As long as that character has action points to spend, players can swap between characters in the turn order at will. Move one character, attack with a second, move a third, then go back to the first to attack ag

It’s entirely possible to kill two enemies in Gears Tactics with a single shot. Bullet penetration is a thing in this game, with shots capable of traveling not only through certain objects, but enemies (and allies)

This serves to give players the feeling of always being one step behind their enemy; which helps heighten the tension. Gears Tactics starts the player with a group of soldiers that can seemingly dispatch hordes of alien soldiers with e

As such, Gears Tactics won’t let players continue if a main character dies. Forcing gamers to restart an entire mission would be a bit harsh. As a compromise, the game features checkpoints throughout missions, so if the player dies, they won’t lose a ton of progress. So don’t be afraid to be aggressive, worst-case scenario, only a few minutes of progress will be l

If there is one aspect of Gears Tactics that is obviously better than the XCOM games, it’s the boss battles. XCOM doesn’t really have boss battles; there is a final engagement against stronger enemies than those normally encountered, but that’s not really a "boss battle". Occasionally, players in Gears Tactics will find themselves facing an enormous creature that towers over the battlefield. Defeating these gigantic boss creatures gives players an immediate sense of accomplishment that is sometimes lacking in the XCOM games. These boss battles also really help break up the monotony of fighting the same alien soldiers over and over – which is a problem from which the XCOM games suffer on occas

To top it off, Tactics nails the reconstruction of familiar enemies in a turn-based world. Boomers are just as terrifying and stompy, Tickers just as erratic and hyperactive, Kantus just as loud and obnoxious . There are a few new foes to discover too, but the core army of bad dudes didn’t require many tweaks to remain interesting and formidable. As it turns out, the Locust are just as robust in a strategic sett

Here’s a fun fact: thanks to the random soldiers in the recruitment pool having no points assigned to them, and the extensive customization options, players can sort of clone soldiers you’ve lost in battle. Just grab a new recruit, customize their looks so they look like the fallen soldier, and start assigning them skill points that mirror the fallen sold

Unfortunately, this is where Tactics becomes a bit dull. The recruiting system and side characters are mostly forgettable. The tactical variety isn’t the largest either, leaving the player with a handful of options. It isn’t dry by any means, yet after the first 15 hours of the roughly 25-hour campaign, you essentially get the gist of it. This would’ve been negligible in the wake of diverse mission designs, but sadly – this isn’t the c

In addition to these universal options, players can effectively use skills to boost and stretch skill points. Each of the five classes have skills that add much-needed action points. For example, the Sniper's chain Shot skill will award the shooter AP for hits; the Support can use Empower to grant bonus points to a squad-mate get their own points for reviving a friend with the Encourage passive ability; and the Vanguard's Breach skill gives a point to any soldier canny enough to bring down a breached enemy. Spend some time exploring the skill trees to suss out what options will generate the most action points without costing on combat upgrades skills, and think about this when setting up team composition - it may be worth having a Support who, while not a damage dealer on their own, can keep every other soldier firing that bit longer with bonus AP. More points means more gunfire - keep the heat up and the battle is the player's to

One of the major diversions to traditional tactics games, a playthrough in Gears Tactics doesn't end when the story ends. Veteran missions take place after the story is completed, and players lead their COGs in mission after mission, so anyone can keep playing with their favorite squadmates even after the story is o

A standard in the customization of soldiers for turn-based strategy games, each class has a skill tree that can be upgraded to allow them all to do different things. In Gears Tactics, the skills fall into four different subclasses for each cl

When it comes to tactical options on the battlefield, Gears Tactics is better than XCOM 2 . Both use the AP (action point) system. Soldiers basically have a set number of action points with which to perform actions. Moving a set distance, using a weapon, or activating a special ability typically cost one AP. Sometimes there are restrictions, like not being able to fire a heavy weapon after moving. Gears Tactics gives each soldier three APs, as opposed to XCOM ’s two. The overwatch action is also much, much better in Gears Tacti