Ghost Recon Breakpoint online has the same shooting mechanics as Wildlands. I know I am late to share my opinion but let’s just look at the things I have noticed so far in the game. Where do I even begin with this game? there is just too much to discuss. There is negativity in almost all the aspects of the game but it is still not a total disaster in my opinion. I agree that the game is far from being a Ghost Recon but it is still a tactical shooter in at least the name.
The basic lone survivor concept of the game is empty because it is multiplayer. Initially, there were many bugs in the game but most of them are now fixed with patches. It has some good action but does not fit in a specific genre. There are still some bugs in the game but its playable at this point.
The inclusion of every item in microtransaction is just making everything more undesirable. The campaign of the game does not force you to use microtransactions but it’s still there to tarnish the reputation. The survival elements of the game are useless. It tries to be everything but fails to become anything. The game resembles Wildlands in many ways and you can consider it a superior version of that one. So let’s dwell in the gameplay review of Ghost Recon Breakpoint online.
The Setting of the Game is Great Which Brings the Island to Life but Weak Plot is Hindering the Awesomeness
UBI soft always does a great job when it comes to designing the environment of a game. They achieve different settings for Assassin Creed games each year, which is extraordinary. This time their achievement in making the setting of Breakpoint needs praising. There is diversity in the environment of Breakpoint. The map has Swamps, Snow Mountains, Forests and Beaches. There are different types of terrains in a single map and all of these terrains have proper justification.
Aurora Island provides an amazing setting when you look at it in general. However, the lack of buildings and landmarks makes it a plain island. The island is supposed to have a Silicon Valley like foundation. We do see these types of buildings but the number of building compared to the empty space is far less. The map has balancing issues when it comes to the ratio of buildings and empty spaces.
Compare to the previous Wildlands the story of Breakpoint is far better. There are some interesting twists in the story which bounds you to the game. Your character has a history with the antagonist which combines personal issues with the main quest of the game. This time the story is not just about a mission but rather a personal grudge as well. The pace of the story is slow which makes it boring at some point in your playthrough.
Lone Survivor Concept of the Game is Absurd, to Say the Least
The most absurd thing about the plot is the lone survivor concept which does not make sense. I mean your crash on an island where you have to survive against a large corporation single-handedly. That is not the case once you reach the base. You will find many lone survivors in the base because it is a multiplayer game. On top of that, you can make a squad of up to four survivors. The way developers handled the lone survivor concept is absurd, to say the least. Your character doesn’t even utilize the environment properly to do justice to the lone survivor concept.
Ghost Recon Breakpoint has bad Acting with Some Incompatible Concepts
The acting of the main character is good especially Jon Bernthal. Every dialogue that he speaks is in complete sync with his character. Even the motion of his character is quite realistic making his character an amazing addition to the game. However, the side characters are not so good even their voices. Nothing is good when it comes to the voice acting and its integration with the side characters. They are just there to fill the void which is worse than Wildlands in my opinion. There is not much difference between Breakpoint and Wildlands. If the graphics of both games were the same then it would seem like a large DLC of the first one. The game is the same as the first one with some incomplete ideas. Some useless RPG elements do not make sense.
The game has survival mechanics because it wants to do justice to the lone survivor concept. Once again it has failed to do justice to the basic concept of the game. As I explained earlier in the gameplay review of Ghost Recon Breakpoint online. I mean survivor mechanics are just there for show and they do not have an impact on anything related to the game.
The stuff that you can craft is abundant on the map. Your character will be able to make a camp where you can craft, cook food, fill water in the canteen, healers, etc. In Breakpoint your stamina and health deplete as you run or take damage. The health and stamina are supposed to stay depleted until your survivor camp but that is not the case. You can find all the material that you can craft in the camp. Not even a single aspect of survivor mechanics makes sense or serves a purpose.
The Main Missions are Good but not the Side Quests and the Always Online Concept Can be hard to Digest
There are main missions in the game which propel the story forward. There are side quests and outpost quests which can get quite repetitive. Some of the side quests are the same with little to no differences. It’s hard to find unique activities due to the repetitive stuff in the game. There are also faction missions in the game that get updates on a daily basis. These updates are not much of updates in my opinion because they add little to the concept. You can also get quests from random civilians that can get quite repeatable. Outposts quests are activities that you would need to take down an outpost. I didn’t feel any attraction to the side missions of the game.
Regardless of how good or bad side quests are, there is no denying the Ghost Recon Breakpoint online is more of a social experience. Borderlands 3 and any other coop looter shooter is no different. For many gamers, these types of games are more enjoyable with friends. In fact, some gamers might not even want to play such games without friends. The game always pushes you to invite players which can get annoying for some players. As I explained earlier Ghost Recon Breakpoint online presents a hollow concept of lone survivor idea. The lone survivor idea does not sit well with the always online scenario of the game. The social experience is not for a game with a lone survivor concept.
Ghost Recon Breakpoint online Has Good Combat but The AI of your Enemies can Make It a Child’s Play
The cover and stealth system of the game is much better than the previous one. You will have lots of freedom during covers and stealth making it a good combat game. You can even use mud to mask your character form enemies. The cover system is more dependable compared to the previous Ghost Recon but during indoor combat, it can become messy. Its messiness of the cover system is due to the bugs. Most of these bugs are now fixed so you can just ignore this part but it can still get messy if you are not careful enough. Your drone will provide you lots of intel on your enemies which can ruin the concept of stealth play. There is involvement of too many elements which does not sit well with each other.
