(Credit: Xbox Game Studios/PCMag)
A few days ago, I got my hands on Gears of War: E-Day, the newest entry in Xbox’s long-running franchise. To be clear, there was no campaign content to explore; my demo focused on E-Day’s multiplayer mode. Still, I enjoyed my time with this aspect of the upcoming shooter, which struck a good balance between classic Gears of War blasting and modern design elements that smooth out the gameplay. However, there are significant changes that alter how you play, mechanical shifts that some purists may not get behind. But at its core, E-Day remains true to the Gears formula. These are my impressions, based on several PVP and Horde mode sessions.
What Is Gears of War: E-Day?
For context, Gears of War: E-Day is an upcoming third-person, cover-based shooter set 14 years before the original game. The story follows younger versions of the series’ heroes, Marcus Fenix and Dominic Santiago, as they fight through the horrific first days of the alien Locust Horde’s global invasion.
New Game, New Controls
The core gameplay is familiar, with sufficiently heavy character movement, a Gears of War trademark. Likewise, the cover-based shooting is still there: You press the A button to glue yourself to a wall, letting you shoot from cover. However, vaulting over cover is now done with the Y button, rather than the A button, which handled all the cover-based movements in previous Gears games.
Another big addition is jumping, an ability your character lacked in earlier titles. Now, you can tap Y to hop forward or clamber over short walls and obstacles, cementing it as a universal traversal ability.
Overall, these are good changes, but if you’re familiar with the nuances of directional inputs plus the A button, then movement is definitely going to take some adjusting. Thankfully, you can easily ping-pong between cover and several positions, making your character difficult to hit. I saw many players using that during my time in PvP, which was great to see.
The Classic Roadie Run vs. the New Tactical Sprinting
Other changes are a bit less interesting. Not bad, just different. Take the roadie run, for example. The roadie run in the older Gears games is incredibly cinematic, forcing you low to the floor while a camera bounced around dynamically. It looks cool.
In Gears: E-Day, the roadie run is now a tactical sprint. You don’t quite turn on a dime as you would expect from modern controls, but it definitely doesn’t feel as deliberately weighty as its previous incarnation.
I much prefer the lower-profile and cinematic visuals of the classic roadie run. This newer sprint just lacks sauce. Sure, it gets you from one point to the next, but the lack of a bouncing, energetic camera makes it flat and boring.
(Credit: Xbox Game Studios/PCMag)
Shotgun Nerfs and Improved Weapon
I’ve always had a love-hate relationship with the Gnasher, the series’ shotgun. In past games, I loved how powerful it felt as I bucked enemies, but hated how efficient it was in multiplayer. All too often, matches would boil down to two teams with Gnashers in hand, landing brutal kill shots as they rolled past opponents. It was a little toogood.
From my E-Day experience, the Gnasher is toned down a bit. I needed both surgical precision and point-blank range to nail that instant-kill sweet spot. Nailing it transformed my target into a fountain of blood and goo, but the Gnasher felt like a pellet gun if I was just a hair off target or a step too far away. In those circumstances, I had to pump foes full of lead to bring them down.
That said, this change makes your other weapons moreheese them, you can switch to other weapons, like the assault rifle or sniper, to compensate. I found it a bit underwhelming; I missed the older shotgun’s potency. This new shotgun requires more precision, which might be good for hard-core players, as it opens new gameplay options
Horde Mode: Chaotic, Wide-Open Arenas
Aside from PvP, I also played Horde mode.I don’t know how it will look upon the game’s release, but the version I played featured extraction-style mechanics. In the beta, there were four rounds of enemies surrounding and attacking my base, and I had to call in an extraction chopper and blast Locusts that attacked during that final countdown.
(Credit: Xbox Game Studios/PCMag)
The open environments led to much more chaotic horde battles compared with the older games’ tighter, more claustrophobic corridors. I was shocked by the size of a few maps. With some, I spent a whole minute running to the point I was supposed to protect. That said, there was an unrelenting thrill I enjoyed from the older Horde maps, because Locust were constantly funneled at you, which made the matches more exhilarating.
With E-Day, you’re flanked from multiple directions, so you can’t really camp or turtle. This makes encounters less overwhelming, but also more unpredictable. You’re constantly moving and scanning for enemies, which makes this version of Horde mode more dynamic. I really enjoyed my time with Horde mode, and wanted to play more to better understand its intricacies.
Early Verdict and Release Date
Ultimately, Gears of War: E-Day strikes a good balance of old and new mechanics. It has changes that will appeal to newcomers, while old-school purists have plenty of classic gameplay to sink their teeth into. By the end of the multiplayer session, and despite my feelings about the shotgun, I was satisfied with what I played and excited for what’s to come when the game heads to PC and Xbox Series X/S on Oct. 6.
