Author Bert Perez
The open beta for Ghost Recon Breakpoint came on the scene only a week before it was set to release on October 4th. The next game in the Ghost Recon series was set up with a lot of hype, especially with Ubisoft being able to get Walking Dead actor Jon Bernthal to star in the game as the antagonist. This game was shown to be quite different from its predecessor, Ghost Recon Wildlands, showing a departure from the Wildlands’ narrative. In my eyes, this change did not immediately show promise because of how big a fan I was of the Wildlands story and of the game in general. After spending some time with the beta for Breakpoint, however, my outlook improved significantly.
At the start of the game, you are introduced to Auroa and to Skell Technology company via a cinematic cutscene that gets cut out as if the signal was lost. After which, a team of ghost operators are deployed to the island to investigate why communications blackout occurred. On the way to the island, the game launches into the character maker giving you control over the gender, and facial features such as hair and eye color of your character. Shortly after completing your character the story continues and your mission is interrupted as the helicopters that were transporting the operatives are attacked by a swarm of unmanned drones.
We witness the crash of several helicopters and the crash of our own onto the island below. The character gets stuck in a tree, injuring himself. Once he set himself free the game hands over control to you and requires you to heal yourself immediately. This is where you see the first of many new game mechanics whereby if you seriously hurt yourself you are required to bandage yourself to regain health. With the serious injury also came limited movement speed which added to the sense of survival that is felt during the first few minutes of gameplay.
Meanwhile, enemy troops have been dispatched to all crash sites to capture any survivors and this is where you are able to hunt the hunters. The first mission of the game is to locate some of the other downed choppers in the area and you will notice some large groups of enemy troops walking in the vicinity. Another new gameplay mechanic proved useful here and will continue to be useful in later stages of the game. While lying down in the prone position you are given the option to go into prone camo which was seen in one of the gameplay trailers leading up to the beta. This ability came in handy when in need of cover but doesn’t leave you completely vulnerable. In this position if an enemy comes close enough you are able to take them down with a melee weapon. The take down is silent but you still need to be mindful of the location of other enemies because you are exposing yourself
After reaching one of the other crash sites we are introduced to Jon Bernthal’s character who is the leader of the enemy soldiers, who are referred to as the Wolves, and as you will see later in the campaign, has a history with our character. Here we are introduced to different enemy types showing that enemies with certain icons can be tougher than others. Finally, after reaching the last crash site our character is able to make contact with a group of civilians who are hiding out on the island and we are tasked with seeking them out.
The HQ for this group is a large social area with both NPCs and player controlled Ghosts. It reminded me of The Division and how they handled these social areas. I was not a big fan of this when I came upon it because it took away from the solitude feeling of being a lone survivor of the horrific ambush attack. Yet it does seem like this is where the bulk of your missions will come from therefore you will be spending a lot of time there. The interactions with the NPCs are rendered in gameplay graphics and are not treated as cinematic scenes. This interactions turned out to be a bit glitchy and sometimes a bit awkward. Luckily you can collect as many missions that are available and set out of the HQ without returning for a while.
While officially on your own and out from the game’s tutorial phase, you have the option to approach the map without being guided in an open mode. This mode encourages exploration and the use of drones and vehicles to explore the vast areas of Auroa. However, you can always check your map by pausing the game to set markers and get your bearings straight. I set this mode as my default and enjoyed the experience of being able to stumble upon important areas.
In either mode you choose, you are constantly reminded that you are being hunted. Apart from worrying about the troops on the ground, every so often you’ll be alerted to an unmanned drone or a helicopter flying above you. If spotted, enemy troops will descend upon your last known position until you are able to hide or outgun the enemy forces. Personally, I’m glad this element exists in the game because it forces you to react in the heat of the moment making for more challenging gameplay.
Now when it comes to the actual gameplay, there was a sense of familiarity with Wildlands and the basic controls were pretty much the same. As mentioned above, the prone camo and healing mechanics are nice touches to give a sense of realism making for some tense moments. With regards to the pause menu, it did seem a bit overwhelming with the amount of information to take in as there are multiple tabs and each tab, apart from the map, has different sections that fill the screen. I think the mission information could be consolidated somehow so that it does not take away from playing the game. However they did include a pin feature that lets you see your immediate tasks at a glance without delving too deep into the menus again.
Another feature that you interact with in the menus is the leveling up system. As you progress through the game you come across loot of varying levels which can be stored or broken down for parts and are intended to increase the overall level of the player. Now this system exists in Assassin’s Creed and I feel is brought up for the first time in the Ghost Recon series. I did feel a bit betrayed with this system as it encourages using weapons that are stronger over using ones with characteristics such as differences in recoil or accuracy. There are also certain weapons that you may want to use but will have trouble clearing certain areas because it is not strong enough. Nonetheless, I believe that this system will not take away from the gameplay too much.
While playing the game I did notice an increase in the quality of the graphics. You see a lot more grass blades blowing in the wind and more detail in the environment overall. I was especially impressed with the lighting that is seen on a rainy day with the sun setting in the background. I had never really seen something as good as that in a game before. I did not experience any performance issues on my console which is always a good thing.
With the familiarity of Wildlands and an intriguing narrative Ghost Recon Breakpoint has definitely landed on my wish list of games to buy. I definitely recommend getting this game if you feel the same about Wildlands as I do but it might be a good decision to wait for any discounts that may be offered during the upcoming holiday season.