The first reviews of Gears 5 are out. How is the game received by gaming media and on Metacritic? Here are the review scores.
Now that the review embargo has been lifted, the first voices regarding the latest installment of “Gears of War” are already coming in. We’re summarizing what they say about the game.
Here are the scores on Metacritic: After the release of the first reviews, there is a critic score of 85 points on Metacritic. The distribution was as follows:
- Positive: 30 reviews
- Mixed: 3 reviews
- Negative: 0 reviews
So far, only reviews from gaming media have come in, as Gears 5 will be released on September 6. There is no player score yet.
Here are some more scores from gaming media:
- IGN – 8.8
- GameStar – 88%
- GamePro – 86%
- Games.ch – 95%
- Gamespot – 7
- Screen Rant – 4.5/5
- USgamer – 3.5/5
- Game Informer – 8.5
- GamesRadar – 4/5
- Digital Trends – 90/100
- Twinfinite – 90/100
- Critical Hit – 90/100
- Xbox Achievements – 90%
- Stevivor – 9
- Press Start – 9
- Metro GameCentral – 7/10
- New Game Network – 73%
- The Verge – “Unexpectedly phenomenal”
Likeable characters and the real “Gears of War” feeling
Some features and elements have been particularly highlighted in reviews.
This is rated positively: Many reviews emphasized that Gears 5 still conveys the feeling of the classic “Gears of War” games. The third-person battles are still as intense and fun as before. Veterans of the series should feel right at home.
It still feels incredibly satisfying to duck, pull out a Gnasher shotgun or a grenade launcher, and watch the next opponent get ripped to shreds.
There’s a reason why the Gears series hasn’t changed much over the last 10 years, and that’s because it feels excellent to play.
USGamer
There it is again, that brutal, weighty gameplay that makes me put all other shooters aside. I have been a Gears fan since the beginning, and the fifth installment makes me almost completely content again.
Heiko Klinge, GameStar.de
While the story of Gears 5 itself hasn’t garnered much praise, it was the likeable characters of the game that, according to reviews, carried the narrative and left a good impression on the critics so far.
The group consists of familiar faces from the Gears series, as well as new characters with Kait Diaz as the main character of the game. Together with some of her friends, she sets out to uncover the mystery of her origins.
After 4 games and several generations of characters, every person in the Gears universe has a distinct strong voice and has grown in certain ways throughout the story. […] There’s enough nuance and shared history so that every interaction [between characters] feels warm and inviting.
GamesRadar.com
Generally, the changes and new elements that the series has received with Gears 5 have been received quite positively. These include:
- More open world in the middle of the game that can be explored with a sailboat
- Side quests
- Robot Jack plays a more important role
- Smaller optional stealth segments where you have to eliminate enemies one by one
This is rated negatively: There were also negative points and elements criticized by reviewers. The story did not fare well in some reviews. It is considered:
- trivial
- without interesting twists
- predictable for Gears fans
- too quick and abrupt in conclusion
- dreary and uninspired
The attempt at innovation in storytelling […] feels superficial and ineffective.
Metro GameCentral
However, the rather negative reviews also emphasize the lack of innovation. Even though the new elements and features might seem like significant changes to some, their impact on gameplay is smaller than expected. And smaller than some critics had hoped for.
The design of the new features is also at times really poor. The new Escape mode is described by USGamer as a “chaos of noise and action”, and the mode doesn’t fare well in CGMagonline either:
Up to three players run through repetitive and short labyrinth-like levels with limited ammunition and weapons to get out as quickly as possible while getting kills along the way.
However, GameStar sees a good innovation in the Escape mode:
Escape” even convinces me as a self-proclaimed coop and online skeptic. An escape mission rarely lasts longer than 15 minutes but hits me with more dramatic moments than some lengthy multiplayer evenings. And so, Gears also delivers again in its fifth chainsaw attempt. Anyone who enjoys spectacularly staged blockbuster action should definitely not miss this chaos of gunfire.
Heiko Klinge, GameStar.de
All in all, Gears 5 is a good, spectacular shooter with a cool coop experience. The game will be released in just a few days on September 6 for Xbox One and PC.
