REVIEW: ‘Gears Of War: Reloaded’ Is A Fantastic But Imperfect Remaster

Gears of War Reloaded is a brand new remaster of the Xbox classic and staple game, Gears of War. Launching in 2006 and spanning several games across several console generations, the series, including the first game, is quite beloved. Now, almost two decades later, Xbox Game Studios has decided to release another modern remaster for PC and next-gen consoles.

Additionally, for the first time, the game is available on PlayStation 5. While this isn’t the title’s first remaster, the next-gen version exceeds both visual and performance expectations and provides an exceedingly entertaining gaming experience. However, the remaster isn’t without the several faults that have always plagued the game.

Gears of War: Reloaded takes place on the war-torn planet of Sera, years after an apocalyptic event called Emergence Day, where creatures known as the Locust Horde rose from underground to wipe out humanity. The remnants of society now live under a militarized government called the Coalition of Ordered Governments (COG), fighting a desperate survival war.

Gears of War Reloaded packs lots of narrative depth into a short campaign.

The game begins as a disgraced COG soldier, Marcus Phoenix, is being released from prison by his best friend, Dominic Santiago. COG desperately needs every capable fighter it has, and that includes Marcus. He rejoins Delta Squad, and together they’re sent on a mission to deploy the Resonator, a device designed to map the Locust underground tunnel network called the “Hollow,” so humanity can attack its core.

Players follow Marcus, Dom, and their squadmates through a series of brutal battles across ruined cities and underground caverns. Along the way, they face monstrous Berserkers, massive Corpser beasts, and endless waves of Locust soldiers. As the mission progresses, Marcus proves his loyalty and leadership amidst the mission’s many challenges.

Gears of War‘s story is incredibly simple, direct, and easy to follow. It is also extremely reminiscent of shooter games of its era. Players control war-hardened men on a mission as they face several foes, sacrifices, and challenges. The narrative starts simply with seemingly no focus on the plot, but as players progress through the game, they learn more about the characters, the strange planet, Locusts, and more.

The narrative features a shocking amount of depth not seen in many games of its genre, and the characters are endearing and memorable. The campaign is also quite short. It lasts about ten hours, which makes the narrative condensed and easily enjoyable.

The big, gory nature of Gears of War Reloaded is as satisfying as ever.

Gameplay is where the Gears of War series thrives, and that’s no different with Gears of War: Reloaded. Using weapons and shooting Locusts feels fun and satisfying, especially with the gory nature of the game. Shooting enemies with heavy caliber guns, using grenades and explosives to blow them up, and using the chainsaw attached to your Lancer and seeing their limbs explode or split apart still looks epic decades later.

What’s more, the feedback and weight behind every weapon, as well as the experience of using each one, feels fantastic, especially with the adaptive triggers that simulate shooting each gun and their recoil really well. The reloading mechanic, which either rewards you for succeeding a dynamic QTE with faster reloads or punishes you with gun jamming, is also incredibly engaging and should be used more in shooters.

However, it’s hard to ignore how challenging the game is, especially compared to other shooter games. Enemies are basically bullet sponges, especially in higher difficulty modes, and it doesn’t take a lot of shots to kill Marcus either. Yet, the difficulty doesn’t impact the game’s enjoyment and even improves it. Fighting off hordes unscathed feels rewarding. However, it’s important to note the several things that do hinder the game’s experience.

Some of the controls that have always plagued Gears of War remain an issue in the remaster.

The first and most invasive is the incredibly stiff gameplay. Maneuvering characters around tight spaces, vaulting, switching covers, and sprinting sometimes feels like pulling teeth. It’s especially worse while sprinting, as the camera positioning is awkward and right behind your character. As a result, you can’t easily change directions when sprinting or even see your surroundings comfortably.

Additionally, there isn’t a dedicated button for rolling away from enemies, as it’s the same button used for running, so getting out of dangerous situations can be incredibly frustrating when you do one instead of the other. Furthermore, Gears of War Reloaded lacks a diverse range of weapons in its campaign mode. While the weapons that do exist are fun to use, the variety is admittedly disappointing.

Lastly, navigating and traversing some levels can be a pain. Target doors and areas are not visually distinct from others, and not all levels clearly show where you need to go, despite the linear nature of the game. Other than these issues, Gears of War Reloaded is a great game that provides a mostly enjoyable experience.

For a remaster of a 2006 game, Gears of War Reloaded looks incredible on PlayStation 5.

For a remaster of a 2006 game, it looks incredible on PlayStation 5. The port boasts enhanced visuals, featuring incredibly detailed character models, stunning surface reflections, improved lighting and colours, and impeccable effects. In terms of visuals, the remaster succeeds in almost every way. The game also runs smoothly, outputting a stable 60 FPS with no lags, dips, or glitches.

Finally, Gears of War Reloaded boasts tons of new features that provide a definitive experience. This includes all previous post-launch content, new control schemes, cross-play for its online modes, ultrawide support, enhanced performance on PC and PS5 Pro, and more.

All in all, Gears of War Reloaded is a fantastic remaster of a superb game that’s worth its asking price. Although its dated gameplay style and execution hold it back, the game still offers hours of fun and gory entertainment.

Gears of War: Reloaded is available now on PC, PlayStation 5, and Xbox Series X|S.