Platform(s): PC (version reviewed), Xbox Series
Genre: Third-Person Shooter, Scifi, PvP, Cover Shooter

While I got my start with the Xbox brand and games in 2006 through Rare’s titles like Kameo and Lost Planet, it was really then-Epic Games’ Gears of War series that really cemented by fascination. Exclusive to the platform, this three-part third-person shooter series (along with side game Gears of War Judgment) was gritty, bloody, multiplayer-friendly, and was just a really fun and tightly-paced experience. Most importantly, the audio design and soundtrack really got me invested in the game’s narrative and lore, all done with top-tier voice acting spearheaded by John “Bite My Shiny Metal Ass” DiMaggio.

The series did kinda lose its way with (arguably) parts 4 and 5. While those were quality games to many (particularly the open-world-ish sections of part 5), it didn’t really capture the essence and distinct action horror vibe from the previous four titles. I’m pleased to say that developer The Coalition did all that and said “screw it, let’s go back to the beginning” with Gears of War: E-Day.

Of course, they’re taking the easy way out by not continuing on from Gears 5 due to its multiple ending choices and consequences, but I’m guessing they’re not going to anytime soon. Becasue from the looks of it, Gears of War: E-Day may be looking like the winning game every Xbox owner has been clamouring for.

Back To Basics

Billed as the series’ “Part Zero”, Gears of War: E-Day (short for “Emergence Day”) takes place when the titular event happened, when the Locusts first emerged onto the surface of Sera. Our focus is on our fresh COG heroes Marcus Fenix and Dominic Santiago who got out of a previous war against the UIR faction -with casualties still fresh in their minds- and are knee-deep in Emergence Day; essentially a very bad day getting worse and worse with each Chapter and Act. The whole plot of the game has Fenix, Santiago, and newcomers to the franchise Mags Carter (ex-COG with past scars) and Lucas Reyes (newbie) teaming up to get through the first few hours and days of this catastrophe in Kalona City.

You will see and hear some familiar faces and voices from the past games, and while it’s sad that you already know the fates of some of them, it’s still good to see some optimism and shred of hope in this dire situation. That said, there’s not much of an overarching plot here but rather character-building moments, particularly with Carter and Reyes. We know how Fenix and Dom’s story went, though they do get some key character moments here. Don’t expect much lore expansion beyond what you know that’s already out there in past titles (and novels if you wish to dig deeper), but you will appreciate the thought put into this cast of COGs and the new ones you meet along the way.

Of course, The Coalition knows that everyone’s on the Gears train because of the gameplay, and that’s what they ultimately delivered. The entirety of Gears of War: E-Day’s campaign is mostly a straight path of you and your friends (or just you alone with AI bots) teaming up to kill the Locust horde and “grubs” along the way. Each new stage and area in the campaign drip-feeds you enemy types (from wretches to Elite Locust with Torque crossbows), awesome vistas of Kalona and the outskirts, cool moments and setpieces of destruction, and weapons to play around with.

You start off with the “retro” Lancer with the power to stab and impale anyone you’re charging at, moving on to the “chainsaw” Lancer a few hours after witnessing its birth in the universe. Your other default weapons from past games also pop up for your perusal, from your Gnasher shotgun to the Longshot sniper. For Gears veterans, we have new weapons for the prequel. The Gutpuncher is a grenade launcher that manually detonates its payload which means you can kill multiple Locust with a well-timed shot. The Incinerator is an acid-filled shotgun that can kill multiple grubs if timed correctly and up-close, and can fire up to three times before reloading. The Breechshot returns from Gears of War Judgment, offering bolt-action rifle nonsense with huge headshot potential.

You also have Supply Depots to add mods to your weapons, while also sorting out your loadout. I don’t see much difference in the mods system, though I do think The Coalition could have gone deeper with crafting and customization here instead of the simplistic options on tap. You also have support items that give you temporary boosts when fighting -think Stim Packs from the StarCraft series- which is a nice addition to go along with your playstyle and weaponry of choice. All in all, this Gears game’s weapon selection is the “Best Of” hits with some new weaponry that help deal with multiple targets either from afar or closeby, which is fine and dandy by me.

