Gears 5 has some moderate freedom of movement with the sections involving snow and desert where you can move around on the skiff and indulge in some side quests. As COG soldiers you get to play Kait & JD as you traverse around environments fighting the locust. Some of the battles are quite frustrating as the game piles on enemies after enemies and it can get frustratingly tough on higher difficulties.
The best improvement is in Jack the drone, with various upgrades you can really change the course of battle with the hijack or shock trap abilities. You find components scattered throughout the game in plenty to upgrade and improvise Jack. The battle scenarios are varied and do not feel repetitive.
As per your squad mates, they are sometimes just dead weight not clearing enemies and you feel the are just tagging along and you are clearing room after room. They only help in reviving. In one particular sequence I saw Del (squad mate), just walking with his back to enemies in the middle of battle towards Kait.
The most frustrating part while playing on PC was the inability to navigate smoothly with the character. Some crucial battles this part becomes altogether more frustrating. Also hiccups in where you can go and where you can't is ridiculous. The final boss battle was disappointing. Whereas the midway boss battle with the Matriarch seemed more appropriate.
The same cover and shoot mechanics from the previous games are present and weapon arsenal is more or less the same and feels great to shoot at. The story line is smooth and keeps you mildly engaged. Its a decent game but could have been so much better with some better controls and sensible AI placements. Decent 10 hour grub.