Tom Clancy's The Division Resurgence

Tom Clancy's The Division Resurgence is a supreme example of a major console series making the jump to mobile and sticking the landing. Gripes like level-gating and the need for powerful hardware to get the most out of the game do hold it back a little, but translating the core Division experience to the small screen with a wonderful recreation of post-apocalyptic New York, a moreish loot-to-improve loop, and satisfying cover-shooter action means that long-time fans of the series and newcomers are very well served.

The Division Resurgence effectively translates the Ubisoft series experience into a content-rich mobile format with solid gameplay, also thanks to the many customization options available for both players who prefer the immediacy of touch controls and those who want to use a controller.

The Division Resurgence had every reason to be a compromise. A lighter version. A stripped-down experiment. Instead, it’s something far more ambitious; we got a mobile game that genuinely understands what makes The Division work, and manages to translate that into a portable format without losing its identity. No, it’s not perfect, and yes, the monetization lingers. But, we got touch controls, while solid, they can’t fully replace a controller. And performance will vary depending on your device. But the core experience? It’s shockingly intact. Ubisoft successfully brought The Division to mobile devices. There’s just one problem. My phone battery didn’t sign up for this (so keep that in mind when playing games like these). If you look past that small hiccup, you get a bold, content-rich mobile adaptation that captures the essence of The Division remarkably well, even if your battery life may never forgive you.

The Division Resurgence is a polished, content-rich shooter than outpaces most mobile games around. It delivers Ubisoft's ever-so-satisfying gunplay and sprawling version of New York City, without compromising the series' vision. With the first shared open-world in Division history, I can't see these games without it going forward.

At its core, this is a very ambitious and impressive video game that's a massive improvement on much of what the mobile platform offers, but it's weighed down and held back by the inclusion of the intrusive and demoralising mobile elements that continue to give the platform a bad rap. Does it work as a game to log into for 20 minutes a time while commuting to work? Without question. But could you sit down and play The Division Resurgence for hours, eventually clocking hundreds of hours into the gameplay as is easily the case with its console and PC counterpart projects? No, it does not have the structure or legs to be such a title.