The first new Gears Of War game in seven years is a prequel that returns to the story of Marcus Fenix and Dom Santiago, but is that enough to get the franchise back on track?
There’ll never be any sales figures released for Gears Of War: E-Day, because Microsoft stopped disclosing that sort of information back in the Xbox One era. But there’s a real question as to how many people will actually get to experience this game, given it’s the first to backtrack on Xbox’s multiformat policies and is only available on Xbox Series X/S and PC.
As what would previously have been considered one of the biggest exclusive franchises on Xbox, there’s some sort of logic to that. But last year’s multiformat remaster of the original Gears Of War seemed to make little impact, so it’s unclear if there’s enough people that still care about the franchise on Xbox, let alone PlayStation.
E-Day is a prequel that also acts as a soft reboot, completely abandoning the storyline and characters of Gears 5 (which ended on a cliffhanger), and going back to Marcus Fenix and Dominic Santiago as the lead protagonists. That’s standard procedure for any franchise in trouble – whether in gaming, movies or elsewhere – but there’s so little substantial difference between this entry and the original it really doesn’t feel like enough.
In what now seems a slightly strange decision, the original Gears Of War was set 14 years after Emergence Day, the E-Day of this game’s subtitle, when murderous creatures referred to as Locust emerged from underground to try and wipe out all human life on the planet of Sera (which looks almost exactly like Earth, to the point where most people just assume that’s what it is).
At the start of the game, Marcus and Dom are hanging out at a bar when E-Day begins and they, along with two other soldiers who also happen to be there, decide to help. Despite what you might assume, Marcus and Dom aren’t unfeeling meatheads, and the best moments of storytelling are when they break down and show some real emotion. But that happens rarely and briefly, with the wide-eyed rookie and taciturn veteran that you also team up with having even less memorable moments.
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No one has ever played a Gears Of War game expecting nuanced storytelling but the fact that hasn’t changed is just one missed opportunity amongst many, in terms of doing anything new. Although one of the main problems is that it is a prequel, which means that as soon as the initial E-Day incursion is over it just ends up looking and playing like the first game again.
It also means that existing fans of the franchise already know the origins of the Locusts, so there’s no real secret there and the game barely even bothers playing up the government conspiracy angle or giving any hint as to the Locust’s motivations.
Instead, the focus is solely on action. There’s no stealth, no platforming, no puzzle-solving, no role-playing elements (beyond upgrading your guns with collected items), no interactive dialogue – nothing but shooting the same collection of bad guys for hours on end and exploring a handful of small open world areas.
The majority of the game is still linear but the open world elements at least work better than Gears 5 (which was trying to riff on acronym twin God Of War), even if the side quests are just more shooting and the collectibles are not very well hidden.
Whether it’s open world or linear levels doesn’t matter because the action is the same. Gears Of War was the prototypical third person, cover-based shooter and hugely influential on all gaming. The problem is that it’s barely changed a jot since 2006 and despite the increased fidelity the predominately grey tones of E-Day still look the same and the combat still works just as it ever did.
You’ve got a bit more control over how you move in and around cover now, and the active reload system – where you complete a simple QTE while reloading – is slightly more nuanced. But overall, you’re kneeling behind the same concrete barriers, shooting the same monsters, and taking part in the same on-rails turret sequences as ever.
The gunplay is above average but given it’s virtually the only gameplay mechanic it’s nowhere near satisfying enough to keep your interest for the whole game. Part of that may be down to the Xbox controller’s inferior haptics but despite the variety of weapons you never get the same buzz from a clean kill that you do in other games. As a third person shooter, we’ve found far more enjoyment in 007 First Light, Resident Evil Requiem, Pragmata, and Saros much more – and that’s just this year.
If you’re going to play E-Day on your own we would not recommend it, to the point where you can take at least two points off our final score. However, the game heavily promotes its co-op options and you can play it online with four people or two in split-screen (or a mixture of both). At that point everything becomes much more interesting, especially as you can revive each other and loan guns and ammo.
It’s like the difference between playing a Lego game on your own or with friends and family, except E-Day also has competitive multiplayer as well. This has only been seen in beta tests so far but obviously it’s still the same gameplay. There’s both the competitive Versus mode and the co-op Horde Siege, although, as with the campaign, it doesn’t change anything fundamental.
Oddly, neither mode is reflected much in the campaign, as while there’s a few set pieces where you’re encouraged to set up barricades (mostly razor wire and auto-turrets) they’re infrequent and surprisingly brief. So if you do play this on your own, you’ll have an even worse impression of the game than needs be.
Gears Of War: E-Day is enjoyable shlock in co-op but it’s doing nothing new or interesting, compared to either previous entries or the genre in general. And yet we’re loathe to criticise it further because it seems obvious that Microsoft is going to eviscerate developer The Coalition the second the game’s out, if not shut them down completely. No studio deserves that and the problem here is not a lack of craft but a lack of vision and ambition, and that should have come from the top.
Gears Of War: E-Day review summary
In Short: A prequel that looks and feels far too similar to the 20-year-old original and while it’s a vastly more entertaining experience in co-op, it still feels worryingly old-fashioned and overfamiliar.
Pros: The action is solid and well presented, with the open world elements working better than Gears 5. Co-op options, including split-screen, are excellent and the competitive multiplayer should be entertaining.
Cons: A chore to play in single-player. No new ideas and it outlasts its welcome well before the end, as the difficulty starts to creep up and set pieces repeat. Unremarkable gunplay and limited storytelling.
Score: 7/10
Formats: Xbox Series X/S (reviewed) and PC
Price: £59.99
Publisher: Xbox Game Studios
Developer: The Coalition
Release Date: 6th October 2026*
Age Rating: 18
*Early access available from 1st October with Premium Edition
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