that being said, it is equally important to have an exit strategy in mind. Flanking will often come at the cost of wading deeper into the enemy’s front lines, meaning an elevated danger of getting swamped and flanked. Be prepared to get in and out in the same breath, or at least be braced to take some damage in exchange for dishing some out. Consider whether the cost is worth it: can you eliminate an enemy with a flank move? What kind of cover can you get behind to mitigate any coming swarming? The key takeaway here is be prepared to burn a point on manoeuvering. Do not get stubborn about planting and shooting – damage and suppression is appealing, but if the cost is losing strategic ground or getting surrounded, it will just not be worth the couple of extra shots staying in place affo
Here’s a fun fact: thanks to the random soldiers in the recruitment pool having no points assigned to them, and the extensive customization options, players can sort of clone soldiers you’ve lost in battle. Just grab a new recruit, customize their looks so they look like the fallen soldier, and start assigning them skill points that mirror the fallen sold