Gears of War: E-Day delivers some of the series’ most impressive combat, visuals and set pieces, but its uneven storytelling, stop-start pacing and underdeveloped exploration prevent the campaign from reaching its full potential.
These are initial impressions based solely on a partially completed story campaign. The campaign runs for roughly 14 hours, and multiplayer was not available during the review period. Early access begins on 1 October, while private lobbies and ranked play are scheduled to arrive later in the month.
Even before the credits, the central verdict is clear: the old-school spirit of Gears is alive and well. Moment-to-moment shooting remains compelling enough to make returning for another session easy, although the wider structure does not always support that excellent foundation.
A striking return to Emergence Day
Gears of War: E-Day revisits the pivotal conflict that takes place 14 years before the original 2006 game. The Locust Horde erupts from underground and attacks humanity while the COG is still recovering from the Pendulum Wars.
Marcus Fenix and Dominic Santiago are pushed into guerrilla warfare on their own soil, facing an enemy they do not yet understand. The setting continues the franchise’s distinctive blend of gothic horror, baroque architecture and post-war science fiction, and that visual identity does much of the campaign’s heavy lifting.
The game was tested on Xbox Series S. It was playable, but the experience was not especially smooth. Quality mode was the preferred option, even though it targets 30 frames per second. Stutters and slowdowns appeared regularly, particularly when moving between checkpoints and action-heavy cutscenes, creating an experience that sometimes felt closer to the previous console generation.
Cover combat remains the star
The strongest sections place players in large, dramatic combat spaces where movement between cover, flanking and fast target selection all matter. Locations include towering cantilever bridges, ornate hotel interiors and airfields collapsing around Locust sinkholes.
Those arenas are visually spectacular and enjoyable to navigate as Locust forces swarm through Kalona, an industrial city with the feel of a once-thriving rust-belt centre. Incoming fire sends debris across the battlefield, while the ability to go prone behind cover adds another layer of tension to the established cover-shooter formula.
The results are at their best when the game combines scale with pressure. Enemy artificial intelligence can be inconsistent, and the new Locust variants do not always make a strong impression, but the fundamental shooting, movement and positioning remain excellent.
Where the campaign loses momentum
The open-world sections and broader narrative are less convincing. Marcus and Dom are joined by former Gear Mags Carter and rookie communications officer Lucas Reyes, yet the story does not fully explore how these characters respond to a defining moment in their world’s history.
Rather than developing the emotional consequences of war in depth, the campaign often moves quickly through character history and trauma. Squad conversations can feel functional rather than revealing, leaving the plot and relationships in the background while Bravo Squad moves from one assignment to the next.
Optional activities during patrols of Kalona add variety, and collectibles contribute to an equipment-modification system that is useful without being transformative. However, the stretches between major arenas and set pieces can become tedious because they rarely deliver surprising story developments or especially engaging character arcs.
A strong shooter with unfinished potential
For players comparing hardware options, an arcade machine buying guide may seem far removed from a modern console shooter, but the same principle applies: the surrounding presentation matters as much as the core controls. Here, the combat is the clear highlight, while exploration and narrative provide weaker support.
The upcoming Horde Siege mode and remaining online features could strengthen the overall package. At this stage, however, Gears of War: E-Day feels like a collection of hard-fought victories rather than a campaign that has completely won its war.
Readers interested in how interactive hardware shapes game experiences can also browse RETROCADE’s arcade news and editorial coverage, explore full-size arcade cabinets, or consider compact bartop arcade systems.
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