My brief time with Gears of War: E-Day’s Multiplayer Network Test brought me right back to the glory days of Xbox 360, particularly 2006, when 13-year-old me got my hands on the original Gears of War for the first time.
Of course, I mean that in the best way possible, as Gears of War: E-Day, even in its early-access state, feels like a true return to form for the series, bringing with it a more fluid and snappier-than-ever bloodsoaked gameplay loop that made the originals so addictive and charming. My two-day stint with Gears of War: E-Day consisted of two maps across two game modes, Horde Siege and Conquest Escalation.
Starting with Horde Siege, the game mode is a modernized spin on the tried and tested Horde mode/Firefight that now features some more objective-based sequences in between the waves of Locust infantry. Now, I haven’t seriously played Horde mode since Gears of War 2, but as a long-retired achievement hunter, I felt right at home in E-Day’s new take on the mode. Objectives in Horde Siege include protecting and powering up the R.I.G, which acts as your centralized beacon, eventually culminating in an extraction sequence for your squad.
If you’re a fan of something like Call of Duty Zombies, Gears of War: E-Day’s Horde Siege mode will feel familiar, as the mode introduces weapon upgrades and healing kiosks throughout the map, making the escalating difficulty more manageable and personalized to the player. (On that note, during the early access period, we were only given access to the easiest difficulty to try, which is fair for the humble game journalist).
Character classes also make a return, but they feel more paramount to the experience than ever, with the waves of encounters in Horde Siege mode feeling deliberately designed to spread out the roles of your squad in such a way that makes changing up classes feel rewarding, while keeping the otherwise simple gameplay loop fresh.
Level design also reflects this focus on character classes, with the urban metropolitan map that was available during the test feeling large in scope, with plenty of dense geometry and places to duck and weave, made even better with the new destructible environment system that discourages camping or getting too familiar in one section of the map.
On the topic of movement, Gears of War: E-Day introduces a new sliding mechanic, on top of better parkour and jumping, which might not sound like a big deal at first, but in practice, the new movement tech feels like a massive evolution from the roadie-running days of old.
In previous instalments, running kind of felt like being a bull in a china shop, praying for the best when running for your life during a firefight. In Gears of War: E-Day, the ability to slide and jump across gaps feels akin to the running and sliding found in other popular shooters, while still adhering to the over-shoulder and tense skirmishes that feel unique to the series, as the TTK is still deadly for exposed players that tarry too long between cover.
Even from a narrative and worldbuilding perspective, the ability to jump and slide feels appropriate for Gears of War: E-Day, as the game is set earliest in the timeline, featuring a younger, more agile cast of Gear soldiers, making the additions to the gameplay feel organic and grounded. The same can be said about some of the character designs of the Locust, which feature a mix of new and old designs, particularly with the Wretches and Tickers, who feature sleeker designs that feel more indicative of Gears of War: Judgement, which was also set earlier within the timeline of the series.
“Gears of War: E-Day, even in its early-access state, feels like a true return to form for the series…”
Versus, which I got to experience during the second day of the network test, was also lots of fun, featuring a more intimate trench-style map that forces players to engage with each other, made better with the new movement; ultimately, it made for a familiar but refreshing take on the classic Gears formula. Weapons felt familiar but also featured some new mechanics, particularly the Gnasher shotgun, which now seems to have an overhauled active reload mechanic, allowing players to give up some of their clip by pressing the reload key (or trigger), relinquishing their active-reload bonus for an immediate slug in a pinch.
On the PC side of things, Gears of War: E-Day feels well optimized, at least for my rig, with FSR4 allowing my AMD 7900XTX to run the game at a consistent 60FPS with ray tracing and more advanced lighting enabled, making the game easily look the best it has ever in franchise history.
On a side note, I was unable to get my controller to work with the game, but that also made me try the game using keyboard and mouse. Despite being a longtime console player when it comes to Gears of War, I can safely say that Gears of War: E-Day feels really good with a keyboard and mouse setup, making me consider going that route once the game launches.
In closing, even with only a few hours under my belt, I can say with confidence that Gears of War fans and newcomers alike will have a lot to look forward to when Gears of War: E-Day launches this fall in October.
