It’s been almost 20 years since I discovered this mechanic in Gears of War and it still fascinates me as much as the first day.

I have to go back to Gears of WarI want to, obviously, but this time I also feel a certain obligation. The announcement of Gears of War: E-Day and the upcoming release of Warhammer 40,000: Space Marine 2 have reminded me that it’s been far too long since I picked up my Lancer. And I think that’s wrong. I’ll do it as soon as this hellish heat subsides.

Until then, I’m diving back into the lore and going over all kinds of details: from the weapons, to videos with all the execution animations, to secrets that I managed to miss all the previous times. Let’s say I’m slowly preparing the ground.

It was a couple of evenings ago that I realized how much I miss Gears of War’s Active Reload. I was doing the weekly missions in The Division 2 and Destiny 2, and then I moved on to The First Descendant. How is it possible that such a cool mechanic isn’t used in more shooters?

Gears of War Active Reload, that underused genius

The Active Recharge It is exactly what its name indicates: a reload that must be carried out actively. The video game makes us part of the process through a mini-game: a line moves along a horizontal bar and we must press the reload button again at the indicated time. There are three types: perfect, normal and failed, and they differ in the time it takes to carry out the action and the damage we do with the next magazine.

Whether you see it as a nuisance or a challenge depends entirely on the player’s perspective. It’s just another task during combat, but at the same time we know it’s an action we’re performing. Pressing the reload button implies a small victory or defeat that can make the difference in a firefight.

It was a great mechanic to use in the heat of battle. It was about staying calm like an NBA player shooting free throws. Cliff Bleszinski.

It’s absurdly simple, but it completely changes the pace of the game. Weapon reloads in The Division 2for example, mean downtime for most players. It is not for nothing that they try to reduce that time. In my case, I have found a way to take advantage of every last tenth of a second that it takes to reload the weapon: I manage and give orders to the drones while the character performs the animation. It is all the fault of Gears of War.

The fear of Active Recharge

I think Active Reload hasn’t been used in more video games out of fear. Cliff Bleszinski, creator of the original game with Epic Games, He even said that “It’s one of those mechanics that people [otros desarrolladores] doesn’t want to use it because they’re too afraid of being told they’re copying.” I remember that Star Wars Battlefront 2 has Active Recharge focused on overheating and there are at least twenty other games that used it, According to Giantbomb.

I’m convinced that other reasons are fear of the players. Sagas like Call of Duty, Battlefield y DOOM They have been standardizing Passive Recharge for decades, and hits like Fortnite, CSGO, PUBG, Valuing, Titanfall y The Finals have helped make it the norm.

I understand why the story has played out this way: Passive Reload takes away a responsibility or challenge during matches. There is no additional reward for executing a reload well, but there is also no risk of failing. In the end, it comes down to convenience. And I think that’s a shame, because games like Remnant, The Division, and Helldivers would have benefited greatly from Active Reload.

In short, I need to go back to Gears of War. Not only because it has been presented Gears of War: E-Day and I want to replay the classic installments, also because I’ve remembered how much I miss Active Recharge. It may sound a bit silly, but it ends up becoming a little addiction that you never get over. As Lope de Vega said in his poem: “Whoever tried it knows it.”

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