Ubisoft has officially unveiled the next installment in its Ghost Recon series fans and has named it Ghost Recon Breakpoint.
The game takes its name from a military term for the moment when a unit has lost its combat effectiveness.
“When Ghost Recon Breakpoint launches on October 4 on PS4, Xbox One, and PC, you’ll face a deadly enemy threat and be pushed to survive any way you can in a diverse and dangerous world,” reads a blogpost by Ubisoft released along with the trailer.
Deep in the Pacific Ocean lies the fictional archipelago of Auroa, home to billionaire tech entrepreneur Jace Skell’s massive research complex. When the US army begins to detect strange activity coming out of Auroa, they send their absolute best to investigate.
Enter Nomad, the fully customizable player character and elite Ghost from Ghost Recon Wildlands. Nomad’s reconnaissance mission quickly turns into a fight for survival when hostile drones shoot down the Ghosts’ helicopter. As the sole survivor, Nomad quickly learns that even the world’s most highly trained hunters can become the hunted.
Nomad’s warm welcome is courtesy of Cole D. Walker (played by Jon Bernthal), a former Ghost and brother-in-arms whom players first met in Ghost Recon Wildlands’ Operation Oracle. In Breakpoint, Walker has betrayed the Ghosts and now leads the Wolves, a hostile faction of elite ex-military soldiers who have captured Skell’s facility on Auroa.
As former Ghosts, the Wolves are far deadlier than any threat Nomad has faced before, and thanks to their weaponized Skell drones, they’re also packing a technologically advanced force that outshines anything the Ghosts have access to. Outmanned, outgunned, and stranded on a chain of islands miles away from help, Nomad (and his fellow Ghosts, if you decide to partake in the four-player co-op) needs to survive long enough to take down the Wolves and protect the world from Walker’s growing army.
“From the earliest stages of Breakpoint, the survival aspect was a huge driving force,” says Emil Daubon, writer, military consultant, and 14-year Green Beret veteran. “We wanted to create a fantasy where the player was truly trapped behind enemy lines in a survival and combat scenario. There’s a palpable, visceral stress and anxiety of being alone in a hostile environment and needing to rely on your surroundings to procure food, water, ammo, weapons, and equipment.”
New Stealth and Cover Options
The terrain will present new challenges, but it will also offer tactical advantages. Jungle floors and muddy swamps are the perfect places to hide, thanks the new prone camo feature. When lying prone in a natural environment with foliage or mud, you’ll be able to blend in with the environment by covering yourself with mud or leaves allowing you to approach undetected, snipe while hidden, or perform any of the new close quarters combat takedowns on unsuspecting enemies. It’s important to pay close attention to your surroundings, however, as prone camo won’t work if you don’t have something to cover yourself up with – so don’t try it when sneaking through a man-made facility or a rocky mountain range.
“We’ve introduced a lot of new features, both gameplay and narratively,” says Daubon. “As we strive to heighten the feeling of authenticity in Breakpoint, it’s important to remember we’re creating a fantasy. The challenge is to find the balance between authentic details and a playable, entertaining videogame. A lot of the new survival features we focused on, like prone camo and carrying bodies, are very real aspects of combat.”
Injuries Can Cause Serious Damage
In Breakpoint, an injury isn’t simply a hit to your health; you can incur semi-permanent wounds that can severely impact your gameplay if not treated, and these wounds can only be healed outside of battle. Taking a bullet in the leg or falling down a slippery slope can impair things like movement and aim, and an injured Ghost won’t last long against the Wolves. Injuries also tie closely to another new survival mechanic: the ability to carry bodies.
When playing in co-op, an injured ally can leave the team vulnerable and will need to be carried to a safe location – like behind cover or away from the battle entirely – before they can be healed. This same mechanic also applies to fallen enemies, who you can now carry out of sight to avoid hostile detection and preserve your stealthy approach.
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