TL;DR
Gears of War: E-Day is a prequel game set 14 years before the 2006 original. It delivers tight controls, seamless cutscenes, and expanded open-world navigation with new jumping mechanics. However, it rushes major lore events, lacks deep emotional resonance, and suffers from repetitive combat and boss battles. It suits longtime franchise fans wanting classic action, while players looking for fresh gameplay variety or deep narrative weight should skip it.
In Gears of War: E-day we once again visit the planet Sera which visually bears great similarities to Earth but is, as mentioned, a completely different world. The game begins with a quiet evening at the pub with the two friends Marcus and Dom. Suddenly, creatures swarm from the earth, attacking everything and everyone. The two friends quickly throw themselves into the battle. They are joined by two soldiers, and together they soon realize they are facing a threat greater than anything else in history. Emergence Day has begun, and now we as players finally get to know how it all started. Because Gears of War: E-day is not a sequel to Gears of War 5; this is a prequel showing the events that took place 14 years before the initial events of the first Gears of War from 2006.
Why a prequel?
It has, as mentioned, been 20 years since the first Gears of War game, and it quickly became an enormous success. The protagonist Marcus Fenix plays the lead role in the first three games, and in the two most recent ones, Gears of War 4 and 5, we instead follow his son. So why did the game creators choose to make a prequel instead of giving us Gears of War 6? Based on my research, they partly wanted to return to their roots and have a game where not everyone knows what they are up against. Additionally, there has been a long line of fans who have always wanted to know how it all began. However, from what I understand, the main reason is that they painted themselves into a bit of a corner when they gave GOW5 two versions of the ending. No matter how they choose to proceed, they would disappoint half the fanbase. So until they have resolved how they want to handle it, they chose to release a prequel instead.
Emotional opportunities and lost potential
I have played all the games and absolutely loved Gears of War 5; they really succeeded with the story there. There was an incredible weight to it, and the choice that branches the story is very emotional. Such events have existed in the earlier games as well, such as when Dom finds his wife Maria in one of the Locust pods in Gears of War 2.
Gears of War: E-day thus has every opportunity for extremely emotional and cinematic scenes of loss, fear, and confusion. This is realized to some extent, but not at all to the degree or magnitude I expected. Before the shit hits the fan, there is a relatively short time where we meet Marcus and Dom in a normal interaction before it’s time to put on the uniform. During the first levels, we play in civilian clothes with improvised weapons, but everything is back to normal quite quickly. The developers also make a classic mistake in having most of the defining events occur in quick succession. Like how Marcus gets his scar and how the weapons get a built-in chainsaw. It’s like when Indiana Jones gets both his fear of snakes and the scar on his chin, or the Millennium Falcon sustaining all its damage during a single mission. It’s perhaps a minor detail in the context, but it feels a bit like lost potential not to delve deeper into the tragedy facing the planet.
Gameplay mechanics and new features
Gameplay-wise, most things remain familiar. As usual, the world is filled with knee-high obstacles perfect for hiding behind, and you can slide into cover, switch cover, and vault over cover just like before. You also reload with the bumper button, allowing you to time a perfect reload and get more ammo in the weapon. What is completely new for this game is that you can partly lie down and hide behind much lower obstacles. This happens automatically when you dive into cover. Furthermore, for the first time, you actually have the ability to jump over both obstacles and chasms. So, you don’t need to dive into cover first to then vault over it. Additionally, E-day has more areas that can be considered open world. You are told where your objective is, and how you get there is up to you. You can take the long way around if you wish. There are also side missions and collectibles to find. E-day isn’t the first with an open world—there were some such areas in the fifth game—but this time it’s much larger and more developed. The game is still very linear overall, but there is nonetheless a bit more freedom than usual.
Graphics, performance, and technical modes
The controls are tight, the enemies are many, and most of it feels like a warm, cozy blanket of familiarity. As always, the game is incredibly beautiful, and there is zero transition between cutscenes and gameplay. So, I sometimes found myself standing staring like a fool because we were no longer in a cinematic.
The Gears of War series has always been an Xbox/Microsoft exclusive, and the same applies this time. I tested it on Xbox Series X, and there are three graphics modes to choose from: Performance, Quality, and Balanced. I usually choose Performance as I always want as many frames as possible, and even if the resolution and some other elements suffer, I always prefer as smooth an experience as possible.
On Xbox Series X, the resolution is 1440p–2160p dynamic, and the framerate sits at a steady 60FPS in Performance mode. So there is no 120FPS mode, but I can understand that given how much is moving on screen at once. Now that the city is also open world, it demands even more from the console, which is now several years old.
Quality mode offers 30FPS and a higher resolution at 4K. Here, shadows are also finer, with better ray tracing and full Lumen. The third mode is called Balanced and is a middle ground. It only works on displays that support 120Hz. The framerate sits around 40FPS with almost the same level as Quality. The resolution ranges from 1080p to 2160p.
I haven’t tested the game on Series S, but from what I’ve read, the resolution is lower: 900p–1440p Performance, 1080p–1440p Quality, and 1200p–1440p Balanced. The framerate is the same as Series X, but it often dips during major battles.
Conclusion
In summary, I want to recommend Gears of War: E-day, because even if I’m not as sold this time as I was last time, this is still a superb game with more of the good stuff I’ve loved for 20 years. The controls are familiar, there’s constant adrenaline, and with the new features, it’s actually even more fun to throw yourself into the battle. Had the story been even stronger from the start and had the creators dared to delve into the emotional event that E-day must have been, it would clearly have been a definite must-buy. Now, there are strong scenes in this game too, and it’s just as well-made and cinematic as the previous games, but that little extra something was missing. Additionally, it eventually becomes a bit monotonous with one battle after another that is fundamentally the same as the one before. I’m also getting tired of boss fights that consist of endless running in circles and shooting. Fortunately, you can change the difficulty whenever you want. So load your gun, put on all your gear, flex those muscles, and kill as many Locust as you possibly can.
Xbox Game Studios sent a review code for this test. Senders of material have no editorial influence on our tests.
Review Highlights: Q&A
What is Gears of War: E-Day about?
Gears of War: E-Day is a prequel set 14 years before the original 2006 title, following Marcus and Dom as Emergence Day begins on the planet Sera.
What new gameplay mechanics are introduced?
Players can automatically lie down behind lower obstacles and jump directly over chasms and barriers without first taking cover, alongside navigating larger open-world areas with side missions.
What graphics modes are available on Xbox Series X?
Xbox Series X offers a 60FPS dynamic 1440p–2160p Performance mode, a 30FPS 4K Quality mode with full Lumen and ray tracing, and a 40FPS Balanced mode for 120Hz displays.
Does the combat become repetitive?
Battles eventually become monotonous as encounters repeat familiar patterns, accompanied by boss fights that require running in circles and shooting.
