Gears of War 4 is a generational sequel that hands the campaign to a new protagonist while returning veterans back him up. The five-act story runs about seven hours, a length similar to Gears 2, and was completed with credits.
The roadie-run camera finally stops shaking, a fix that removes the most grating part of the older games. The visual leap from the 360 era is dramatic, with the Unreal Engine 4 presentation running well on modest hardware.
Destructible environments and the wind-flare weather hazard make the world a weapon, with environmental destruction often the smarter choice over wasting ammo. The wind flares look great, and using the environment to take down enemies makes sense.
Baird and Cole arriving as backup gives the new cast a link to the past, and the mech section is a highlight. The final boss is a fun fight, an unusual creature that closes the campaign well.
The new enemies are too tanky, with the Scions absorbing far more punishment than anything in earlier games. The drop shot can one-shot, which feels cheap when snipers cannot, and the hammerburst is significantly worse than its Gears 2 version.
The squad AI is weak, with teammates constantly getting downed and revived in a loop. Enemy spawns are predictable, the boot-up advertisement for Gears 5 is unwelcome, and the ending arrives rather abruptly.
Overall, the camera fix, the visual leap and the destructible environments make Gears of War 4 a strong return. The tanky enemies, the one-shot drop shot and the weak squad AI are the caveats.