Ghost Recon Breakpoint is a game with some major highs and some disappointing lows. While it is still in development, the gameplay hands-on I got to try out was buggy and filled with plenty of issues. Behind those problems, however, lies a beautiful world filled with engaging shooting and some fun multiplayer.
Ghost Recon Breakpoint takes place after the events of Ghost Recon Wildlands, and features players moving on to a new location in the middle of the Pacific Ocean. The fictional island of Auroa is home to both a native population and a new tech mogul who is building a “libertarian paradise” complete with countless drones and robots to help with operations and security. As with any game featuring the Tom Clancy name, things go wrong and it’s up to you to bring order back to the island.
The big baddie this time around is Dean Walkerand his troops, known as Wolves. The Wolves all have the same training as the Ghosts, so they are formidable enemies. Walker is also a former Ghost, making the fight all the more personal.
If you played Wildlands, then you pretty much know exactly what to expect in terms of gameplay. Missions are open-ended and allow players to tackle them however they see fit, and there’s a big emphasis on co-op. Of course, the entire game can also be completed solo if that’s more your speed.
Gunplay works great, and different weapons give different feelings when pulling the trigger. It’s nice to have multiple gun types with you at once, so you can have a sniper rifle to clear out enemies early on, before storming a location with an assault rifle or LMG.
One of the new features for Ghost Recon Breakpoint is a multiplayer mode called Ghost War. This is Breakpoint’s take on a battle royale game, and features two teams of four players fighting it out over a series of quick rounds. Perhaps the nicest part about jumping into a game of Ghost War is that your loadout carries over with you. If you have a sweet rifle or a shotgun you love, you’ll automatically have that weapon with you when switching over to Ghost War.
Rounds of Ghost War are quick, and we had the opportunity to try two different versions of gameplay. The first had one team trying to plant a bomb, while the other team must deactivate it, or prevent it from being planted in the first place. The second game type is a simple team deathmatch. Both game modes allow players to revive downed squadmates, so a team needs to completely down the enemy in order to secure a win.
Ghost War is fast and fun, and should be a draw for fans of the recent Ghost Recon games. That said, it was so fast that during the bomb planting game mode, no team ever successfully got one bomb into an explosion area. The mode basically felt like a slightly different team deathmatch. It will be interesting to see how many times the bomb planting team ever actually causes an explosion before one side or the other is completely wiped out from guns. Ghost Wars also features a slowly shrinking ring like other battle royale games, but the rounds we played were so fast that this never happened.
However, not all is fun and games in the world of Ghost Recon Breakpoint. I did encounter a number of bugs while playing, including one where a character that served as a mission marker failed to load. Thankfully, a Breakpoint developer was there to point me in the right direction to continue the mission, but it still wasn’t a great look.
Additionally, riding around on a motorcycle was a pretty terrible experience. It felt like my character was largely floating above the terrain instead of driving on it. Cars and helicopters seemed to work just fine, but two-wheeled vehicles definitely didn’t feel like they were ready.
While there were a few glaring issues, the world of Auroa is gorgeous. The island features a very diverse landscape, and everywhere you look you see something screenshot-worthy. It really is impressive to have this entire area to play around in, and I’m sure people will be digging up Easter eggs and secrets for months after release. Multiplayer maps can also be found in the main world as well, allowing players to create strategies without having to play on the same maps over and over again.
While my time with Ghost Recon Breakpoint was filled with some bugs and other issues, there is still time for Ubisoft to iron those problems out before release. Given the extensive post-launch plans Ubisoft has in mind, it’s safe to say Breakpoint will be around and supported for a long time after its October 4 release.
So what do you think? Are you excited to try out Ghost Recon Breakpoint for yourself? What else do you want to know about the latest Tom Clancy game before it is released? Let us know your thoughts in the comments section below.
