In my last Gears of War video, I confidently said Gears of War: E-Day has what it takes to become a Game of the Year contender. The preview build fueled my excitement and made me hopeful and eager to jump back into this iconic series as soon as possible.
After rolling credits on the campaign earlier this week, I’m now ready to double down on my original statement. Gears of War: E-Day isn’t just a strong Game of the Year contender; it’s also without a doubt the best story campaign in recent history. Here are my spoiler-free thoughts and why this is one Gears of War game 1000% worth experiencing for yourself.
An Incredible Ride
To recap, Gears of War: E-Day is an over-the-shoulder third-person shooter developed by The Coalition and People Can Fly. This sixth main installment is also the prequel to the original Gears of War. Set on the planet Sera 14 years before the first game, the story highlights Marcus Fenix and Dominic Santiago as they adjust to life after the Pendulum Wars.
Peaceful at first, everything quickly turns upside down on Emergence Day when waves of Locust hordes launch unrelenting surprise attacks across Sera and the city of Kalona. Thrown back into the depths of war, Marcus and Dom team up with Mags Carter and Lucas Reyes to form a badass Delta Squad unit ready to face the unknown.
Throughout E-Day’s bloodsoaked five-act campaign, The Coalition tells a dark, emotionally charged storyline filled with non-stop action and exciting moments while portraying the gruesome realities of war and the psychological toll it can take on someone.
While Marcus and Dom’s growing brotherhood anchors the narrative, Carter and Reyes offer unique perspectives and make the team’s evolving bond and wild journey together even more engaging and thought-provoking. Marcus struggles with adjusting to civilian life off the battlefield and can’t seem to let go of war. Other characters share these sentiments, making these raw feelings an authentic and relatable experience for those who have served in wars.
With E-Day, The Coalition has successfully brought back horror and fear as key elements in this world. This is a formula we haven’t fully seen since the first Gears game, and precisely why I loved this campaign so much. Watching the carnage unfold in real time with Delta Squad continuously facing uphill battles makes you care and wonder how they will survive.
The way they introduce the various types of locust creatures is also fascinating because you see Marcus and the crew’s initial reactions to the monstrosities they have to eliminate. While we have seen most of these creatures in previous games, the deeper context adds to their legacy and highlights why they are considered dangerous threats to humanity. We’re also introduced to new horrifying creatures and a main villain just as sadistic as General Raam.
Speaking of origin stories, I also love how this game gives nods to the other entries by showing how past events shaped what we saw in the future. Witnessing stuff like the origins of Marcus face scars, the creation of the lancer assault rifle, and why frag grenades are used to seal emergence holes was fully explained here, and it’s freaking awesome. Incorporating these details into the script shows that the writer fully understands the lore behind this universe, and the payoffs are the ultimate rewards for those who have been paying attention to this series since day one.
The Coalition has mentioned in the past that the E-Day story campaign would be longer than the previous entries. It took me around 20 hours to complete the game along with some side mission activities. I fully plan to revisit certain acts to find the other collectibles I missed, and the option to play four-player co-op with friends will make this a very easy thing to do.
Amazing Visuals
Switching gears to graphics, E-Day looks spectacular from start to finish. The smart decision to use Unreal Engine 5 for development proves to be worth the wait. Every character model has been rebuilt from the ground up in painstaking detail. The epic-sized environments are also more immersive than ever before thanks to the real-time destruction mechanics in the game. From the moment you start playing, you feel like you’re on a larger-than-life battlefield, and that’s exactly what you should feel given the high stakes of this event.
I reviewed this campaign on my Xbox Series X console and didn’t run into any performance issues. The game runs at 4K resolution and 60fps, making it an incredibly smooth experience. For more details on PC specs and performance, I recommend checking out what Digital Foundry has to say. Regardless of where you play, you shouldn’t have any issues getting through the campaign.
Addictive Gameplay
The last highlight that I want to mention about Gears of War: E-Day is the satisfying gameplay mechanics. If you already played the multiplayer beta, then you already know how tight and responsive the controls are. If you’re new to the series, you can participate in a boot camp drill to be primed and ready to fight.
The cover system, perfectly timing your reloads, jumping across surfaces, and climbing surfaces all feel natural. There are also new animations when you’re rushed by enemies and need a teammate to help take them down. Every aspect is designed to remind you that you’re in an ongoing war where only the strong survive.
In addition to the campaign, the optional side missions are a great way to find nearby hard cases, supply caches, and additional collectibles. These missions can range from escorting one group of survivors to safety to defending civilians from waves of creatures. If you’re a completionist like me, then you’ll want to do and see everything this game has to offer, and I promise it will be well worth your time.
Final Verdict
Gears of War: E-Day is a standout entry in the series and The Coalition’s best work to date. If you’re even remotely interested in jumping into this series, then this is the best place to start. Hopefully we will see more stories in this universe, as surely the team has proven they can go above and beyond expectations.
This review was based on a review copy of Gears of War: E-Day for the Xbox Series X provided by The Coalition and Xbox Game Studios.
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