Review for Tom Clancy's Ghost Recon: Breakpoint. Game for PC, PlayStation 4 and Xbox One, the video game was released on 04/10/2019
We meet again almost a week after our first impressions of Ghost Recon Breakpoint, ready with our review of this new Ubisoft title, tested on PlayStation 4 consoles. We fully confirm our initial feelings. The complete and perennial feeling of being followed e hunted down is the leitmotive of this new ghost adventure. After the plane crash we are alone on an island in the middle of the ocean with the hope of finding some companion still alive.
The push towards a realistic play style is very evident. The introduction of camouflage and mimicry provided that tactical-military aspect that was somewhat lacking in a title like this. The island of Auroa, although it provides slightly less environmental diversity than the Bolivian lands of Wildlands, helps with its vegetation to make us invisible to the eyes of our enemies. Other interesting innovations are represented by theintroduction of levels, of the loot and the new progression mechanism of the character. Although longtime fans have been hesitant to the end, it seems that these new features satisfy everyone and do not alter the final gaming experience.
A difficult game: all thanks to realism
Both during our first hours of play and throughout our experience, we have noticed that thedifficulty bar has risen compared to Wildlands. In reality the feeling of the difficult is there direct consequence of the search for realism. Ghost Recon Breakpoint is a game that is almost perfectly aligned with a military operational reality.
For lovers of military action shooting, we can guarantee that the fun will not be lacking. It's not just about running, shooting and hiding. Ghost Recon Breakpoint is much more: you will have to understand where and how to run, how and when to shoot and where and when to hide, always keeping in mind that even the most trivial actions can attract the attention of the patrol on duty.
The realism factor is reflected not only in movements but also in the management of weapons and shelters. With reference to the first aspect you must pay attention to the exact moment in which you draw the weapon. If you have just finished running a marathon your aim will certainly not be foolproof. Always check your stamina before pulling the trigger. Another feature inserted in Ghost Recon Breakpoint, again with reference to the management of weapons, is the moment of reloading. There is a huge difference in time between reloading the firearm with an empty and half-empty magazine. Times vary significantly in one or the other situation, so always take care of this aspect carefully.
For the management of the shelter, the animations have been completely revised. There are, however, still some gaps to be addressed. Sometimes the character turns his back in a completely unnatural way with respect to the direction of enemy fire, despite the input of the left analog stick of our pad. Also, leaning out of cover with the weapon has minor bugs where it happens, several times, to shoot at the edge of the wall instead of the enemy.
Know your enemy
Cole D. Walker returns in Ghost Recon Breakpoint. We took note of this in the first moments of the game. Understanding what his real plan for the island of Auroa is will be our main mission. But let's not forget that first of all we have to save ourselves and we can assure you that, even playing on normal difficulty, it will not be a walk.
Sentinel and Lupi: these are the names of the enemies you will have to face. The former are members of a mercenary army and are truly scattered all over the map. Even though they may seem weak and poorly armed, their numbers represent their real weapon. Wolves, on the other hand, are real uncomfortable customers. Armed to the teeth, super-technological and with advanced combat tactics skills, they will make your life really difficult. Also because they have the same training and experience as the Ghosts.
Sorry for you, but the villain list isn't over yet. We must not fear only people in flesh and blood, but also the various super-technological machines that the likeable Cole D. Walker, with the help of technology and the means of Skell Tech, has reserved for us. Patrol drones, reconnaissance aircraft, missile turrets e robots with machine gun turrets. These are just some of the technological miracles that you will be able to appreciate once you arrive on the island.
Whether you are attacked by Sentinels or Wolves, the engagement mechanism is very similar but you have to be attentive to the context in which you operate. Your every false step (or noisy) will attract the enemy who, it turns out, will call for reinforcements of all kinds. We can assure you that being able to survive, when a Behemoth (an over-armed exploration drone) notices you, is far from easy.
The meaning of the word open world
The Ghost Recon saga teaches us that there is no standard rule for accomplishing a certain goal. The important thing is the result. The how and when is up to you. It is in the wake of these words that we would like to tell you that the open world air that reigns in Ghost Recon Breakpoint is very pleasant.
The planning phase of a mission, be it main or secondary, passes from theanalysis of the various ways to manage situations.
Auroa, an island full of mysteries
The new chapter of the Ghost saga is set in Auroa, an imaginary island located in a remote archipelago in the middle of the South Pacific Ocean, almost close to Antarctica. This is the home of Skell Technology, an industrial giant led by the evanescent Jace Skell, whose core business was to improve people's lives with the help of advanced technological wonders.
The inhabitants of the island did not remain impassive to this situation and built Erewhon, which serves as the game's social hub. There are many things we can do here. Yes they can meet new ghosts e make new alliances and friendships. It can access the scoreboard econview the game statistics. You can then go to Maria's shop where you can improve the character's characteristics and buy and sell equipment, weapons and consumables.
