Microsoft’s Inside Xbox presentation at Gamescom 2019 brought plenty of exciting Gears 5 content for fans who just can’t wait a few more weeks for the official launch. Horde mode makes a return in the latest game, and it’s shaping up to be even more dynamic and exciting than it was in the past.
Horde mode includes the same general premise it had in past games — defend yourself against waves of enemies without dying — but it has been altered in a few ways to encourage more aggressive and agile play-styles. Instead of picking a set base for defending, you now can capture “power taps” that open up over the course of a match. This means you’ll have to move around the map routinely, and fortify numerous areas instead of just one. The currency Power has also been changed so it will distribute evenly to your other cooperative partners. Up to five people can play Horde together.
Taking a page out of the Overwatch playbook, Gears 5 also adds Ultimate abilities that are unique to each character. These include an airstrike for JD Fenix, a vehicle-hijacking ability for Jack, and an invisibility cloak for Jack. With these abilities, you can take out a huge number of enemies or slip away to safety in order to keep a game going. You’ll be able to increase your abilities usefulness with a set of cards that increase in power over a match, as well as perks that will improve across multiple matches.
Gears 5 will launch with Horde mode on September 10, but those who purchase the Ultimate edition or get Xbox Game Pass Ultimate will be able to play on September 6. Alongside Horde mode, the game includes a single-player (or cooperative) campaign as well as competitive multiplayer.
Gears 5 isn’t the only Gears of War game in the works, however. Gears Tactics will be coming to PC, and Gears Pop! is a mobile tactics game launching on iOS, Windows 10, and Android. Progression will sync across all devices, and it will launch on August 22 for all systems. Though adorable, the signature Gears of War flavor is still very much intact.
