Gears of War: E-Day Is Gears at Its Finest, Despite One Huge Flaw | Review
Back to where it all began
Gears of War: E-Day is absolutely relentless. Set during Emergence Day, the name given to the moment the Locust Horde invaded the planet Sera (referenced repeatedly in previous games), this is a prequel to everything we know about Gears of War. For the entire duration of its 20+-hour runtime, you hardly have a moment to breathe.
Taking place across three in-game days, E-Day gives you control of whichever member of Bravo squad takes your fancy: squad leader Marcus Fenix, the iconic Dominic Santiago, cadet Lucas Reyes, or thought-she'd-retired Mags Carter. The four are tasked with repelling the Locust army in any way possible, rescuing survivors, and helping what remains of civilization get back on its feet.
As you'd expect when defending against a surprise invasion by a species you didn't even know existed that threatens all of humanity, Gears of War: E-Day is frantic. The sheer number of enemies means the city of Kalona is rapidly consumed, and when you're done with one combat encounter, the next is merely seconds away. While combat is as strong as it's ever been in the series, this constant barrage means this is unlikely to be a campaign you'll blitz through in a couple of sittings. It's intense, and after a while, exhausting.
Gears of War is back — bolder, bigger, and in many ways better
Structurally, it also takes a huge risk. Sprinkled throughout the linear missions are semi-open-world sections with side objectives and collectibles marked on the in-game map. This isn't the first Gears of War game to implement a non-linear structure — Gears 5 did it with its snowy tundra and red desert sections, but where they were desolate and consisted of going from one landmark to the next, E-Day's open sections are environmentally dense, with alleyways and city streets housing dynamic encounters.
For example, at one point, I stumbled upon a civilian taking cover on a balcony. "Get back," she yelled. "If they spot movement, they'll shoot!" A moment later, I saw the glint of a Locust sniper across the street, and a second later, the civilian's head was blown off. I was too slow to protect her, but had I been a little faster on the trigger, I suspect Fenix could've radioed back to base and gotten a squad of Gears to come and rescue her.
The first of these open-world sections comes a little way into the game's second act of five, and it's perhaps the biggest pace-breaker — to the point where it's far too big. Gears of War: E-Day spends its time stressing how chaotic and urgent everything is, but you're then afforded as much time as you like to wander the city streets, killing seemingly endless Locusts and searching for random collectibles. It's a slog, and there are three more of these open-world interludes still to come.
As is always the case with Gears of War, E-Day excels in its set-pieces and cinematic moments. Defending your airborne raven helicopter against an army of reavers in the middle of a storm feels badass. Taking down one of the game's self-dubbed testicle monsters with a quick bolt-action rifle shot to the eye is satisfying as hell. Shooting endless bullets at a Corpser (an enormous spider-like monster) that has boarded your moving train, before it gets obliterated into smithereens after colliding with the entrance to a bridge, is as gory and epic as you can imagine.
In cutscenes, it's also one of the most jaw-dropping games I've ever played. E-Day loves a close-up of Bravo squad's faces, and for good reason: the visual fidelity is astounding. Still screenshots don't quite do it justice, but in motion, it's beautiful. If you're playing on Windows PC, however, that means you also need a rig to handle it. Despite my PC meeting the recommended specs, finding the balance between a playable frame rate and a satisfactory visual standard was a constant battle.
My experience of E-Day also wasn't without its fair share of bugs (and not of the Locust variety). I encountered a levitating Gear, enemies with questionable pathfinding that saw them running headfirst into a wall over and over, and a number of hitbox issues where bullets wouldn't connect with enemies despite the crosshair turning red and neither of us being in cover, which was the most frustrating of the bunch. At one point, a cutscene triggered before the preceding firefight had ended, resulting in a moment that should’ve been emotional but instead played out with unintentional comedy, bullets flying all around the characters.
Performance issues aside, Gears of War: E-Day's story and combat are both arguably the best the series has ever been, despite the pacing and structural drawbacks. Learning more about Marcus's and Dom's origins is fascinating, especially regarding the latter's concern for his family's whereabouts. Every new character introduced also has their place. (Shout-out to Mako and Manu, two Gears who happen to be Kiwi twins, and bring some of the best dialogue in series history as they riff off each other.)
E-Day is also built to be played in co-op. While your experience playing solo will be adequate, you'll have much more fun with a friend or three. The AI-led members of Bravo squad are nowhere near as competent as you need them to be on the tougher difficulty settings, and elite enemies will often make a beeline straight for you, ignoring your allies entirely.
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Gears of War has languished for a long time. It's been seven years since the last mainline game Gears 5, and while it was a solid entry (there hasn't really been a disappointing Gears of War game, excluding spinoffs), it hasn't received the active, continuous support the series needs. It's not the only Xbox shooter to find itself in this position. Despite Halo: Campaign Evolved being well-received, a remake of a 25-year-old game isn't quite what Xbox's flagship IP deserves, either. Given the recent news that Halo is being absorbed by Activision, Gears of War: E-Day has an opportunity to step up and take the Xbox franchise crown from atop Master Chief's helmet. It's just about good enough to. Long live Marcus Fenix.
Gears of War: E-Day will be released Oct. 6 on Windows PC and Xbox Series X. The game was reviewed on PC using a prerelease download code provided by Xbox. The Horde Siege and multiplayer modes were not available during the review period. You can find additional information about Polygon’s ethics policy here.