[Review] Gears of War: E-Day Knows Exactly What Makes Gears So Good

Note: This review covers the Gears of War: E-Day campaign and will be updated with impressions on the multiplayer after it goes live. Review code was provided by Xbox.

Twenty years have passed since Gears of War first hit the scene, and for several years, nothing could equal that winning combination of cover-based action, co-op multiplayer, perfect reloads, and turning an enemy Locust into a pile of bloody giblets with a barrage of bullets. The original Gears trilogy was a highlight of the Xbox 360 era, but in the years since then, the franchise has lost some of its luster. Gears of War 4 and 5 were fine games, but they were lacking a certain something that the previous games had perfected. Enter Gears of War: E-Day, a prequel that sets the stage for the entire saga. It’s a brutal return to form for the series, full of meaty combat and smart changes to the traditional Gears formula.

After several years on hiatus, Gears of War: E-Day successfully recaptures that 2006 lightning in a bottle, and it can easily be summed up in one gruff word: Nice.

Set during the cataclysmic events of Emergence Day and the fall of the city of Kolona, E-Day follows the ever-serious Marcus Fenix and his fellow Gears as they confront the genocidal forces of the Locust for the first time. The subterranean race has laid waste to major cities across the planet of Sera, and E-Day reveals just how bad that initial encounter was as civilians are slaughtered, city blocks are levelled, and the armed forces are constantly outmanoeuvred by a surprisingly cunning enemy that shows no mercy.

What made the first Gears of War game stand out 20 years ago wasn’t just its tightly polished gameplay, but also its atmosphere. You might be piloting an absolute hulk of a soldier in that game, but it was that atmosphere of dread and uncertainty that added a distinct layer of tension to every firefight. E-Day recaptures those subtle horror vibes through its clever art direction, and with the game always reminding you that you’re fighting to survive against superior forces, every encounter feels like a shot of adrenaline as you desperately try to hold your ground.

But that doesn’t mean that you don’t have the tools to fight back. Gears of War: E-Day has all the chunky weapons and explosives you could ask for However, each firefight now feels like a combat-themed puzzle box as you move between points of cover, position yourself to take advantage of the terrain, and keep an eye on the opposition. It’s effectively a Newton’s Cradle of panic and action, as momentum constantly shifts between survival and reaction, until all that energy has been spent and only one side is left standing.

All of this is emphasised by a new sense of movement in E-Day, an evolution of the series’ cover-based shooting mechanics that allow you to be more agile than ever as you move between defensive points and hug walls. It might look like the traditional Gears of War gameplay at first glance, but developer The Coalition has put serious work into perfecting what came before with multiple subtle tweaks to the gameplay formula. They might be small changes, but they all add up to create something that feels both comfortably familiar and fresh in the heat of battle.

When it comes to tangible changes to the combat core, Tactical Gear and weapon mods are a major leap forward. Unlocked by finding hard cases scattered throughout the levels, weapon mods let you squeeze extra performance out of your favourite firearms, each with four unlockable slots. Long-range specialists can add a tactical scope and quicker reloads to a sniper rifle; performing a chainsaw execution with a Lancer can grant you a magazine of high-damage rounds; and stowing your shotgun will allow it to passively reload, for example.

Meanwhile, Tactical Gear comes in several different flavours, ranging from a stim-shot to keep you fighting for longer, to a sonar device that can pinpoint enemy locations. Each one has a short cooldown period and can also be modded to be even more useful in combat. In the right scenario, they can easily turn the tide of a firefight when it’s not going your way.

All of this adds up to a Gears game that is consistently fun to play, and surprisingly, emotionally stirring between moments of over-the-top carnage. E-Day has an incredible number of setpiece moments that can rival any major Hollywood blockbuster production—with the battle for Fort Vigil being one of my personal highlights—but the game also gives you space to breathe and connect with Bravo Squad through brief but intimate moments of reflection, loss, and guilt. That led to a satisfying campaign, running around 11 hours in total, and I’m planning to hop back in soon to fight my way toward several missing collectibles and perfect my head-exploding skills with a gnasher shotgun.

Gears of War: E-Day releases for Xbox Series consoles and PC on 6 October.