TheGears of Warfranchise has had its fair share of great co-op modes in its time, fromGears of War 3’s script-flipping Beast mode, toGears of War 5’s dungeon-crawling Escape mode. But by far the biggest, best, and most iconicGears of Warco-op mode has always been Horde.
Introduced inGears of War 2, Horde mode sees a handful of players team up to try and survive oncoming waves of Locust soldiers and boss units.Gears of War’s Horde quickly became one of the defining wave-based modes of its generation due to its intensity, accessibility, and the extra layer of replayability it gave the game, and it’s been great to see the mode return in every mainline entry since 2008. ButGears of War’s Horde modecould do with a bit of a shake-up all these years later, and the next step in its evolution might be to borrow one key page fromCall of Duty Zombies' playbook.
It Might Be Time for Gears of War’s Horde Mode to Follow in Call of Duty Zombies' Footsteps in One Way
Gears of War’s Horde Mode Has Tried Its Best to Evolve Over the Years
Looking back on it all these years later, the original iteration ofGears of War’s Horde mode was pretty rudimentary. Players simply needed to survive for as long as they could by finding weapons hidden across the map and looting more powerful enemy types after their defeat.Gears of War 3’s Horde 2.0improved upon its predecessor significantly, adding much more depth to the round-based experience.
InGears of War 3, players gain currency for each kill. They can then use that currency to purchase barriers, turrets, and other useful fortifications and weapons. This simple addition gave Horde mode a defining purpose and gave players a reason to keep surviving.Gears of War 4continued to build on this excellent groundwork, adding a class system and the ability to unlock new skills through progression. Though the class system proved to be divisive, adding a layer of meta-progression was another great evolution for the mode.
But the sweeping additions and evolutions to Horde ceased withGears of War 5. Though the mode was still a lot of fun,Gears 5’s Horde moderested on its laurels a bit too much, delivering an experience that felt just a bit too repetitive for long-timeGears of Warfans. Whenever Horde mode returns, it might need to find a new way to evolve the formula.
Gears of War’s Horde Mode Might Need to Borrow Call of Duty Zombies' Approach to Narrative
Call of Duty Zombieshas always been a mode that focuses first and foremost on accessibility and arcade-like fun. But for those who want a bit more from the round-based experience,Call of Duty Zombieshas some surprisingly deep lore, a lot of which is conveyed via in-game dialogue, short pre-match cinematics, and a wealth of infamous Easter eggs.
TheseCall of Duty Zombiesstory elements are often completely optional, meaning that casual players can just jump straight into the action, while the more hardcore Zombies fans are given a goal to work towards. It might be a good idea forthe nextGears of WarHorde mode to follow inCall of Duty Zombies' footsteps here, and introduce some narrative elements that incentivize players to keep grinding away in the mode, such as dialogue that only plays after a certain round or a cinematic that plays upon completion of the mode’s 50 waves.
Gears of War
Xbox Game Studios' Gears of War franchise began on the Xbox 360 and instantly became a flagship franchise for the green brand. The original Gears of War trilogy is considered one of the finest in the history of the third-person shooter genre, with the trilogy’s intense action and surprisingly touching story moments creating memorable experiences.The series has had another two solid main series entries since and even a turn-based tactics game.
