Even though I grew up with the Xbox ecosystem more so than PlayStation, I was never particularly invested in the Gears of War franchise. While it seemed interesting from a distance, I often found myself thinking that the series was a one-dimensional third-person shooter in comparison to some of the other major franchises from Xbox. Though my lack of interest likely stemmed from an attempt to play the Gears of War 3 demo at a young age, subsequent entries in the franchise still failed to catch my attention. Yet, despite that apathy, I was immediately interested in Gears of War: E-Day from the moment it was first revealed.
The prospect of a Gears game focusing on the event that kickstarted the franchise’s story in the first place was undeniably compelling. Further trailers only increased that anticipation, as it appeared to be a return to basics from a narrative and gameplay perspective, which promised to appeal to both fans and newcomers alike. After trying the game out early at Gamescom, I could not wait to get the full E-Day experience in my hands to see how it shaped up as someone relatively new to the world of Gears of War. Now that I have beaten it, I can safely say that Gears of War: E-Day is a fantastic third-person shooter spectacle that occasionally suffers due to some technical drawbacks.
Emergence Day
Gears of War: E-Day starts right as the war between the Coalition of Ordered Governments (COG) and Union of Independent Republics (UIR) has come to an end. Marcus Fenix and Dominic “Dom” Santiago are two soldiers who served in the war, now left to deal with its end and the loss of the latter’s brother, Carlos Santiago. However, before the two can even begin to settle back into normal life, a far more dangerous threat emerges from underground. Now, Marcus and Dom must return to their roles as “Gears,” as a new war against the so-called Locusts begins.
The opening section of Gears of War: E-Day is incredible in how it sets up both the world of Sera and the new conflict that it is facing. Whether you are familiar with the series or not, it is fascinating to see the beginning of what will go on to be a decades-long war for the fate of humanity. Seeing how that war begins to take shape throughout the game is one of the best parts of its narrative. Truthfully, the narrative excels even more due to its cast of characters and the way it approaches its tone.
E-Day focuses on four central characters: returning protagonists Marcus and Dom, as well as new characters Mags Carter and Lucas Grey. Despite my inexperience with the Gears franchise, I was already familiar with both Marcus and Dom. Here, they have not experienced the tragedy of the Locust War that they will endure in the years to come, so it is interesting to see how their relationship blooms throughout the game’s runtime. The development the two experience as the story continues is great to watch, and leads to some of the game’s best moments.
John DiMaggio is as brilliant as always in the role of Marcus Fenix, as he expertly conveys the grizzled yet warm personality of one of Xbox’s biggest mascots. That said, I would say that Carlos Ferro’s performance as Dom is the biggest surprise. He brought the character’s nuances to life wonderfully, whether it’s his more light-hearted nature or the moments where he is forced to grapple with some of the most devastating impacts of the Locust invasion. Speaking of surprises, I was not expecting to fall in love with the characters of Lucas and Mags as much as I did.
Introducing new characters in a prequel to an established franchise always comes with a great degree of risk. To longtime fans, it may feel like an unnecessary attempt to “breathe new life into the cast” when it does not need rejuvenating. To newcomers, they have to be just as captivating as characters that were first established twenty years ago. Thankfully, Lucas and Mags perfectly live up to those expectations. Lucas initially offers some levity as the “rookie” character, but his personality evolves as he is faced with the horrifying realities of Emergence Day. As for Mags, her disillusionment with the COG, as well as certain elements of her backstory, cemented her as a consistently great part of the cast.
Of course, the idea of a prequel that showcases the most devastating impacts of a long-running space conflict is not exactly unique. In fact, arguably one of the most popular examples of such a trope comes from another beloved Xbox franchise, that being Halo: Reach. However, what makes E-Day feel different than Reach is the slow destruction of its central setting: the city of Kalona. Kalona feels like a character in its own right; it is a massive metropolis teeming with people from all walks of life, a full underground subway, and massive factories dedicated to the previous war. As such, it is haunting to see its devastation as the narrative progresses.
A majority of the game is spent exploring the same central hub in the heart of the city. Every few missions, you return to the hub, and each subsequent visit highlights how far the city has fallen. Statues and buildings are completely ruined, and entire sections of the road have been eradicated. Another example of Kalona’s fall is that, in Act 1, one of the first locations you visit is a Hospital. When you come back to the area in the late-game, it has been almost entirely destroyed. The fall of Kalona is just one of many examples of how perfectly bleak the game’s tone is.
Whether it’s with the brutal death of a side character or in the quiet moments where you’re left to sit with the city’s destruction, E-Day never failed to shock me with just how dark it was willing to get. Above all, though, the game shows restraint in how it handles both its core and side characters alike. Every character is given importance in the story, and each death is given weight. While I was initially concerned that the cast newcomers existed just to die and never again be mentioned in future entries, The Coalition quickly put those concerns to rest.
All in all, Gears of War: E-Day‘s story had me enthralled from beginning to end. I cannot wait to re-experience it with the perspective of the other games in mind someday. That said, the biggest selling point of any Gears of War game is its gameplay, rather than the narrative. Even if the story turned out to be one-dimensional, I would forgive it if the combat and action made up for it. In this case, though, that is far from a concern since the gameplay of E-Day is just as fantastic as its narrative, even if it does suffer from some key drawbacks.