AI of every character in the game has a big problem. Ghost Recon Breakpoint online has the dumbest enemies in the games of the year 2019. You shoot your enemies and their companions would not be able to find your position. Even if they do find your position all you need to do is disappear from their sight and you are good to go. The wolves are elite soldiers but even they are dumb, though they are far better than normal enemies. The AI of enemies just makes the game so easy.
There is lots of enemy variety in the game but some of them can become bullet sponges. However, headshots can do the trick which makes every enemy equally strong. If you are a good shot then all enemies are the same for you. Some might require two headshots because they wear hamlets but that’s about it.
Your Companions are also Dumb and Human Players can Own the Battlefield
Your companions, drone and other AI characters are so dumb that it makes the game a child play. You cannot rely on your companions to do something for you. All they are good at is distracting enemies and taking the enemies down that is as dumb as them. The whole idea of the tactical shooter is based on cunning AI which does not exist in Ghost Recon. There are also bugs which makes it even a bigger mess.
If you are playing with friends then you are practically invisible because the AI of other characters would be no match for you. It does not offer challenges that let you utilize your cunning and tactics. I use to go gun blazing in Wildland and this is no different. You won’t have constant AI companions with you as Wildland. This time you would need to use the drone to take down your enemies. Even the sync shot depends on your drones if you are not playing with friends.
If you are sniping enemies then no one can notice you. Just take the headshots and enemies will drop like flies. The compounds of enemies are big which gives you lots of freedom during your approach. You can utilize multiple ways to take down enemies. The game just gives you too much freedom when you are approaching a compound.
The entire map of Ghost Recon Breakpoint online is big but it is not in complete integration with the game. There are just too many empty and plain areas that render the tactics useless. The only places where you can utilize tactics are huge enemy compounds. The general mechanics of the game are not in integration with the environment. The mechanics do not utilize the environment for a better tactical experience.
Ghost Recon Breakpoint Offers More Customization and Weapon Verity but The Loot System is Useless
There are more options for gear and weapon customization compared to the previous one. The game offers many attachments to make your weapons a supreme version of the original one. You can also customize your gear with skins and attachments making it different than the original one. There is a verity of every usable item in the game. You can also use skill points to make upgrade your character according to your play style and use. In every step of the way, Ghost Recon Breakpoint offers customization. The amount of usable items is commendable.
There are four different classes for characters which include Field Medic, Sharpshooter, Assault, and Panther. Each class has its specialization. Panther utilizes stealth, Field Medic is a healer, Sharpshooter specializes long-range and Assault is attacker. There are no specific weapons for a specific class.
The loot system of the game is useless, to say the least. Even a basic weapon can take down an enemy with one headshot which renders the weapon levels useless. You will only need high damage weapons for robots and panther class can slip by machines unnoticed. I never felt the need to use a high-level weapon.
Good Luck with Getting High-Level Weapons
If you want to get a high-level weapon than you will need material from a low-level weapon which is frustrating. First, you are going to scrap all low-level weapons because you will need space then you will need the material from these low-level weapons to unlock high-level weapons. If you have already scraped and used these weapons then it can be very hard for you to get high-level weapons. Once you are further ahead in the game then getting a low-level weapon is next to impossible. I think the developers never thought about the contradiction of mechanics while designing the game. Ghost Recon Breakpoint online is a looter shooter that does not utilize this concept effectively.
The Store of the Game is Filled with Microtransaction and Bugs are Cherry on Top
If you look at the store of Ghost Recon Breakpoint then you will realize the store has everything. The store looks like the store of a free-to-play game where you have to pay for everything. Literally, every item in the game can be found in the store. Weapons, medkits, canisters, bandages, clothes, etc. So basically every item that you see in the game is purchasable. There are cosmetics in the store along with some high-level weapons. However, you can get everything that the game store has while playing the game. There are some store-specific cosmetics and that’s about it.
There was never a moment where I felt compelled to purchase something from the store. The store serves no purpose in the game aside from being a money-making machine. UBI soft is trying to earn some extra while pretending to be a good publisher but it failed miserably. It’s a childish move, first of all, there should be nothing in the store for a $60 game aside from cosmetics. Secondly, the store serves no purpose which makes its impression even worse. Gamers don’t want to pay for anything else other than cosmetics in a paid-to-play game. This move put UBI soft in the spotlight again.
Initially, there were so many glitches in the game which made it unplayable for some players. Every aspect of the game had some type of glitch. The physics of the vehicles were extremely clucky making the game an unbearable sight. Most of these glitches have now been patched but some players are still experiencing problems. I just don’t understand, if all these glitches were so obvious then why they gave the green signal for the release of the game? The glitches reminded me of Anthem.
Is it Your Type of Game?
The game has many glitches and negative points but there is no denying that it has a good foundation of shooting games. Ghost Recon Breakpoint is trying to combine different elements from different genres. In a sense, it is trying to become the jack of all trades but the contradiction of its mechanics is making it good at nothing. The tactical shooter aspects of the game are shrouded by the extra elements. The game’s approach to the microtransactions is just making everything messier. The negativity that surrounds the game shadows all of its good elements. It’s not a complete disaster but it is not less than failure either. The game needed one more year to be completed because it seems incomplete at this point.
If you liked Ghost Recon Wildlands then this is defiantly the game for you. It is a superior version of the Wildlands with many new elements that left voids in the previous game. If you are looking for a traditional Ghost Recon then Breakpoint might disappoint you. In case you are looking for a good stealth game then this might not be the game for you. If you are looking for a game that puts many elements in one pot than Breakpoint might be the game for you. Anyone that’s looking for good survival, action, or looter shooter might be disappointed but if you love game with social experience than give it a try.
