I love Gears for what it is, an over-the-top action game.
Every installment since the original has made small improvements and introduced new mechanics but the overall gameplay really hasn't changed much and I'm perfectly happy with that. The cover/shoot mechanics were great in the original and they're fun here too. In many ways it feels like a good weekend popcorn flick and I'm always excited to jump back in.
In Gears 5 (why didn't they just leave it Gears of War...?) there are two noticeable changes. First, is the integration of Jack into the gameplay. Jack, or the presence of a robot companion, is not new (this robot companion was in the original too, but you couldn't directly interact with it). However, in this installment you can get various buffs and perks that can be upgraded by finding resources across the game world. I particularly liked the cloaking ability. This was a smart move in game design, it gives you more unique ways to tackle your opponents. In some ways it reminds me of the gadgets Batman could use in the Arkham games. It works and its fun to get creative with these new tools. I didn't see many new weapons but frankly I'm glad because I felt like there were too many already.
The second major shakeup was the addition of some open-world segments. There are basically two areas that have been opened up for some exploration using what they called a skiff. It's basically a futuristic boat for snow and sand terrain.
Personally, I think it is a bit clunky but it works. I'm not a fan of open-world games. In this case the extra exploration is primarily for finding upgrades and materials for your drone. I enjoyed the mini-skirmishes but felt the skiff travel was somewhat bland. While there are hazards you cannot engage in any battles while on the skiff. Frankly, this slows the pacing of the game down quite a bit. I'd prefer Gears steer away from open-world, stick to the action and keep the pace going. One of my favorite aspects about Gears, much like Resident Evil, is that it is short (5-10 hours) making it a blast to replay. There is no need to inflate the length of the game with tedious open-world fetching. If they intend to keep this type of exploration they need to integrate some sort of new gameplay style that incorporates the vehicle into battles.
Finally, the plot overall was typical Gears. It gives you a reason to keep going but seems hesitant to provide any real closure. There are certainly some interesting themes that get lightly touched on, but the team's constant state of crisis keeps them moving forward regardless. The ending really felt rushed. It shamelessly sets up the motivation for a future Gears 6, but it'll be interesting to see how they handle that critical late game decision that was left open to the player. Which outcome will be considered canon?
Note, I played this game on PC using the Xbox Game Pass. I have an Alienware Aurora R7 and the performance overall was superb. The biggest issue I have on PC is getting matched with folks for online play. On Xbox console it seemed quite easy, but on PC it just seems really tough to find people to play with online. I'm really not sure why given it is a cross-platform title. I had the same experience with Gears of War 4.