On a whim this morning, I booted up Ghost Recon Breakpoint’s new “Immersive Mode.”

It removes colored loot and gear levels, the MMO-style social hub, and a litany of other traits that moved it away from the outdoor stealth of the series.

I’ve been playing for 4 hours.

I enjoyed the initial release, despite the trend-chasing and forced MMO aspects.

But now, it feels more like Splinter Cell, if Splinter Cell were open-world, allowed you to infiltrate and extract wherever you want, and asked you to treat injuries, stamina, and thirst.

It’s also a much more solitary experience. I’m spending half of my time managing my inventory, scouting outposts, waiting for the sun to go down, and covering myself in mud every time a patrol surprises me from 50 feet away.

And by losing the loot shooter aspects, I’m not forced to put myself in danger just to collect that purple item over there in the open.

I’m thinking far more about which weapons to bring, whether to approach by land, air, or sea, and most of all, AVOIDING fights whenever I can.

Lastly, Breakpoint nails the role-playing I loved in Wildlands. I don’t know whether rain dampens sound - it just feels right to wait for rain before I move in.

I might not NEED to recharge stamina, but resting at this camp feels right, after the ordeal I just went through.