Mad World
Even if you have never touched the Gears of War series before, you likely know how it plays. After all, a majority of the third-person cover shooters released throughout the 21st century thus far owe their gameplay formulas to the franchise. Gears of War: E-Day keeps that basic foundation in place. You still dash between cover, you still shoot Locusts with the powerful weapons you wield, and you are still able to use melee attacks to tear said monsters in half with ease. This game does not seek to reinvent the Gears of War wheel; rather, it focuses on building upon the already pre-established formula. As a result, Gears of War: E-Day‘s gameplay feels incredible from beginning to end.
My time with E-Day was specifically focused on single-player rather than multiplayer. I played the game by myself, and the PvP/PvE options will not be available until after launch. Despite that, combat in the story mode felt way faster and more frantic than I expected. While you may start an encounter by running into cover, the game makes sure to discourage you from just staying in one place. Locust Drones will flank around your position to try and get the drop on you, while the smaller zombie-like Reavers swarm you in droves. Enemies can slowly whittle down your health with Imulsion-fueled damage-over-time attacks, or they can quickly destroy the cover you’re hiding behind. I could never stay still while playing E-Day, and I constantly had to change my strategies on the fly to adapt to the current situation.
The thrill of running around and shooting, all while trying to react to the current situation, was the moment in which Gears of War: E-Day truly shone. This is primarily due to just how satisfying the combat mechanics feel. Using the sniper to fire at enemies from a distance, only to be blindsided by a hulking Gattler that emerged out of nowhere and quickly needing to switch to my alternate weapons, all while figuring out the perfect reload timing. There was a perfect flow state that I reached while playing E-Day, made even better thanks to the sound design that added even more punch to the weapons.
Something else that separates E-Day from other cover shooters was the use of a central hub. As previously mentioned, you frequently return to Kalona after every few missions. The sections of Kalona that are destroyed are ones that you are able to freely explore. It is not quite open-world; there is still some element of linearity, as blocks of the world you explore are cordoned off entirely. But you can freely move around that small hub, engaging in random battles with Locusts or completing side objectives. You can also use the opportunity to grab collectibles and open hard cases, the latter of which provides mods to your weapons and armor that can be added via the plentiful Supply Caches scattered throughout the world. It is a fun system, and it helped to provide a little bit of a breather between the often panic-filled combat encounters.
One of the many reasons these slow moments feel so great is due to the visuals. Gears of War: E-Day uses Unreal Engine 5 to create one of the prettiest games I have seen in quite a while, even on an Xbox Series S. The environment is rendered in stunning detail and breaks apart naturally in the midst of combat. This even applies to cutscenes, as character models are just as detailed as the world around them. The facial animation in particular looks spectacular and “real” without being uncanny.
That being said, the presentation of E-Day is also its biggest flaw, primarily due to the overabundance of problems I encountered with the frame rate. There were a lot of points throughout my experience where the frame rate would plummet to such a degree that my game was frozen for seconds at a time. The issue was consistent enough that it affected both combat and major story-critical sequences. In addition, my game happened to crash in the very last level of the game. While these will likely be ironed out in the full release, these frequent problems often hindered my enjoyment of the game as a whole.
Still, even if these glitches were frustrating, they were not enough to completely ruin my time with Gears of War: E-Day. Both the story and gameplay had me consistently engaged from beginning to end, and I cannot wait to play again once these bugs are ironed out and the multiplayer options are available.
For Whom the Bell Tolls
Nowadays, it feels like every major shooter franchise is trying to reinvent itself in some way. Halo is going back to the drawing board, while DOOM is focused on a new story that takes place earlier in the timeline. In many ways, Gears of War: E-Day‘s approach is closer to the latter. Further, considering the loose ends the game leaves open, it seems that the next Gears game will continue on from E-Day rather than the sixth entry in the series. If E-Day is meant to be the start of a new era for Gears of War, though, then the future of the franchise is incredibly bright.
Gears of War: E-Day is a brilliantly fun shooter from start to finish. The narrative is carried by a great cast of characters, brought to life by fantastic vocal performances and stunning visuals. It perfectly conveys its dark tone thanks to how it portrays the slow destruction of Kalona. The little bits of foreshadowing and nods to other characters are sure to please any long-time fan of the franchise. Those who are as unfamiliar as I am, however, will still be compelled by the great storytelling present from the very first cutscene all the way to the credits.
That same consistent engagement applies to the gameplay as well. Combat feels satisfying and thrilling all at the same time, mainly due to the game’s perfect marriage between intelligent enemies and punchy gunplay. Plus, the beautiful presentation makes exploring the collapsing cityscapes a fun break in between each heart-pounding skirmish with Locusts. The only thing that kept me from fully enjoying E-Day was the frequent frame drops. Yet, even with those frustrations in mind, I still came away from this experience with a smile on my face.
No matter if you are a fan of the series or not, this is a must-play shooter. The best thing I can say about Gears of War: E-Day is that it made me a fan of Gears of War. I am now actively planning to play the entire franchise from top to bottom before I jump back into E-Day. I cannot wait to play more of it, especially with the abundance of multiplayer options. If this is the quality fans can expect for the future of Gears of War, then mark my words: there’s never been a better time to jump in than with E-Day.
Disclaimer: Xbox provided an Xbox Series S copy of Gears of War: E-Day for review purposes.
