One of the fondest gaming memories I had was getting an Xbox 360 and Gears of War in the Christmas of 2006. The thrilling story and the hammy-yet-endearing acting, the brutality and carnage of combat, and the new mechanics that changed the way games approached gunplay and movement for years to come. Now, Gears of War: E-Day, a prequel to that incredible debut, continues the legacy in so many incredible ways. The movement has improved, the set pieces are incredible, and combat is so intense that I couldn’t stop myself from playing.
The campaign may not be as good as previous ones, but it feels very different. The biggest change is that this has its roots more firmly in the horror genre. Emergence Day is the biggest event of the franchise; after all, it was what started the bloody war between humans and Locusts, and gave us all the emotional and important story beats that came after. Witnessing the event is terrifying. Twisted creatures appearing from the ground and ripping civilians in half while chewing on their insides is a great way to breathe fresh life into such an infamous enemy.
Gears of War: E-Day follows Marcus Fenix and Dom Santiago just weeks after the conclusion of the Pendulum Wars, where both mourn the loss of Carlos, Dom’s brother. It doesn’t take long before Hour Zero hits, and the Locus Hordes burst through the ground and everything changes forever. Along with stalwarts Marcus and Dom, the two knew characters joining the squad are Mags Carter and Lucas Reyes. Mags is someone who’s pulled back into service and spending time away, and Lucas is a rookie who at first seems like someone who rarely strays from the manual.
Those initial hours build this old yet new threat wonderfully. Trying to work out what the hell is going on as Kalona literally crumbles under your feet is brutal. Going back to the horror of Emergence Day, there’s a moment when you encounter one of the more anthropomorphic Locusts while in Police HQ and it’s terrifying. The use of lighting and the way blood and bodies litter the floor and the walls sends shivers down your spine. This is the first time Marcus and Dom have seen these monsters, and The Coalition has done an incredible job of making them feel tougher and fresh.
Movement has been drastically improved in Gears of War: E-Day. You can now climb on surfaces and slide across the ground which offers new ways to get to different areas and avoid gunfire. There’s more fluidity in general, making every advance through the campaign feel great. The cover system that made the series so popular is here, as is active reload, but it all feels so much smoother. While it does feel much better, it takes nothing away from what the series has done so far, and takes no time at all into you’re back in the swing of things.
Some environments and levels throughout the various acts are strictly linear, making those moments when you’re in a gunfight feel all the more nerve-wracking. However, there’re also some almost open world areas that allow you to breathe a little and take on side quests. One thing Gears of War: E-Day does is offer up collectables to be found, as well as mods to improve weapons and movement. It’s always worth exploring every building, every street, and every area of the map in case you miss something that can help you improve and stand more of a chance against the tougher moments that come.
Another staple of Gears of War has always been the multiplayer. For one, the campaign can be played in co-op, but when it comes to stepping away from the main story, there’s plenty to get stuck into. For one, Horde Siege is sublime. Fighting hordes of Locusts with other players is so much fun. There are objectives to complete and options that let you play shorter or longer versions of the mode, all while earning Energy to reload weapons and upgrade between rounds. The extraction mechanic is cool, but it still feels like the familiar Horde mode that players love.
The other side of multiplayer in Gears of War: E-Day offers Team Deathmatch, Conquest, Demolition, and Crucible. From what I’ve experienced, Crucible is one of the more interesting, as it sees one of your players tasked with carrying a power core while the rest of your team have to protect you. Demolition is good fun as well, where teams of four have to plant a bomb in the opposition’s bomb sites. I did find I was matched with far better players, but that’s more down to my old fingers and thumbs not being as sharp as they used to be. Regardless, it was still an absolute blast online.
Gears of War: E-Day is a fine return to form for the series. There are few franchises that still give me butterflies when a new game is announced. While I was nervous it wouldn’t quite live up to the hype, E-Day takes what made the series so good and improve upon it in a multitude of ways without taking away what made it great in the first place. The campaign is still great despite not living up to some of the previous ones, and the multiplayer offers something new while giving returning players improved takes on what they’re used to.
