Gears Tactics Review: A Turn-Based Strategy Game With Gears at the Center

Gears Tactics is an excellent turn-based tactical game that perfectly blends Gears' famous style and action with established XCOM mechanics. The satisfying tactical fight action flows freely and it looks awesome while doing it. The campaign is solid and makes a big impression with some clever, Gears related original ideas.

Deck 9 Studios, the studio behind Gears Tactics, has released an excellent turn-based strategy game for Microsoft Windows PC and Xbox One. The campaign starts strong with an impressive intro sequence, but the only problem is the lack of a good tutorial, not something you should expect in a turn-based strategy game. The game lets you go at it in a typical online multiplayer mode or use it as the basis of a locally-hosted game. Multiplayer also doesn't include Gears Live but instead relies on a fresh and feature-filled version of the classic Horde mode. For the Gears fans out there, this is a must buy game, even for those who don't usually bother with turn-based strategy games.

Gameplay

Gears Tactics features a standard tactical combat mode where you take on the role of an Alliance member. You will eventually level up your abilities and you will get to choose how you play the game. You can go on the offense and move your units around freely, attempting to destroy the opposing faction's main base. Alternatively, you can approach the battle from the defensive side and try to weaken your opponent's forces through other means. Gears Tactics isn't an indie title and it's full of stuff that you would expect from a AAA game. You can place buildings and structures on the map. This can be extremely helpful when it comes to defending your base or killing units. The map editor is also a big plus. You can create whole new maps by yourself, which can be pretty cool.

Campaign

Each campaign in Gears Tactics is segmented into multiple missions. You have a general idea what you're going to get when you start a mission. The enemy forces are there, so the enemy has an idea where you are too. A general wave attack can break through your defenses and you'll have to repel them. This is done through the addition of move-speed units. If your units are stopped, they'll freeze to their original position until you release them. The enemies will now be able to dispatch you and deliver you to the other side. At first, this is a bit of a bummer, because you want to engage the enemy and put them in a tight spot. You can even capture an enemy unit, but they will be waddling around and your units will start at a disadvantage. It's frustrating to watch this from a distance.

Conclusion

Gears Tactics is an excellent strategy game that combines the uniquely fun but addictive Gears gameplay with a competent XCOM-inspired campaign. The strategic diversity and the significant attention to detail in the campaign make the game a joy to play. This is one of the best turn-based strategy games available and it is pretty affordable at the moment as well. We recommend this to strategy gamers who have tried XCOM but are still unsatisfied.