As a massive fan of the Ghost Recon series I was waiting with baited breath to get my hands on Breakpoint. Having played all the previous instalments on consoles, this was my first opportunity to play one on PC. Throw in the mix the leading bad guy Col. Cole Walker who is played by The Punisher himself, Jon Bernthal my expectations were high. However, there are definitely some underlying issues with the game but in no way outshine the positives. 

Having such a legacy  of Tom Clancy games, there is a plethora of mechanics that have been developed over the years. Most recently we have seen with Wildlands, The Division, Splinter Cell, etc that quality third person cover based games are a dying breed. I think compared to other games of the similar style, Breakpoint really nails the cover based mechanics. Reflecting back on The Division, it was really about just using cover and then scoping enemies, taking them out silently and then pushing forward to a new position. What Breakpoint allows you to do in addition to this is being able to camouflage yourself in the ground using mud and leaves to conceal your location. 

With this development of these mechanics over the years I believe should come some form of restraint that should be used when building new games. With Breakpoint, to some, there could be an overwhelming amount of these mechanics which can make it quite confusing at times. Being dropped into the impressively vast open world of Auroa you quickly learn that there are many different story missions, side quests, faction missions that flood the map with colourful objections scattered over the map.  I did feel at times that I wasn’t sure which quest line I was contributing to and whether I needed to drop certain missions and re-align myself to the right path. 

Having an understanding from The Division, I had an understanding of how the Gear Score works and that it’s not always about having the highest score. Different gear offers better resistance to, for example, explosives or better XP gains. You do have to pay attention to the detail in that respect which I do enjoy. In addition to this there is your skill tree that you can maintain where you’re granted the ability to gain new elements that equip you with upgrades. There is also 4 classes that you can periodically switch through to give you another group of missions on top of the squillions you’re already doing. So I’ve been focused on the opportunities, now I think it’s time to talk about the positives…and there is a lot. 

Let’s start with the map itself. Auroa is a huge map with different islands, ever changing weather conditions and various climates. One minute you’re in the swamps watching out for alligators, the next you’re in the snow capped alps watching mountain goats leap from rock to rock. And did I mention the entire game is beautiful? The landscapes and attention to detail is astonishing. This is something I look forward to in new games that come out and this would look amazing on any platform. You even notice down to the small things for instance, as you’re attempting to land your helicopter the trees bow out of the way with every inch toward the ground and you even see the snow fly off the branches. When the weather changes and you’re driving or flying through a thick fog, you need to trigger the lights on your vehicle just to be able to see where you’re going and any obstacles in your way. 

The weapon management system or gunsmith is also a great addition. Even though you’ll probably cycle through new weapons continuously, you will still need to make sure you keep upgrading and adding the best attachments you can. Finding blueprints of new weapons is also super advantageous to keep your arsenal as powerful as possible. The only qualm that I have with the weapons management system is the pain that presets brings. Because there are four skill sets you can interchange through and upgrade, if you create a weapon and gear preset on one, and then switch to the other, you can’t break down the weapons that are attached to the other skillset. Breaking down weapons is vital to be able to get pieces to upgrade your next set and this puts a bit of pin in being able to do that easily. Definitely not a deal breaker but can add a bit of frustration and for me I wasn’t able to easily solve the problem without finding a tutorial elsewhere. 

After playing so many various different games/genres over the years on different platforms I feel like I’ve heard it all. “ohh it was too short”, “there’s not enough content”, “the game was too easy” etc. And if  look at Breakpoint from the flipside instead of thinking there’s too much going on, and think that there’s so much too do, it really will keep you occupied for hours and hours. Not to mention the fact I haven’t even talked about the 4v4 PVP mode yet  (which is awesome!) but just from a point of story-line there is so much to do. I touched on it earlier but there is the main storyline, faction missions, class missions, raids and so much more to discover. And then we get to the problem I had with The Division (which I think they’ve solved), which is transparency with their road-map. So not only do you get all this content from day 1, but you have Ubisoft’s roadmap which shows their content for the next year. 

Most of all I was really excited to try the 4v4 PVP mode. Only being able to have played a handful of games it really operates in a different way. With the market flooded with high intensity Battle Royale games it had been a while since I’ve played a small team tactical game. With a handful of modes like a place the bomb or capture the point style, it was really refreshing to get stuck into something where I had to change my playstyle. The main difference I found was you need to be slow and tactical much like you’re supposed to be in the main story. Sure you can hit your shots but if you’re deliberate in your rotations, listening for enemies and utilizing the supplies that you find in the map. It still has a BR feel with the circle that closes in, but it’s definitely not as fast as a typical Royale mode. Communication is also key and after playing a few games with people without mics, it made a world of difference when I got in with a few guys that actually talked. This is really where your presets from the main story come into affect. As you get higher and higher in the main story, this carries over to the PVP mode, and because you’re matched based on your level you need to maintain your classes to maximize your upper hand in the PVP mode. It is a little fussy but I think that really adds to the enjoyment. 

Overall, Breakpoint is a fantastic game. There is a tonne of content and missions, with obviously more to come very soon. There is a bit to be desired on the online multiplayer front, but I have faith that it will continue to roll out shortly. Visually it’s stunning and the weapons are fantastically customizable. As it was my first Ghost Recon on PC, it really blew me away with quality and the simplicity on a keyboard and mouse. As far as the main mission itself goes, it’s not a ground breaking story. We have seen the “soldiers getting futuristic tech to use to take over the world” many times before, but this time it really felt like a film to me and I got to play part. Of course it helps that Jon Bernthal really fits in as a no holds barred Colonel that is more of a smack you with his gun kinda guy than techie, and that to me really made it cinematic.

Review copy provided by Ubisoft