Seven Years On, Ghost Recon Breakpoint Still Offers a Bigger Island Than Its Missions Deserve

Tom Clancy’s Ghost Recon Breakpoint puts players on Auroa, a Pacific island chain built by Ubisoft Paris. The game asks players to storm the island, hunt Cole Walker and his Wolves, and take back control of Skell Technology’s stronghold. It is a military shooter set in a hostile open world, entirely playable solo or in up to four-player co-op.

Trailer, via Ubisoft.

The Wolves Take Over Auroa

The story opens with a recon mission gone wrong. Nomad and the Ghosts are sent to Auroa to investigate Skell Technology, a military contractor whose drones have fallen into the wrong hands. Their helicopters are shot down, and the team is scattered across the island. Cole Walker, played by Jon Bernthal, leads the Wolves, a lethal ex-US Military unit of former Ghosts gone rogue. He has reprogrammed Skell’s drones into killing machines and is ready to use them, no matter the casualties.

Nomad survives the crash but is injured, without support and hunted down. The game follows him as he fights to survive, take down the Wolves and regain control of Auroa. The setup is strong, but the execution sags beneath it.

A Larger World Than Wildlands

Auroa is bigger than the world of Wildlands, according to Ubisoft. The island chain features a range of biomes, from marine estuaries and wetlands to fjords, arboreal forests, snow-capped mountains and active volcanoes. Players can slide down rocky terrain, use mud to camouflage themselves, and traverse the world with air, land and sea vehicles. The game was planned to launch with four character classes, each with its own abilities, and Ubisoft promised more classes through post-launch updates.

The stealth-focused Panther class throws smoke bombs. Players can switch between classes in-game, gather intelligence to progress, and approach missions with a variety of methods. Combat includes drones, rocket launchers, a blowtorch to cut through fences, sulphur gas grenades and an electromagnetic pulse grenade. Stealth remains an option too, letting players silently neutralize opponents.

The Problem With Missions

Criticism of the game centers on its mechanics and mission design. The missions are repetitive, poorly paced and often unclear about what players are supposed to do next. The open world is large, but the content inside it feels thin. Side quests pad the space without giving players much reason to explore beyond the main path.

The game also leans heavily on loot. Gear, weapons and abilities can all be unlocked through grinding, and the grind becomes the point of the experience rather than the mission itself. That shift changes the balance of the game. Missions become a means to an end rather than an end in themselves.

Cole Walker And The Wolves

Cole Walker is the main antagonist. He left the army after witnessing the slaughter of his fireteam on a mission in Bolivia, and he believes the US government does not value the lives of its soldiers. Walker commands Sentinel, a private military contractor, and leads a team of rogue soldiers calling themselves the Wolves. The game’s central conflict is personal, and the script tries to sell that tension.

The supporting cast includes returning characters from Ghost Recon Wildlands: Dominic “Holt” Moretta, Corey “Weaver” Ward and Rubio “Midas” Delgado. Midas is missing in action, Holt is crippled, and Weaver is executed by Cole Walker. Nomad forms a new team with Fury, Fixit and Vasily, a stealth specialist, a combat engineer and a sharpshooter.

The story is dense, and it moves quickly. It covers the USS Seay sinking, Operation Greenstone, and the fallout that leads to Auroa cutting all communication to the outside world. The pacing works in short bursts but drags over long stretches.

A Mixed Reception

Tom Clancy’s Ghost Recon Breakpoint was released worldwide on 4 October 2019 for Windows, Xbox One and PlayStation 4, and on 18 December 2019 for Stadia. It is the eleventh installment in the Tom Clancy’s Ghost Recon franchise and a narrative sequel to the 2017 game Ghost Recon Wildlands. The game received mixed reviews from critics, with criticism for its mechanics and mission design.

Live service support for the game ended on 5 April 2022, shortly after Ubisoft added non-fungible tokens (NFTs) to the game.

The game is ambitious in scope but uneven in delivery. Its world is large, its cast is well-drawn, and its premise is compelling. But the missions fail to live up to the promise of that premise. Players are left wandering a vast island chain with little sense of purpose beyond the next loot drop.

co-op · game review · Ghost Recon · open world · Ubisoft