Those turned away by Wildlands' aloof nature may find solace within Tom Clancy's Ghost Recon Breakpoint. Though still a reckless playground, meaningful emphasis on tactical combat bolsters the beginnings of a darker narrative meant to test players' survival capabilities.
Minutes into Tom Clancy’s Ghost Recon Breakpoint, the tonal shift from its predecessor, Wildlands, is apparent. A small fleet of helicopters carrying 32 other Ghosts have been dispatched to the Auroa archipelago to investigate the mysterious sinking of the USS Seay. In an instant, Operation Greenstone commences. In an instant it is doomed. The helicopters are attacked and you, as Nomad, leader of this team of Ghosts, crash-land only to awaken upside down with blood dripping down your face.
Wildlands‘ story was cemented on similar terms. An undercover operative was brutally murdered by the hands of El Sueño and the Santa Blanca Drug Cartel in Bolivia. As a team of four ghosts, players had the option of tearing through the vast country severing the Cartel’s many heads. Like many, I never found Wildlands‘ shallow narrative to be particularly thought-provoking, nor did I ever expect it to be. Rather, its intricate web of collectibles and cutscenes made for a pulpy brew of good versus bad with a touch of grey area. Ubisoft did not sermonize to its players and, I expect, the majority did not mind. When it was at its best, Wildlands allowed up to four friends to get together and blitz through enemy outposts with the subtlety of a thunderstorm and the grace of a belly flop. Being stealthy and precise had its charm but the chuckle-inducing panic of enemy alarms and a flood of armored vehicles and helicopters is its own pleasure.
Of course, this bombastic approach to the Ghost Recon franchise also had its share of disappointed owners. There were only a handful of instances where ghost-like tactics were enforced and that same group likely yearned for less machismo in their espionage. After six hours with Breakpoint, I’m confident that the developers at Ubisoft have concocted the secret sauce in figuring out how to please both demographics while refreshing the systems introduced two years ago.
The stakes are now raised. On this isolated land in the Pacific Ocean, Nomad’s team has almost been wiped out. It appears as if drones from Skell Technology are to blame. The crash has given Nomad a massive injury, requiring precious moments to treat multiple wounds. This new mechanic introduces a wrinkle in the once thoughtless act of tanking damage. As bullet keep hitting flesh, your Ghost can suffer minor or severe injuries. Throughout my time, this resulted in the inability to sprint or aim anything but a handgun. Stamina is also more precious than ever. Players can push themselves at an admirable pace for a human body but attempting to consume stamina past the current threshold will result in exhaustion and shave precious seconds off your maximum stamina. From the onset, Ghosts are much less durable. Rest is required to periodically to refresh or consumables must be used to heal wounds. Seeing a fight through to the bitter end is not always the ideal anymore. There is a definite tension to risking your Ghost unable to hastily retreat or use the proper firepower to get out of a bad situation. Enemies are happy to flush you out while you taking the time heal and scoop up precious chunks of carved out health.
Breakpoint establishes its threats in the opening moments. What is assumed to be the byproduct of a tech-centric dystopia is actually a force much closer to home. After seeking out the burning wrecks of helicopters for friendlies, Nomad sees Weaver, a fellow Ghost from Wildlands, executed by Cole D. Walker. Played by Jon Bernthal, Walker is a former Ghost leader who now rules over the Wolves, a band of ex-Ghosts who have sided with Walker. Across my time with Breakpoint, I was treated to a handful of cutscenes featuring Walker and Nomad. While only the tip of the iceberg was shown, its assumed that Walker’s fall from grace is a brutal one wrought with bloodshed.
Ubisoft is placing more emphasis on character and narrative development this time around. In Wildlands, players digested most of the plot through radio communications and brief cutscenes of El Sueño waxing philosophical about the Cartel and the ones who ran Bolivia. Players really only got the Ghosts’ personalities through brief in-action banter. Now, time is given to let characters breathe and chew on the mission at large. The cast of characters I met in my time at Auroa felt more realized, engaging in long conversations and displaying actual personality. There is still bravado but its less glaring and oppressive. Quirky characters meant to inject comedy don’t feel too forced and are given more agency just by the fact that the lip-syncing is miles above Wildlands. It only takes a handful of missions before players begin to pull back the curtain from Auroa, the Wolves, and Skell. Additionally, dialog options have also been introduced to allow players a touch more personalization when it comes to who they want Nomad to be. To give missions and plot threads more allure, Ubisoft introduced mission clues and investigations. To fully understand the whole picture and complete missions, players must be thorough and explore. Whether in the form of collectibles or taking down an outpost, these clues will open up more of Breakpoint. To further tantalize, players can see other mysteries that will eventually be solved when looking through the menu.
Will Breakpoint‘s story be revolutionary in the terms of what players may expect from a Tom Clancy’s game or even a third-person open-world tactical shooter? It’s hard to tell at this stage. I’m confident that much of the same beats will be followed as in Wildlands. The writers may touch on certain topical issues without trying to draw too many parallels to modern day and again, that’s perfectly okay. Like a solid action movie I expect Breakpoint to try and flip the script on players. Rather than start out as the hunters, we are starting out as prey. For a game centered around tactical shooting, it is the best approach.
