OVERVIEW
 
Making sequels is not easy, especially if previous stories have closed their cycle. Gears of War's first trilogy seemed to tell enough about the constant state of war in Sera, and its spin-off Gears of War: Judgment showed such creative wear that it made us think of the little need to continue the franchise. The Coalition saw a major challenge when being assigned by Microsoft Studios to make a new attempt using Gears of War 4. Not only have they achieved a competent game (a rarity nowadays), but they have created one of the most important stories of the saga and the most complete package for it. Gears of War 4 takes us to the remembered and tragic planet Sera 25 years after the end of the war between the COG, Locust and Lambent. A period of peace that has not gone smoothly: under the leadership of Prime Minister Jinn, the COG has transformed itself into an organization that seeks human perfection and at the same time restricts its society within cities created in an automated way, Exiling or punishing those who oppose. One of them is the son of Marcus, JD Fenix, former COG officer who deserted next to his friend Del after a dark incident. The two deserters work at the beginning of the adventure for one of the groups of exiles, trying to solve their needs by looting some government facilities with Kait Diaz and his uncle Oscar, all under the orders of Reyna, a woman quite capable. However, a series of disappearances in the COG and a monstrous attack on the village cause JD, Del and Kait to search Reyna while trying to solve a great mystery: where did the new creatures that threaten the planet come from?

STORY - A-
 
The development of the story created by The Coalition is practically perfect, barely obscured by a couple of moments that introduce concepts of Horde mode to the force. There is a prologue that serves to explain the basics backstory of the saga such as the events of the Pendulum War, the invasion of the Locust known as the Day of Emergency and the last battle against them from the front of the Gate Anvil. The new protagonists are introduced progressively and without anxiety, giving their motivations and personality before entering the knot of the plot during which we will know more about the fate of some main characters of the first trilogy - being Marcus the most influential, temporarily overshadowing the main group - and various changes in the world, culminating the event somewhat abruptly but shocking by the final result.

All this comes under a festival of emotions ranging from hard and simple action to emotional moments, seasoned with some episodes that break the routine by changing the basic format of the game through vehicle sequences and other slight surprises. Yes, there is a cliche and we will not remember JD and company in the same way as the Delta squad, but we will see a lot of connection with the language and color of the games created by Epic Games, as if it was in the blood.

 
GRAPHICS - A
 
Compared to the graphics that come from the previous trilogy: Gears of War 4 shines more when dark environments appear, worn and with organic touches. It is not that the levels developed in the day look bad, but the tone of the story is more coherent and shocking as you move between tunnels, abandoned factories and ruins full of mucus; The sensation of discovery increases thanks to these environments that contrast sharply with the almost aseptic cleaning of the new cities of COG. The first major change in Sera, starting with a very important one: the storms. These do not affect the whole campaign, but when they do, they influence both the urgency of your adventure and the way it plays out, as their strong winds modify the behavior of objects including weak shells and shells, as well as the movement of the characters in combat. In addition they are accompanied by electric shocks that you must avoid, multiplying the danger and increasing the amount of attention that must  be given.
 
The second change on Sera is the new monsters, whom JD calls "The Swarm". For them I can not say more about their origin, but about their design and behavior. They have a huge variety, such as annoying little footmen (the Juvies), their improved and smarter versions (the drones), and a series of huge beasts with different patterns of behavior that can get you out of bounds if you are not patient. The artificial intelligence of Gears of War 4 is one of the most aggressive I have found in a shooter in recent years: accurate in their attacks and looking for routes to evade or find our position as if they were game dogs.
 
CONTROL - A
 
Character control is familiar to fans of the saga, with the same style of aiming, career and coverages characteristic of the saga. The latter receive a few improvements that increase the way to approach a combat: you can catch a careless enemy and remove it from its position to finish it, or jump quickly over the obstacle without having to double-tap the A button you are accustomed to . In addition, the game added some new weapons, most related to the DeeBees, the robotic troops of the new COG; Some not very useful as the Enforcer, but other powerful and valuable as the EMBAR rifle.
 
GAMEPLAY - A+
 
Apart from the campaign, Gears of War 4 offers a Horde mode and online or local clashes. Horde 3.0 adds very important strategic components, improving the original scheme making it from being a simple Arcade to a demanding cooperative. Players have the opportunity to choose between five classes of operation and take advantage of certain advantages they offer; We can build defense elements through a Fabricator but we must invest points obtained by eliminating enemies as if they are bank funds. And the enemies of each wave are made more difficult by its composition and modifiers that increase its resistance, damage and precision.
 
As for the competitive section, Gears of War 4 is perhaps the most solid of the franchise. First because it includes a variety of modalities within social lists and ranking with adjustments to classic modes such as Team Duel, War Zone and King of the Hill, as well as new ones such as Dodgeball and Armament Race. Secondly because the behavior of the servers is clean, guaranteeing the fast encounter of games and great operation of the same without registering delays in the movement or the impact of the shots (one of the great problems in Gears of War and Gears of War 2). Thirdly, because it works under a steady speed of 60 frames per second, ensuring a lot of speed in the action and smoothness in the image.
 
The only strange thing about the multiplayer package is the seasonal map rotation system that limits the availability of scenarios within private games to an additional purchase via DLC to ensure full access. In public modes we can try all at no cost, but as I mentioned, this will depend on the rotations programmed by The Coalition. The impact of this decision will not be seen immediately and will be more directed towards clashes in a closed group.
 
Both Horde 3.0 and the competitive mode are compatible with a system of cards that you can obtain when buying packages with real money or create them through a system of crafting that requires concrete advances in both modalities and thus generate the necessary points to make them. These cards do not affect multiplayer clashes because they are focused on personalizing weapons and characters or experience points, never touching the power of weapons so there is no lack of balance in this regard. In Horde mode there are some improvements to the equipment and rewards for performance, but they serve more as a modifier starting to give some variety to the mix.
 
OVERALL - A
 
Gears of War 4 again sets a high standard for action games focused on Microsoft platforms and even puts some pressure on its competitors. It shows a high quality story in its evolution, with emotions of all kinds but without losing the focus on hard action and suspense, taking the best of previous titles and increasing its impact using a new generation of characters; Being complemented by multiplayer modes that will amuse for hours the strongest fans of the saga and will attract a new generation of players.