Great prequels often share a common trait. Whether it is Red Dead Redemption 2, Yakuza 0, Metal Gear Solid 3, or Halo: Reach, each title tells a story that reinterprets the original game. Experiencing the prequel after the original should offer a distinct perspective, providing new insights that alter your perception of certain characters, locations, and events.
The narrative of Red Dead Redemption 2 adds emotional weight to the first game and John Marston’s mission by humanizing the targets—much like how Yakuza 0 deepens the bond between Kazuma Kiryu and Akira Nishikiyama, making the tragic conclusion of the original game all the more impactful.
Gears of War: E-Day lacks any such feature.
The Coalition’s latest entry in the Gears saga serves as a prequel to the 2006 original, yet it offers little in the way of novelty. The narrative trajectory is entirely predictable: protagonists Marcus Fenix and Dominic Santiago rise up to fight back when the subterranean Locust Horde invades the surface world, ultimately surviving to continue the battle. Even so, the journey itself holds no surprises.
The most notable changes appear in its third-person cover-shooter gameplay. It retains the series’ signature hallmarks—muscular warriors wielding devastating weaponry—while introducing new elements to enhance the iconic action experience. While these improvements and the more spectacular visuals are impressive, they fall short of elevating the game to greatness.
For a series that has struggled to move on from—or perhaps been unwilling to let go of—its past, deliberately rewinding to the events preceding the surprise attack that launched the franchise seemed like a promising idea. By confronting the past and focusing on the most pivotal day in the series’ lore, The Coalition had the opportunity to explore the origins of Marcus, Dom, and the hostile Locust Horde from the very moment their fates became intertwined.
Instead, E-Day tells a rather clichéd story; it feels tailored to newcomers rather than to the veterans who have already lived through the final showdowns of the Locust War. For instance, the game takes the time to explain that tossing a grenade into a Locust “Emergence Hole” seals it shut, while familiar enemies—such as Boomers, Tickers, and Reavers, which players have battled for two decades—are introduced with dramatic flair, as if they were entirely new threats.
Introducing—or reintroducing—players to aspects of the Gears of War universe is not a flaw in itself, but the tendency to treat these familiar elements as novel content points to a broader issue. Gears of War: E-Day appears to have no interest in surprising veteran players or evoking the series’ own history.
Despite the fourteen-year gap and the trials they have endured, Marcus remains as rugged, defiant, and stoic as ever, while Dom’s emotional volatility persists, driven by his ongoing concern for his wife Maria’s safety. The pair lack the close bond seen in the original games; their connection is rooted primarily in the shared grief over the loss of Dom’s brother, yet this relationship is never fully fleshed out, failing to add any new dimension to a story we already know.
Even the invention of the iconic Mark 2 Lancer—the chainsaw-bayonet-equipped assault rifle that has been a series staple since its inception—takes place off-screen, credited to a character encountered only briefly on two occasions. This trivial sequence epitomizes the disappointing redundancy of this prequel.
The story itself is engaging, packed with intense action sequences and somewhat clichéd wisecracks. Early missions carry a touch of horror as you witness the brutality of the Locust firsthand. I also really liked the two new squad members, Garron Paduk and Keegan—though the game takes a while to flesh out their backstories.
Oddly, however, neither of these characters ever seems to be in genuine danger. The peril appears reserved for characters we already know will survive, keeping the overall tension relatively low during the events of “E-Day.” The story concludes by raising more questions than it answers, seemingly setting the stage for a sequel or DLC. Meanwhile, the cliffhanger ending of Gears 5 remains unresolved to this day.
Combat is a standout feature of E-Day. The Locust remain satisfyingly visceral targets; their bodies burst into chunks and their heads explode like watermelons—effects accompanied by crisp sound design that sends adrenaline surging. Classic weapons like the “Gnasher” shotgun and “Longshot” sniper rifle remain addictive to use, and there is still an enduring thrill in brutally sawing a Locust in half with the “Lancer’s” chainsaw bayonet.
This time around, you can also find and equip weapon attachments. This adds depth to combat, allowing you to tweak firearm performance and outfit weapons that originally lacked them with scopes, laser sights, and bayonets. The “Active Reload” is a signature series mechanic where players press the reload button at the right moment for a damage boost; now, this system offers further customization, such as granting incendiary rounds or increasing fire rate. You can also find attachments that reduce muzzle climb, speed up reload times, or extend damage range. It is a highly customizable system that gives you the freedom to radically alter a weapon’s function or double down on its existing strengths.
It isn’t just the weaponry that has seen improvements. Marcus and his squadmates are more agile than ever, capable of sliding, vaulting, quickly hopping over cover, and traversing terrain with relative ease. This ties into the level design’s renewed focus on verticality, though this increased mobility doesn’t fundamentally alter the core Gears of War experience.
Gears of War: E-Day remains a cover-based shooter at heart. While players now have more diverse ways to move between cover points, the core gameplay hasn’t changed much since 2006, still emphasizing popping out to fire or flanking the enemy. It is remarkable that the Gears of War formula has endured for two decades, yet this longevity also highlights just how little the game itself has evolved. Gears 5 broke the series’ traditional mold by introducing open sandbox environments, allowing players to choose the order in which they completed objectives and to pilot vehicles across vast areas. Gears of War: E-Day carries forward this philosophy but significantly scales back the scope: it removes vehicles and focuses on smaller areas. The entire game takes place in the city of Kalona and its surrounding region, alternating between explorable open areas and linear missions.
As you freely navigate the city blocks, you’ll encounter countless collectibles and scattered side missions, though most of these merely slow down the game’s otherwise fast-paced experience. The side missions lack variety—often boiling down to fending off waves of enemies—and the layouts of many shops and apartments are repetitive, offering little reward for thorough exploration. Teaming up with other players helps, as you can split up to locate items more quickly, though co-op play is entirely optional.
It is a real shame, given the striking visual design of Kalona; the city blends classical European architecture with modern industrial facilities, all with a touch of Gothic flair. You can even witness the city’s gradual destruction firsthand by revisiting the same locations every few hours. Imagine a street where you once fought a firefight transforming into a massive sinkhole that tears through the subway system and beyond—it is a staggering sight that vividly illustrates the sheer speed at which the Locusts are dismantling the city.
E-Day certainly shines when it comes to its open-ended levels. Beyond that, however, its linear missions far surpass the open-ended sections; they retain classic Gears of War action elements while delivering grand, cinematic visuals.
These moments showcase Gears of War: E-Day at its best. While there are some fresh ideas here, you can also sense that The Coalition isn’t trying to reinvent the wheel. That’s fine, though it also made me realize that my enthusiasm for this type of game isn’t what it was a decade ago. After all, once you’ve manned a turret enough times, you never want to see one again. For better or worse, E-Day preserves the signature Gears identity; even if the story is disappointing and the open-world elements feel a bit tedious, I still had a good time. But that’s all it is: a solid game with a combat system that has barely changed in twenty years. That’s enough to get by, but I still wish the Gears of War series would dig a little deeper.
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