14 DAY TRIAL // It looks like Microsoft is far from being done with the Gears saga. After successfully launching Gears 5 a few months ago, the Redmond-based company announced a brand-new Gears game that will arrive on PC next year.
Dubbed Gears Tactics, the game is a departure from the traditional third-person shooter genre specific to the series, and offers players a less frantically turn-based strategy gameplay experience. Revealed at The Game Awards last week, Gears Tactics will be available for PC via Steam and Xbox Game Pass on April 28, 2020.
The game is developed by the same studio responsible for Gears 5 – The Coalition, as well as Splash Damage. Gears Tactics is set 12 years before the first Gears of War, so you could say it's a prequel. Here is a short description of the game's premise:
“Cities across the planet Sera are beginning to fall to the monstrous threat rising from underground – the Locust Horde. With the government in disarray, a squad of survivors emerges as humanity’s last hope. Outnumbered and fighting for survival, players must recruit and command a squad to hunt down Ukkon, an evil mastermind who makes monsters.”
The developers promise an immersive and character-driven story, which follows the defiant soldier Gabe Diaz, voiced by Noshir Dalal, also known for his roles in Call of Duty: Black Ops III, Days Gone, Death Stranding, Fallout 4, Far Cry 4, and Gears 5.
In Gears Tactics, players can customize their squad and equipment to prepare their troops to face challenging enemies. Upgrading skills and outfitting your units with loot collected in tough missions is mandatory in order to be successful.
Those who pre-order Gears Tactics will receive the Thrashball Cole Character Pack which includes Augustus Cole as a recruit and the Thrashball Armor Set, complete with rare abilities. Of course, if you're an Xbox Game Pass subscriber, you don't have to pay anything for the game.