'Gears of War 4' February 2017 Patch Update Brings Valentine's Day Theme, New Maps for Free

By Jessica Ferrera, Christian Post Contributor Friday, February 10, 2017

Microsoft Studios is ready to spread the love to the third-person shooter game "Gears of War 4" as it gets a Valentine's Day theme along with a number of new maps through its latest patch.

In an announcement through Xbox News, Microsoft teased about the game patch by saying, "Roses are red, violets are blue, Torque Bows for me, and Torque tags for you! ... The February update adds two new maps, a week-long Valentine's event, new Gear Packs to collect and further improvements to the game."

While the patch went live this week, "Gears of War 4's" limited-time Valentine's Day event will kick off on Feb. 10. It comes with love-themed new Gear Packs, bounties, and collectible Craftable Characters. Microsoft has also gladly announced that they are bringing back the Torque Bow Tag that is styled after the god of love, Cupid, to remain consistent with the Valentine's Day theme.

Get Our Latest News for FREE

Subscribe to get daily/weekly email with the top stories (plus special offers!) from The Christian Post. Be the first to know.

Subscribe

On the other hand, Microsoft ushers in a couple of entirely new maps this month that drew inspiration from familiar, previously released content in the franchise.

The first new game map is called Impact Dark that is obviously inspired by the Impact map which was earlier released in "Gears of War 4." The major change with this one is it brings a night-time setting to the environment. However, Impact Dark is not just about new appearances.

Microsoft promised that Impact Dark will be extra challenging because, added to the dark ambiance, there will be smoke everywhere that reduces visibility permanently. The weapon swap modes have also been altered to adapt to the new environment. 

Microsoft added that "Gears of War 4" players are in for a more intense play with Impact Dark due to the combination of close range weapon swaps and severely reduced visibility that will require gamers "to stay on their toes to win."

The second map to be added this month is the War Machine. "Gears of War" fanatics might be familiar with this one since it is considered a classic piece of content as it was originally introduced in the first "Gears of War" installment.

Microsoft describes the map, saying, "Moving away from the old abandoned train station locale, War Machine is now set in a new COG Settlement, standing out with its pristine appearance and gleaming grandiose features. Compared to the original, signs of life are everywhere – from the active DeeBee security bay, to the train sitting at the end of the platform ready to depart."