What You Need To Know About Gears Tactics, The New PC Strategy Game
Microsoft's popular shooter series extends to a new genre with Gears Tactics.
Xbox's iconic cover-based shooter is switching gears for its next big release. Developers The Coalition and Splash Damage are launching a new strategy game set in the Gears of War universe called Gears Tactics. It arrives at the end of April for PC (and eventually on Xbox One), and is a canonical entry in the series. This is the first non-shooter release in the Gears series since the mobile game Gears Pop. It's a big change of pace for the franchise, and GameSpot recently had the opportunity to check out some gameplay and speak with one of the lead developers to find out more.
What It's All About
Gears Tactics is a turn-based strategy game developed by Gears 5 multiplayer studio Splash Damage in collaboration with main series developer The Coalition. The game was conceived as a way for Microsoft to extend the Gears franchise beyond its traditional home on console, and try to break into a new market by entering the strategy genre. The studio tells GameSpot that it understands PC is the platform of choice for many, and launching Gears Tactics as a PC-first game (featuring robust graphical and accessibility options) is an effort to address this gap.
Gears Tactics is a single-player only game that describes itself as "faster, more open, and intense" than other strategy games on the market. There is no grid, and you don't move square-to-square. Instead, players can freely navigate the map each turn using three actions--moving, shooting, or executing a skill. The Coalition describes Gears Tactics as a more action-oriented title than other strategy offerings, which is fitting for the traditionally action-heavy Gears series. There are numerous enemies per encounter, and this is meant to hearken back to the main Gears franchise where enemies come at you relentlessly. There are plenty of enemies you may remember, including Wretches and Brumaks who act and attack like series fans would expect, as well as at least one enemy that is brand-new to the Gears universe--the Disciple.
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