The Coalition studied the key elements of older Gears games and decided to show the early days of the war with the Locust from a different perspective. The first act should resemble a monster story: in some situations, the player will be left without weapons and forced to fight hand-to-hand. Even an encounter with a Brumak will be different – the machine has not yet received its full set of weaponry and instead uses huge chains, destroying everything around.
The creators also want to more often put the player on the brink of survival. You might be left with one last bullet and have to choose between keeping your current weapon and finding another on the ground. High difficulty will require smart use of cover, positioning, and ammunition, not just quick shooting.
At the same time, the game equally supports controller, mouse, and keyboard. The Coalition refined camera control, key layout, and sprinting, while maintaining the series' characteristic heavy movement.