The Third Person Shooter landscape is really particular: if talking about a genre like Survival Horror can actually lead to discussing a couple of variants (to simplify, Resident Evil 2 and Outlast titles), this kind of third-person shooter boasts a varied list of sub-genres: during this generation we have seen the birth (and death) of brands capable of recounting different experiences, always having the dynamics of the third person. With the strong expansion of online features, Ghost Recon: Wildlands gave us a taste of what could be done in a brand like that of Ghost Recon. Breakpoint tries to take the step towards the future: like any path, however, the pitfalls are so many, and Ubisoft she couldn't dodge them all.
The idea ...
Like all stories inspired by the novels of Tom Clancy, also Ghost Recon: Breakpoint starts with a really intriguing plot opening. We are on the island of Auroa, where an ex-Ghost has become a rebel, Walker (interpreted by Jon Bernthal), creating his team of Wolves. Your Ghost, along with the other survivors of the island, must then rise from the abyss and defeat this threat. If the plot base is cliché enough, Breakpoint unlike Wildlands puts a greater emphasis on secondary characters, twists and storytelling systems, with some really well-crafted cutscenes. Unfortunately, the mastery of the writers and the basics of Tom Clancy are not enough to bring this plot out of the classic clash between ex-comrades, but in the end it can be fine on a similar game.
The idea behind Breakpoint is to take Wildlands, distort it from its "caciarone" style and take it towards shores made of realism, details and above all tactics: then debilitating wounds arrive, which can bother you in the act of carrying out some action , or lead you to die surrounded by a large number of enemies. This new soul is immediately felt from the first moments of the game, with a decidedly different thrust: if before the goal was to launch into battle and destroy everyone with a shotgun, now doing it would be certain death, and this it will prompt the player to take alternative routes. The customization of the weapons is very close to that of the previous Ghost Recons, arriving at a customization that can change aesthetics, perk, bonuses and so on.
… And the realization
Unfortunately, not all that glitters is gold, and Ghost Recon: Breakpoint is a clear example of this. The ideas put on the table are brilliant, because ultimately they bring a realistic battle management system to a genre of game that really needed it: unfortunately, however Ubisoft has failed to turn these features into strengths, remaining too anchored to the previous chapter and transforming everything into a hybrid that is neither meat nor fish. In the end, the right tactical choice will allow you to always win it (and there will not be much need to change it) while the story (heterogeneous and fun) will be bored by some secondary missions and by sometimes too long paths.
What transpires then is that Ubisoft has chosen the path of revolution - what is welcome if done well - but then he turned everything into a speck, finishing very little the title and its features. The open world falls into the trap of towers and forced exploration, while an objective guide system will make it too easy to do things (you can turn it off early in the game, making things a little spicier). Fortunately, the island of Auroa, well structured and above all capable of giving a sense of diversity to the settings you will visit, makes all this more digestible. The game was born as a coop, and unfortunately it cannot do without it: playing it in single player, as well as making everything much more difficult, does not return the same experience. However, if you are a fan of wanting to play alone on the sofa, the difficulty could block you more than once, a sign that the level design has not been reasoned to be adaptable.
The right time
Ghost Recon: Breakpoint has the foundations to be a beautiful product, a game capable of having its community and all that goes with it. The problem lies in the fact that there is a rush in wanting to bring this game to the public, which certainly affected the final production. Bugs, glitches, a dancer frame rate and all that concerns the hybrid made with realism are evident signs of a title that surely would have required a few more months of work.
Nothing is lost, and we are more than convinced that Ubisoft will be able to get the rabbit out of the hat, solving these problems one by one (as it did with Rainbow Six Siege). For now, unfortunately, the title for us remains a game suitable for those who want a fun cooperative experience, sometimes ruined by bugs, but still realistic and strategic.
