Platforms: Xbox Series X|S, PC
Is there a series in gaming more resistant to evolution than Gears of War? 2019’s Gears 5 tried valiantly, even pointedly dropping the “of War” from the title as it attempted to yank the franchise away from rote cover shooting with a veneer of plot and towards more serious sci-fi storytelling. Yet in the seven years since, developer The Coalition has only seen fit to look backwards. First came 2025’s Gears of War: Reloaded, a 4K upgrade of 2015’s Gears of War: Ultimate Edition, itself a remake of the 2006 original, and now comes E-Day, a prequel to the entire saga – and while it’s at least entirely new content, it feels like a step back in all the worst ways.
Set 14 years before the first game, this details ‘Emergence Day’, an event often referenced to as a near-apocalyptic moment within the series’ lore. That’s when the Locust Horde first crawled out from the depths of the colony world Sera, attacking humanity right as we’d wrapped up a devastating war amongst ourselves over control of the planet’s energy source, Imulsion. For long-term fans of the series, it’s going to be great to play through a key period of Gears history, but it’s ultimately held back by the same problems that plague most prequels.
[E-Day] basically has the Solo: A Star Wars Story problem, existing to answer questions most people won’t care about…
Chiefly, that means a mix of navel-gazing that’s redundant to anyone other than the most hardcore fans, and a vague sense of pointlessness, since pieces have to line up for the chronologically later games. It’s basically the Solo: A Star Wars Story problem, existing to answer questions most people won’t care about – did anyone really wonder how Han did the Kessel Run in less than 12 parsecs? Or, in this case, how leading man Marcus Fenix got some of his scars, and why some guns have chainsaws?
E-Day mainly serves as an excuse to bring back Fenix and his brother-in-arms Dominic Santiago (and, more importantly, returning voice actors John DiMaggio and Carlos Ferro, respectively, both clearly relishing bringing the characters to life again), after Gears of War 4 time-skipped to follow the next generation. Here, they’re joined by rookie soldier Lucas Reyes and discharged veteran Mags Carter, thrown together into a ramshackle unit dubbed Bravo Squad. Carter stands to be the breakout character of the game, a fierce warrior with a complicated past, and the first openly LGBTQ+ character in the franchise, but again, prequelitis strikes – she’s brand new here, and never seen later, so you probably shouldn’t get too attached.
Mechanically, too, this feels like a step backwards. Or maybe more standing in place – for the campaign at least (online multiplayer was not available during the review window), it’s another round of linear runs through corridor environments, taking to waist-high cover spots and shooting wave after wave of gribbly alien monsters. Rinse and repeat a few times, intercut with bigger open areas that give a vague illusion of freedom, and throw in boss battles against even bigger gribbly alien monsters – which, to be fair, are pretty cool – and that’s E-Day.
In its best moments, E-Day manages to capture the sheer horror and panic of the event it’s chronicling.
It’s all just very… Gears-by-numbers, with decidedly few surprises, or even attempts to surprise. Some of the more open areas have the odd side mission, such as defending bases from waves of foes, but there’s not enough to really spice things up.
The game world is, at least, beautifully realised. Kalona City, where the Locusts decided to begin their rampage, is brilliantly presented, a blend of dieselpunk urban sprawl and futuristic elements. The environmental detail tells a good chunk of the story, even as much of it is reduced to rubble. A litany of collectibles to find in each chapter tell another chunk, although after a while, finding them feels like busywork.
In its best moments, E-Day manages to capture the sheer horror and panic of the event it’s chronicling, conveying the sheer desperation of humanity coming face to face with an enemy it has no idea how to handle, just as peace was right around the corner. It delves smartly and often sympathetically into its characters’ lives and perspectives, and explores the costs of war and the exploitation of soldiers in war. But then you realise that new characters might as well be wearing red shirts, and that there’s zero tension surrounding those we do know survive, and it all becomes a big “so what?”
If you care about those Kessel Run-tier questions and niche details of about Gears of War lore, E-Day will likely delight. For everyone else, it’s the series in a holding pattern, practically unchanged after 20 years.
