Gears of War: E-Day Review: A Return to Former Glory

After playing Gears of War: E-Day on PC, I’m pleased to say it feels like the Gears I remember. The visuals are stunning, but it’s the atmosphere that really sold it to me. This is a great addition to the series and, for the first time in a while, it feels like Gears is back to its best.

A Return to the Gears I Remember

I’ve always thought Gears of War worked best when it remembered what made those early games stand out. Yes, there are the familiar weapons and cover-based shooting, but it was the mood that made the whole thing work.

I missed that darker, more threatening atmosphere. E-Day brings it back, and I found myself enjoying the series for the same reasons I used to.

There’s nostalgia here, of course, but I don’t think the game is relying on it to carry the experience. It feels familiar in the right ways while still looking and feeling like a modern release.

Why Going Back to E-Day Works

E-Day goes back fourteen years before the original game, putting Marcus Fenix and Dom Santiago in the middle of the Locust invasion’s beginning. I like the decision to return to this part of the story. It gives the game a reason to revisit the darker side of Gears without simply retreading the original campaign.

Rather than pushing the story further forward, The Coalition has gone back to a moment that matters to the series. For me, that works. E-Day feels like it understands the appeal of the world it’s returning to.

An official promotional screenshot showing the game’s sombre visual direction. Image: Xbox Game Studios / The Coalition, via Xbox.

The Atmosphere Is What Makes It

The atmosphere was my favourite part of E-Day. There’s a weight to the setting that reminds me of the older games, and it makes a real difference to the way the whole experience feels.

I don’t just want to recognise the characters or weapons in a new Gears game. I want to feel like I’m back in that world. E-Day delivered that for me.

Official game imagery captures the threatening, horror-inspired tone. Image: Xbox Game Studios / The Coalition, via Xbox.

Visually, It’s Stunning

On PC, E-Day looks absolutely stunning. There’s no point dressing that up with complicated technical language. It’s one of the things that impressed me most, and the presentation works particularly well alongside the game’s darker atmosphere.

The Coalition has used Unreal Engine 5, and for me the result gets the balance right. E-Day looks the part as a modern game, but it hasn’t lost that familiar Gears identity.

That doesn’t mean my PC experience was trouble-free. I had a couple of crashes while playing, which was frustrating given how much I was enjoying the game. I can’t confirm what caused them, so I wouldn’t put a specific technical diagnosis on it. The Coalition’s 14 October update includes stability and memory-related fixes, but I’ll need more time with the updated game before saying whether they’ve resolved what I encountered.

Old-School Gears, in the Best Way

Gears has always had its own identity as a cover-based shooter. I wasn’t looking for E-Day to turn that into something completely different. I wanted it to feel like Gears, and that’s what I got.

Not every sequel needs to reinvent the series. Sometimes the smartest move is to work out what people loved in the first place and build on it. I think E-Day does that well.

Multiplayer Isn’t Without Problems

I played multiplayer too, and a couple of matches were spoiled by opponents whose behaviour looked suspicious. It certainly felt like there could have been cheating involved, although I can’t verify that from what I saw. Either way, those matches weren’t much fun.

Fair matches matter, particularly in a competitive game. The Coalition’s 14 October patch notes mention further server-side anti-cheat improvements, which is encouraging. I hope they help, because a couple of poor online experiences can put a dampener on an otherwise strong game.

Is It Worth Your Time?

If you’ve missed the atmosphere and feel of the older Gears games, I’d absolutely recommend giving E-Day a look. It’s the return I wanted from the series. Just be aware that my PC sessions weren’t entirely smooth and the multiplayer experience left me with some concerns. Those problems matter, but they didn’t outweigh what I enjoyed.

What Works and What Holds It Back

Tested on: PC, including online multiplayer. I experienced two crashes and two matches with suspected cheating. No measured frame-rate claims are included.

The Final Verdict

I’ve really enjoyed my time with E-Day. It’s a great addition to the series, the atmosphere is exactly what I’ve missed, and on PC it looks fantastic. More importantly, it reminded me why I enjoyed Gears so much in the first place.

The crashes and questionable online matches stop me from scoring it higher, and I don’t want to gloss over those problems. But at its best, E-Day feels like a proper return to the series’ former glory. For me, that’s a big achievement, and one well worth coming back for.

CS Press verdict: 84/100, Excellent. A visually stunning, atmospheric return to old-school Gears, with a few frustrating technical and online issues.

Official game information: Gears of War: E-Day (Xbox). Stability and anti-cheat update: The Coalition’s 14 October patch notes. Official promotional images reproduced with credit to Xbox Game Studios / The Coalition.