‘Gears 5’ Developer The Coalition Discusses Easing Newcomers Into The Series, DLC & More

Gears 5 is one of Microsoft’s biggest releases slated for this year, and it’s launching on September 10 for the Xbox One and PC. IGN has provided a wealth of coverage of the game throughout June, ending it today with an interview comprised of questions by its readers.

Among the details divulged during the interview, Gears developer The Coalition acknowledged their mission when developing Gears of War 4 was to prove making a quality entry in the venerable series was within their capacity. When asked if there was one mechanic from the prior games they wanted to modernize, the team answered that the goal for Gears 5 was “to challenge player expectations, and that applies to gameplay mechanics as well.” Continuing, The Coalition explained one such adjustment was in its shooting accuracy; in prior titles, “the reticle bloom would determine how accurate your shots were,” whereas that’s now handled by “a recoil based system, where each weapon has a predictable recoil pattern that players can learn and master.” Moreover, all the Gears soldiers now come equipped with combat knives, advancing the melee combat.

On that note, the chainsaw bayonets in earlier Gears titles are among their most memorable elements, and the weapon “is just as brutal and useful as ever.” They did adjust its controls, however; now, every weapon’s secondary attack is mapped to the controller’s right bumper, which players hold to activate. “This allows players to access all of their weapon’s attack options without having to let go of the thumb sticks, allowing for greater control of both movement and attacks,” The Coalition explains.

In terms of the coveted crossplay feature, it will return, allowing fans to play with each other regardless of which platform they purchased the game on. Continuing, The Coalition expanded upon the DLC plans for the game, mentioning how four Escape Hive maps will be ready at launch “with new Hives releasing weekly after launch – all for free in both matchmaking and private matches.” Moreover, the studio claims the Map Builder feature will provide “endless” possibilities because “the community can build and share their Hives to play through the Custom Lobby Browser.”

Gears is known to be an energetic and vicious pastime at the highest levels of play, but newcomers have trouble keeping up and often give up because of it. The Coalition is seeking to help ease new players into the action and are implementing new, beginner-friendly features to do so. “Features such as target lock toggle and screen shake toggle on the beginner difficulty can get players comfortable with the title’s fast and frantic gameplay,” the Microsoft developer explains. “As well, new to Gears 5 is Boot Camp, which will be a practice ground to improve your skills. With our recently announced Escape mode, players can start with a lower difficulty and work their way up. Once they get good, they can get fast and try for the leader boards!”

It’s an interesting interview, with other talking points getting hit being the new aiming reticles, John DiMaggio‘s outtakes when voicing series’ figurehead Marcus Fenix and Gears 5‘s Terminator crossover. The entire interview can be read here.