The popular Gears of War series has come back to us finally! Gears 5—if you noticed The Coalition dropped the of war part—brings us back to our heroes dealing with a new Locust war looming. What’s worse is that various political issues are beginning to occur making their efforts that much harder to prevent a tragedy! If you’ve been a die-hard fan of the Gears series then you’re going to want to listen up folks! We have armored up here at Honey’s Anime to deliver you a review of Gears 5 for the Xbox One! If you want to learn more about this incredible—a bit of a spoiler on our thoughts—game then scroll down further to read it in its entirety!

Fans of the Gears of War series should be familiar on what to expect. Once more players take up the role of JD, the son of Marcus Fenix from the original Gears of War trilogy. JD and his allies—Kait Diaz, Del and Marcus—have taken a blow to their hearts with the passing of Kait’s mother. What’s worse is the Locust are gaining strength and they need to activate an old weapon to have a chance at fighting back. Players will once more engage various Locust threats with a myriad of weapons both new and old to the series. Players will also engage the enemy on several new locations. Outside a lengthy campaign players can enjoy multiplayer modes including the brand new Escape Mode and several new Horde Maps. Gears 5 is easily one of the largest Gears games created and that is something fans won’t be disappointed in!

JD, Kait, Marcus and Del not long ago uncovered the truth about the so-called “dead Locusts”. The Locust army is far from defeated and has been biding their time all these years regaining their strength to once more launch an assault on the human race. After the passing of her mother, Kait now wishes to know why the Locust are still around and why her mother was used as such a powerful beacon in the hive she was taken to. Our gears warriors need to first prepare a prototype Hammer of Dawn satellite system to combat the Locust threat but will find their mission far from simple. A war is beginning and our gears are going to get launched into it whether they are ready or not...

Gameplay (Use Gears 5 #4)
Returning fans of the Gears of War series probably don’t need us to dive into the basics about the series, but we’ll consider newcomers may need to know more. Gears 5 is the latest entry in the long-running series originally made by Epic Games and now The Coalition. Gears 5 is primarily a third person shooter where players take control of various characters as they survive against an alien threat known as The Locust. What makes these games so epic is their focus on brutal/intense action with heavy gore and a truly deep narrative. Plus, Gears of War has always had a loyal multiplayer fandom and this newest entry doesn’t skimp out on that element in the slightest. We’re going to be frank, readers; Gears 5 is amazing and nearly perfect. If you need to know why though then just continue forward as we continue our review of Gears 5 for the Xbox One!

Unlike previous Gears games, Gears 5 has a focus that deviates from the Fenix family and on our returning girl from the last game, Kait Diaz. We will avoid spoilers but Kait takes up most of this narrative in Gears 5 as you’ll begin to see her past—and her mother’s past—come into focus. Our past characters still have a big role, mind you; but Kait’s struggle to cope with her mother’s loss and the revelations to follow give Gears 5 a whole new level of depth we haven’t seen from the previous entries. Yet, we know for many that while the story is important, the gameplay matters a bit more. We’re happy to announce Gears 5 keeps things on the same track but enhances the gameplay quite a bit.

In terms of combat, the all too similar third person shooting returns in Gears 5 but feels tighter and stronger thanks to some gameplay tweeks. The covering system keeps players glued to walls when they need to be and equally allows quick movements off of them when their cover is blown. Likewise, weapons all have a better aim assist that allows for more precise shots but only when the player aims just right to get that glorious headshot! This is especially important as multiplayer is bigger than ever in Gears 5 with more maps, modes and weapons. As we mentioned, Gears 5 feels bigger and badder—in the good sense of the word—and some of the new content is truly epic.

Beyond the campaign mode—which can be played with three players online or split screen for good ole couch co-op—there is multiplayer, horde mode and Escape. Multiplayer and Horde Mode should sound familiar and haven’t changed much outside new content from unlockables—such as customization options and banners—and maps. Escape though is where we want to dive into the most as we loved our time playing it. Escape is as it sounds, players weekly must choose a character, join a team and escape a hive setting as fast as possible. Escape mode can be altered to be easy to teeth gritting hard and allows for a new co-op experience to be enjoyed. You’ll need to work as a team to survive in Escape as enemies are rough and bullets aren’t plentiful. There are safe rooms where players can nab weapons/ammo but Escape won’t let a weak team or player survive long. We can’t wait to see the weekly changes with Escape and already loved playing it with strangers and friends alike!

Outside of the gameplay, there is one other big change to Gears 5 and it’s noticeable the minute the game starts up, the graphics. Gears 5 is easily one of the best looking Xbox One games out there and the best looking Gears game to release! Our eyes couldn’t stop staring at some of the new vistas you’ll be fighting on or destroying with the new focus on destructible environments Gears 5 seems to have. Character models—Locust and human alike—are just so detailed that it gives Gears 5 an almost movie-like feel and that’s going to hook story focused fans immediately. Add to that some incredible music and great voice work from returning VAs to make Gears 5 a presentation piece as much as it is a game.

Get Gears 5 ASAP, fans! Usually, in our consensus we talk about the things we’ve discussed above, but let’s be real for a moment. Gears 5 is easily one of the better games of 2019 and the best of the series. While it sticks to the original concepts of the last few games closely—which might turn off those who wanted a newer experience—Gears 5 nails those concepts and sets the precedent on how the series needs to be henceforth. Gears 5 has everything we want in a Gears game, a great story mode, awesome multiplayer—that did have some hiccups in the first few days of pre-release—and two cool co-op modes one new and one returning. If you’ve loved Gears before then you know you’re going to want to nab Gears 5 but even newcomers might find Gears 5 accessible and that is always an impressive feat for any series.

We here at Honey’s Anime consider ourselves to be Gears fans, but we’ve had some moments with the series here and there. Gears 5 feels like the right way to go with the series as it enhances a lot of what made Gears of War 4 great and equally the original trilogy as well. In our minds though, Gears 5 is a must play Xbox One game and we think fans will scream their agreement in unison. Maybe though you have a different opinion or wish to share your thoughts on Gears 5? Comment below to let us hear from you! For even more game reviews and anime articles, be sure to keep stuck to our hive here at Honey’s Anime!