Gears of War: E-Day Reviews
Gears of War: E-Day is exactly the prequel the franchise needed. The Coalition harks back to the horror, the tension and the brutal action of the first games. But they’ve tweaked the gameplay with smarter enemies and more verticality. The story surrounding Emergence Day also delivers a wealth of emotion, whilst Kalona emerges as one of the most impressive locations the franchise has ever seen. At its core, it remains good old Gears, but this E-Day is undoubtedly one of the strongest and most impressive Gears games ever. Full stop.
Review in Dutch | Read full review
E-Day is the Gears game newcomers and hardcore fans have been waiting for, with a spectacular city-wide collapse and real heart.
Gears of War: E-Day is a brutal, atmospheric return to form that reminds us why this franchise became legendary in the first place. It may not reinvent the formula, but its terrifying take on this war’s bitter beginning makes for one hell of a comeback.
Gears of War: E-Day delivers a powerful return to the franchise’s roots, combining intense combat with a darker, horror-inspired atmosphere and an emotional story about Marcus and Dom. The campaign offers satisfying gameplay, well-designed semi-open environments, and impressive visuals, while its expanded movement mechanics modernize the classic formula. Although enemy variety is limited and some exploration elements become repetitive, The Coalition delivers a memorable adventure that captures what makes Gears of War so compelling.
Review in French | Read full review
Gears of War: E-Day is a bloody, confident return to the series’ roots, turning the city of Kalona itself into the real star while its human cast, caught in the shadow of a scene-stealing newcomer, never quite rises to the occasion.
Review in Portuguese | Read full review
Gears of War: E-Day is a solid prequel that gets a lot of things right. The characters, the combat, and the visuals all mesh together into a must-play adventure for any Gears of War fan, but it’s also an excellent starting point for those new to the series.
Gears of War: E-Day takes the things that made the original games so good, throws in some modern bells and whistles, and reminds us why this series became such a big deal in the first place.
Gears of War: E-Day feels less like another attempt to modernize Gears and more like a reminder of why the series became important in the first place. It keeps the heart of Marcus and Dom's relationship, brings back the fear of the Locust, and adds enough new ideas to make another trip through Sera worthwhile.
In the end, I believe that Gears of War: E-Day has largely succeeded in recapturing an important part of the series' spirit that we loved in the original trilogy, whether in terms of atmosphere, the feeling of combat, or that distinct character that defined the series in its early days. Although it is not the best game in the series, its true value lies not in merely being a return of the Gears of War franchise after an absence, but in its ability to bring back that feeling that made us love the series in the first place, and reminding us of what made Gears games special and beloved by players from the very beginning.
Review in Arabic | Read full review
Gears of War: E-Day is an extraordinary production and a powerful return to a world I have loved since that time when I finished the first Gears in that arcade place. Its characters, atmosphere, and collapsing city stayed with me, even when its combat outlasted my enthusiasm. Fans who still love that rhythm will find plenty to celebrate. I came away wishing it had pushed further, but also deeply impressed by how much care went into bringing this nightmare to life.
The way it masterfully tells the story of Emergence Day with its devastation and destruction, watching as the city of Kalona gradually becomes more war-torn was amazing. It was also amazing to have Marcus and Dom back in action again without it feeling like nostalgia bait, and the character development of Mags and Lucas was well paced and meaningful. While I do have a few nitpicks here and there, and I would have liked to see more Versus launch content, there aren’t many AAA games giving this much content with this much quality.
An atmospheric, beautifully optimized return to the series’ roots, E-Day pairs a memorable Emergence Day story with satisfying co-op, detailed environments, and excellent PC performance. Its familiar cover-based combat still hits hard, but bullet-sponge enemies, an underwhelming arsenal, and unreliable squad AI hold the campaign back. Even so, it’s a strong prequel and an easy recommendation for Gears fans—especially through Game Pass.
Review in Portuguese | Read full review
Gears of War: E-Day takes the franchise back to its roots with a brutal, emotional and spectacular experience that reminds us why the Locust War remains one of gaming’s most memorable conflicts.
Review in Spanish | Read full review
Gears of War: E-Day delivers arguably the franchise's finest, most atmospheric campaign, brilliantly balancing pulse-pounding action with genuine horror roots. By pairing breathtaking Series X visuals and refined combat with a deeply emotional return to Marcus and Dom, The Coalition has delivered a masterclass prequel that restores complete faith in Xbox's future. A triumph from start to finish.
Gears of War: E-Day is a brutal and visually spectacular return to the series, combining incredibly satisfying gunplay, excellent audiovisual feedback, oppressive atmosphere, and strong environmental storytelling with some genuinely effective horror elements. Its larger areas occasionally dilute the campaign’s pacing, enemy AI can be inconsistent, and a few encounters frustrate more than they challenge, but the relentless action and polished presentation make this one of the year’s biggest surprises. Jsem Gamer
Review in Czech | Read full review
Gears of War: E-Day is a fantastic experience from beginning to end, regardless of whether you are a fan of the series or not. The storytelling is deeply compelling thanks to the great cast of characters and aptly bleak tone. The gameplay is brought together by satisfying combat and gorgeous visuals. Despite the frame drops, if this is the quality fans and newcomers can expect from Gears of War going forward, then the future of the franchise is bright.
I love the linear segments of E-Day, they deliver on rioting action and awesome set-pieces. This gets derailed by the dull open zones in the map and some to spongy enemies. But the highs outweigh the lows for sure.
Review in German | Read full review
Gears of War: E-Day understands perfectly that going back to the past doesn't mean living on nostalgia alone. The Coalition uses characters, enemies and elements that any fan recognizes right away, but places them in a completely different moment. One where the Locust are still terrifying and where Marcus Fenix is not yet the practically indestructible soldier we all know.
Review in Spanish | Read full review
Gears of War: E-Day is an excellent-feeling third-person shooter. It's gorgeous, runs well (even in split-screen), and is a ton of fun when it focuses on firefights. It lacks an interesting take on being both a prequel and an invasion day story mechanically, slipping back into classic Gears a little too quickly. The open zone levels are dull, checklist-filled areas that create unnecessary downtime. Multiplayer is sharp and well executed, but also doesn't rise above being more Gears. Horde Siege takes on the faults of the open campaign levels and becomes too focused on meta upgrades, losing sight of having fun in the current match, not the next one. It's well-crafted, but ultimately feels at its best when it's trying the least.
Gears of War: E-Day is, as expected, a real treat, both in single-player and in co-op mode for 2 to 4 players.
Review in Greek | Read full review