Auroa, at the time of writing this review, it is divided into 20 provinces, all of which can be explored. To be able to move on this immense island we can, as happened in Wildlands, use the vehicles and vehicles present in the game. Ghost Recon Breakpoint also introduces another way to move even faster, the bivouacs. These are gods temporary shelters in which to recover energy, apply bonuses, choose the combat equipment and the time of day to take action.
As we anticipated in our premise, Ubisoft has pushed more on the narrative component. In fact, between main missions, secondary missions and those related to the factions, you will have to be able to discover all the truth that lies behind the mystery of Auroa. They will play, in this sense, a fundamental role are the clues and documents that you will collect while exploring the island. The latter, in addition to revealing important parts of the story, also serve to identify the location of weapons and equipment.
Contaminations are good for you
The Ghost Recon videogame saga has always stood out for the fact that it has never distorted its identity, even if the external pressures of competition have gradually become persistent and dangerous. The looter shooter trend hasn't left Ubisoft developers impassive who with a lot - indeed, a lot - moderation have decided to introduce grinding logics. Be warned though: let's not jump to conclusions.
Character growth is enhanced by a level generated by the quality of weapons and equipment. For both, there are rarity levels that allow you to get passive bonuses that improve playability but do not increase weapon damage. The growth and development of the characters necessarily pass from the skill tree, the skill tree. Skill points can be spent here obtained in-game to unlock special talents. These are called traits and serve to specialize the character.
The specialization of the characters, in addition to the trait, is also defined by the classes. At launch it will be possible to choose between 4 available classes, unlocking them from the skill tree. Each of them is characterized by very specific techniques, objects and skills.
There are currently only four, but new ones have already been foreseen in the roadmap. For those coming from Ghost Recon Wildlands will find similarities with the classes used in the Bolivian lands. In Ghost Recon Breakpoint the concept is taken up with a view to specialization. The class strongly characterizes the gameplay character as well as our play style. This aspect can be marginal or not appreciated alone but it becomes fundamental in co-op, especially in Ghost War.
The gunsmith returns, with the same modalities appreciated in Wildlands. The weapons can be customized according to your needs and situations. Some components can make minor improvements to stats and passives but without upsetting the base damage of the weapon.
The developers, to meet the needs of the community and increase the level of depth of the game, have included the weapon variants. For some types of weapon specific versions have been provided depending on the operational context to be faced. This aspect is also very important depending on the character's specialization. As you can see, it's not just about skills and traits, but also about weapons. In short, we need to prepare our 360 ° ghost.
Alone or in company?
Answering this question isn't easy and you risk getting personal. Our experience in Ghost Recon Breakpoint, even for strictly time-related needs, was mainly conducted in single player. Playing without companions you can focus more on contextual aspects and you can also waste time on exploration and technical field tests.
However, there is one aspect to note: the developers decided to eliminate AI-controlled bots. This decision hints at the intent behind the development of Ghost Recon Breakpoint. The importance of the team. The introduction of the social hub acts as a catalyst for this collaborative turn of the game. We appreciated this decision, also because thanks to this last feature we enjoyed playing a few hours together with other ghosts.
The co-op experience is beautiful, both in the combat phase and in the planning phase. Together we decide what kind of approach to follow. Reconnaissance by helicopter, with drones and using binoculars, all exchanging jokes and anecdotes. It really feels like being there in Auroa with some veteran soldiers.
We look at each other and cover each other's backs. They are called engagements, retreats and retreats to the front. If the situation requires it, the escape is planned, with our partner arriving to proceed with the extraction.
We conclude our Ghost Recon Breakpoint review with a special mention for Ghost War. There are currently two modes, elimination and sabotage.
In elimination we have to face in a 4v4 deathmatch style mode with the sole purpose of exterminating the opposing team. In sabotage mode, on the other hand, our task is to place or defuse a bomb, a task made difficult by the other team.
The only flaw at the moment is the number of playable maps: for now there are in fact only 5 operational scenarios, which risk becoming too repetitive soon.
This time the progress of the Ghost War mode, will not remain sealed in this mode but will be shared in the normal game. In this way, those who prefer one modality rather than another will not find themselves penalized in any way for the purposes of character growth.
The unjustified fuss over micro-transactions now seems to have passed, even if for many it was a right excuse to discredit the title in the eyes of public opinion. We enjoyed ourselves and ultimately the work done by Ubisoft is well made. The choice to clearly separate the modality only from the co-op is a risky strategy and we have to see in the long run if it will pay off. The few maps available in Ghost War are a huge smudge, but otherwise the evolution of Ghost Recon seems to be going in the right direction.
► Tom Clancy's Ghost Recon: Breakpoint is a Shooter type game developed and published by Ubisoft for PC, PlayStation 4 and Xbox One, the video game was released on 04/10/2019