From start to finish, this is definitely one of the more pronounced shooter campaigns I’ve played in a while. Our COG team not only has to deal with a crumbling city, as well as plot courses to help out fellow COG soldiers and possibly into Locusts trap, but through an invaded airplane hangar and even underground into enemy territory, witnessing the fact that Kalona is pretty much f***ed. You have various stages and scenarios where you fight a new enemy type, and then the game just piles it onto the level and map with emergence holes aplenty ripe with smart enemies. I’d say that this is one of the more challenging shooters yet, as the Locust will flush you out and flank you at default, with the shotgun grubs downing you up-close after a well-timed smoke grenade.

Fast-crawling living bombs called Tickers can also sneak up on you and blow up in your face when you’re not careful and not pay attention to their obvious chattering telltale sound. There are times when you think you’re done with a mission and you then open the door to your objective, only to have a Mulcher or one of the big Locust with the new “hookshot” weapon bursting through that passage, forcing you to scramble backwards and find cover. And yes, you do fight an airborne minion-summoning support drone that looks like a scrotum with eyes. If anything, gallows humour and horror bits do pop up amidst the seriousness of the action and vibes, and it’s all done with deft balancing. This is also mostly due to how fun and responsive it feels to play. Zipping from cover to cover “velcro”-like while flanking Locust hordes firing at you just feels rewarding when you decimate them bit by bit.

The fact that the game is a looker that comes with awesome audio cues and mixing does accentuate the experience tenfold. The game’s budget is pretty big, and it shows! From the ruination of Kalona to how menacingly-detailed each Locust unit is from the wretches to the giant-sized Brumak -you cannot have a Gears game without these goliaths- Gears of War: E-Day is a feast for the eyes. And ears too: just hearing that FX sound of a grub’s head exploding from a Longshot headshot is pure satisfying bliss that you can experience over and over. One that never ever gets old.

That said, what does get old are the sidequests you come across when you’re in the open-ended chapters of the game. These all have the same objectives and offer miniscule rewards that don’t feel like they add much unless you’re on a collecting route. They’re optional, so it’s really up to you if you want to go save random COGs or citizens to kill time.

A quick word about multiplayer: I’ve only played a few matches of the new Horde mode and some PvP. It seems smooth so far, with little interference and lag. Connection seems stable on Asian servers, though it remains to be seen if this will keep going on after a month or so, and if the player count will go up post-launch. There’s a lot of good team-up online fun to be had given how the modes are laid out and how online play rewards are dished out (frequently at the start at least), but I don’t recall our region being Gears-centric.

For Whom The Bell Tolls

Gears of War: E-Day is just fun comfort food to go back to shooter-wise; like a village hometown dish you grew up with back again in your mouth after years of abstaining. The best kind of beef rendang and hearty rice combo if we’re talking literal Malaysian comfort food.

The familiar controls, the “Hold Y to Look” moments, that familiar battlecry from a Boomer (the enemy unit, not the age group) when you’re in their line of sight. Heck, that soundbite when you’ve past a checkpoint, the “sapiens” and “ominid” callouts from the Locust horde: it’ll all come back to you, like it never left.

Honestly, it’s great to be back in the gritty world of Sera. Its part zero campaign scratches that itch for a classic Marcus-and-Dom-led campaign, while its multiplayer is just as fun and addictive as ever, even if the overall plot just focuses on events and vibes rather than actual lore expansion and deep diving.

In spite of what’s going on at Xbox leadership and management, you can’t deny that this third-person shooter delivers on what’s expected and then some. Welcome home, Fenix and Santiago; you’ve been missed.

Pros

• Lovely gritty aesthetics.
• Great character moments with the cast.
• Appropriate controls for a weighty cover-based third-person shooter.
• Action setpieces and level design are top-notch.
• Enemy AI is smart & challenging.

Cons

• Campaign side missions can get old quick and offer little rewards.
• Overall story doesn’t flesh out & expand upon trilogy’s mythos.

Final Score: 80/100

Review copy provided by publisher.