Tom is an expert in all things Fortnite or the latest RPG release, but is probably spending too much time on the latest EA FC game.
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The early Gears of War campaigns are peak nostalgia for me. However, the more recent ones have been a relative slog to get through. I didn’t care about the characters as much, and the world just didn’t have the same feel I want from Gears. Since its gameplay reveal, Gears of War: E-Day looked exactly like what I was looking for, and having played the campaign, it’s the best the series has felt in a long time.
We haven’t played the multiplayer yet, so our full scored review will be coming at a later date. But, you shouldn’t skip the campaign whether you’re an online curb-stomping sicko or not. The first hour of E-Day is phenomenal.
Showcasing what actually happened on Emergence Day for the first time, it’s an entirely different look for Gears of War. Sera hasn’t been obliterated by the Locust, and the world feels real, lived in, and in a genuine state of panic. It’s nighttime, but store lights are still on, the streets are bathed in moonlight and the hue of neon signs. Life is still going on around you to a degree, with cars screeching to a halt and NPCs running for their lives as the Horde bursts out of the ground.
Gameplay-wise, the early moments are as you’d expect, but the change in tone does wonders for E-Day. It adds stakes to what Fenix and the gang are doing, turning the cinematic flair up to 11. The first hour is the most ‘blockbuster’ an Xbox exclusive has ever felt. The early scenes rival the quality, polish, and intensity of some of PlayStation’s biggest narrative-focused exclusives. I just wish the early E-Day action stuck around for longer.
Once the first hour is over, E-Day settles into a far more traditional Gears of War style. Think broken, gray streets, that familiar sandy hue to the visuals, and blockades everywhere. That’s not to say Coalition’s latest isn’t still great after the opening Act, but the game starts so unbelievably strong, and the rest of the game can’t quite keep up.
Visually, as you’d expect, E-Day continues to look great as the sun comes up. The cinematic moments are a huge upgrade on previous entries in the series thanks to the sheer amount of detail that’s gone into the world. The streets are almost overwhelmingly full of debris and obstacles, ensuring it feels like you’re actually exploring a world that’s been torn apart by disaster. Even in the game’s more open sections, which appear a few times in the middle acts of the game, there’s an incredible amount to look at, hunting for easter eggs as you go.
I just wish E-Day switched up where its action takes place a little more regularly. Yes, Gears of War has always been a series that feels at home on the dusty streets, but the first act confirms that things can be a little different. More variety in the look and tone would have really helped to elevate things beyond the act to act switchups, and would positively impact the third-person action, too. The second act, for example, is a lengthy adventure through the streets of Sera, and I was getting a little bored of the same aesthetic after a couple of hours.
E-Day is a fast-paced, intense game as it is. Waves of Locust come at you thick and fast. Take out a cabal of them, turn the corner, and there’s another waiting for you. Every road you have to cross, bridge you have to navigate, and room you have to clear is swarming with enemies.
Thankfully, Gears of War E-Day feels like the best the series ever has. While you’re introduced to the genesis of the Lancer and its chainsaw attachment, the guns your crew have feel really powerful. There’s a tangible weight to every weapon, making every kill feel immensely satisfying.
I also went back and forth on which was my favorite. The pop of enemies’ heads and the crunch of them hitting the ground are noises I couldn’t get enough of. One minute I was loving the agility of the shotgun, the next I couldn’t help but chill at the back of a combat stage, taking out monsters one by one with the sniper. Coalition has made sure that every weapon feels useful, so it makes sense that a loading screen tip suggests you bring a mid- or long-range weapon with you every time you load into a lobby.
E-Day also does just about enough to fight off repetition. Thanks to mostly stupid AI, taking cover behind broken walls and taking enemies out one by one can be tedious at times, but the game throws out enough surprises to stave off that sense of boredom. Brand new mini-boss enemies, airborne gameplay sections, and forced tweaks to your loadout keep things feeling largely fresh enough.
Thankfully, E-Day is also pretty easy for the most part, so you’re not going to be bashing your head against a wall too much on the same encounter. On normal, playing solo, you have four ‘lives’ that refresh at each checkpoint, where your squadmates will revive you when you’re downed. It means you can get right back into the action if you get your positioning wrong, without having to start the whole fight again. You’ll rarely struggle so much that all four of your lives are used.
Coalition also does a great job of weaving side-missions into the action. You’ll be wandering the streets when a helicopter spirals out of the sky, giving you a quest to see what’s going on, or you’ll suddenly be shouted at by some Gears from a third-floor window when they’re hunkering down from the Locust threat. The side-quests are pretty standard stuff, but they’re integrated naturally. You won’t just run into someone standing on a street corner, waiting patiently for your help.
The only unnatural aspect of E-Day’s world-building and storytelling is some awkward transitions. Doors will be locked to the next area until the game decides you’re allowed to progress, even if you know where you need to go. Things hang a little bit when you move into cutscenes, and the game can lose its flow if you’re moving too fast for it. Progression often feels at the game’s pace, rather than at the pace you want to go. Thankfully, E-Day tells an interesting and emotional story, and it feels like the stakes are much higher here than in any previous Gears game. It loves a callback or bit of fan service, but none of it is ever eye-roll-inducing.
Even if you’re not a Gears of War veteran, I’d implore anyone to try the first hour of E-Day’s campaign. It’s the best Gears has ever been, before it moves into familiar but still enjoyable territory.
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