There are many famous series with at least one black sheep among their games, and the same seems to be true for Gears of War: for fans Gears of War Judgment is in fact one of the least successful chapters of the iconic Microsoft franchise. But is it really that disappointing?
Released in 2013 through the joint efforts of Epic Games and People Can Fly, Gears of War Judgment was a prequel set at the beginning of the war against the Locust (the same scenario that is the basis of the new prequel Gears of War E-Day) focused on the figure of Damon Baird, leader of Kilo Squad composed of Augustus Cole, Sofia Hendrick and Garron Paduk. The group is on trial for ignoring the orders of their superior, Colonel Ezra Loomis, by using a weapon of mass destruction, the Lightmass Missile, without his consent to deal a devastating blow to the Locust. The story is therefore experienced through the point of view of each member of Kilo Squad, although in the end the narrative is more of a gimmick than a real added value to the game.
But the plot is certainly not the reason why Gears of War Judgment does not enjoy great popularity among fans. Basically, Judgment was seen as a superfluous chapter that was really unnecessary, especially after the conclusion of the original trilogy two years earlier with Gears of War 3. The feeling of many at the time was that Microsoft was continuing to squeeze a brand that at that time had already given everything, with a third chapter seen as the right and natural conclusion to a successful series, with Judgment that immediately raised doubts about how it could enrich a formula that was now well-established and that had reached its peak.
Judgment then tried to mix things up by offering a more “arcade” style approach to its Campaign, with the various acts of the adventure divided into multiple challenges with specific rules to give uniqueness to each moment of the game. This type of approach, however, was not welcomed with great enthusiasm by the public and in the long run the repetitiveness was felt strongly also thanks to a gameplay formula substantially unchanged compared to its predecessors.
Gears of War Judgment was quickly forgotten, yet it could at least be worthy of a second chance: even without any particular upheavals, the gameplay continued to work in an excellent and engaging way, and the concept of the challenges actually added spice to the action with often unpredictable situations and penalties that pushed players to give their best with the obstacles and the few resources available. The always solid multiplayer component was another added value, without forgetting that it was possible to unlock a mini-campaign linked to Gears of War 3 that thus enriched the story of the third episode with details and background.
It is therefore natural to ask: is Gears of War Judgment really the worst episode of the series or would it have deserved more consideration? Tell us in the comments what you think!
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