For me, this shines most in the gameplay improvements. Rather than having Nomad be a walking powerhouse at the onset, players will need to invest time and care into their survival. Wildlands saw players unlock new perks by collecting skill points and resources across the map and investing them in what felt best for their current situation. Once unlocked, these never went away until, by the game’s end, there was little to stop you. Breakpoint is requiring players to be a little bit more thoughtful. Four Ghost classes are available–Medic, Panther, Sharpshooter, and Assault–which address key playstyles in this type of game. Each class has specific unique benefits but once players level up and earn perk points, a large branching perk tree becomes accessible. Nodes offer a few desirable options based on where you are trying to guide your Ghost and perks further along the tree require more points and prerequisites before being unlocked. However, this system will require more thought on behalf of the player as only some of these perks are passive and permanently active. From what I could tell, players can equip one at first and unlock the ability to equip up to three total. Whether improving survival skills, stealth abilities, or sheer killing power, players will now have to juggle perks based on what may be best for the current situation.
Adding further to player expression is the leveling system that is becoming more commonplace in Ubisoft’s games. Zones in Wildlands had up to five tiers of difficulty, with the fifth usually indicating the hardest to kill Unidad and Cartel forces. In Breakpoint, the opposition has a numbered level (I saw up to 150) and players must gear up to be strong enough to efficiently take on these forces. Right after seeing Walker for the first time, Nomad is stuck in a “Level 100 Enemy Zone” where badass looking cloaked Wolves are everywhere. After skulking away to safety, lowly level ones and twos patrol in small groups that can be downed in a couple body shots.
Near the end of my session, my group took on a small level 150 encampment. In this space that would have taken less than ten seconds to run across, there were probably about 15-20 guards. Most could go down with a single headshot from a level 30 sniper rifle but if the alarms were raised all hell broke loose. The Wolves would rarely leave cover unless supported by a buddy, reinforcements came in from all sides, and a flying drone… well, ouch. Unlike the drones I had encountered earlier, this one zipped around faster than we could get a bead on it, could kill us in one or two shots, and had a surprisingly thick frame for its small size. To ensure not every encounter like this ends in a blaze of glory, players will spend their time slowly power crawling by collecting new weapons, attachments, and gear. Items now have rarity levels, supplementing players’ methods of death even more. Though I only got a couple pieces of blue gear, the green kneepads and surgical gloves I nabbed had bonuses like explosion resistance and faster reload speed on them. Yes, it sounds like something straight out of The Division but it actually enriches Breakpoint as a whole.
PvE and PvP progression is shared in Breakpoint which means that everything collected in one mode will carry over into the other. Unlike Wildlands, the PvP mode Ghost War will be available at launch. Though a piece of gear found in PvE may not seem that great, it could be a valuable piece of your arsenal against online human opponents. In either game, Ghost War has been a fun addition and use of the Ghost Recon formula but in Breakpoint, more effort is being made to invite players in.
Ghost War is a 4v4 mode with two game types. Elimination is a tactical team deathmatch and Sabotage is the standard search and destroy variation where one team plants a bomb while the other defends. The emphasis on being tactical truly comes alive with Ghost War as serious players will latch onto the custom-built maps. Making use of terrain and seeking out the randomized loot will help give a team the leg up. The setting I played in had low stakes and little tension, we were all getting a feel for the game. But the snappiness of snipers and guns is palpable. There is a real sense of two teams hunting each other and making decisions that can cost the match. A mechanic is introduced in Ghost War that will shrink the combat zone (think any battle royale’s circle of death) meant to push players into each other. However, all of my matches ended before this happened. Just like with the PvE content, I imagine there will be a group of friends who will ravenously consume Breakpoint and truly embrace what can happen when every team member is on point.
Tom Clancy’s Ghost Recon Breakpoint is going to be a massive game. There is no doubt the teams at Ubisoft are pushing past the boundaries of what Wildlands accomplished when it released. My short time with it showed off a tactical thrill ride that will be a blast with friends. Of course, the game will be loaded with content and stuff to do. During our session we were told that a handful of faction missions would be available to play. These were short missions that usually required seeking out a random objective on the map and completing it. But over ten faction missions will be added everyday as part of the game’s post-launch plan. These missions will not only give narrative context to the game but unlock cosmetic and seasonal loot for players. Plus, it’s an excuse for players to constantly check back in.
Will this embarassment of riches become too much? I doubt it for fans who consume these meaty products. Ubisoft is already promising a raid, new episodic content, classes, and Ghost War maps. And I haven’t even touched on how truly great this game looks when soaring to its heights in a helicopter. It’s breathtaking, much in the way Bolivia was when I first piloted a helicopter across its length. I can’t wait to see what else Auroa has to offer.
Tom Clancy’s Ghost Recon Breakpoint releases on October 4 for PlayStation 4, Xbox One, and PC.
