Gears of War: E-Day Review — Brothers to the End

Eric Poole | Posted: 10/28/2026

(Image credit: Xbox Game Studios/The Coalition | military.com)

I have been a Gears of War fan since day one. I was living in a college dorm during the height of the original game's multiplayer popularity in 2007, back when entire evenings disappeared into chainsaw duels, shotgun battles, and arguments over who was responsible for the team's latest embarrassing defeat.

Since then, I've read every novel, played every console and PC release, including the turn-based strategy spin-off Gears Tactics, and even own the collectible ammo crate lunchbox. All that to say, I have invested an arguably unhealthy amount of time into this franchise.

So when Gears of War: E-Day was announced, my expectations were understandably high. Returning to the origins of Marcus Fenix, Dom Santiago, and the Locust War seemed like exactly what the series needed after years of trying to figure out where to take its story next.

Thankfully, E-Day largely delivers, reminding us why we fell in love with this franchise in the first place while proving there's still plenty of life left in its blood-soaked universe.

Brothers Before the War

One of E-Day's greatest accomplishments is how faithfully it incorporates elements from the expanded universe established in the novels. Longtime fans will recognize several familiar story beats, including the rather unconventional origins of the iconic chainsaw Lancer, which traces back to an encounter in a grocery store.

It's these little details that make E-Day feel like a genuine love letter to the franchise rather than another attempt to capitalize on nostalgia.

I'll admit that it's been a few years since I last read the books, and I seem to remember certain details surrounding Carlos Santiago's story unfolding a little differently. Whether that's a creative liberty taken by the developers or simply my aging memory betraying me is anyone's guess. Either way, the story feels remarkably faithful to the spirit of the original material.

Perhaps more surprising is the softer, more vulnerable side of Marcus and Dom that E-Day chooses to explore.

For a franchise that practically defined the muscle-bound, testosterone-fueled "bro shooter" era of gaming, spending so much time exploring grief, friendship, and emotional vulnerability might make a few longtime fans roll their eyes.

But underneath all the chainsaws, profanity, and impossibly large shoulder armor, Gears of War has always been a story about brotherhood.

E-Day understands that better than perhaps any previous installment.

Watching Marcus and Dom navigate the beginning of humanity's collapse while carrying the emotional weight of their own personal losses adds a layer of depth to characters we've known for nearly two decades. Their friendship feels genuine, their struggles carry weight, and seeing the origins of some of their scars, both physical and emotional, makes their eventual fates in the original trilogy all the more impactful.

It's a story worth telling, and more importantly, one told exceptionally well.

Making the Past Feel New

Prequels present an interesting challenge for video game developers.

Players naturally expect new enemies, weapons, gadgets, and gameplay mechanics with each installment. But introducing increasingly advanced technology or terrifying new enemies into a story set before the original games creates an obvious question: Where the hell did all this stuff go?

Fortunately, Gears of War has a convenient explanation. When civilization is being systematically demolished by an underground army of monsters, it's not particularly difficult to imagine a few weapons, technologies, and entire species disappearing along the way.

And speaking of disappearing species, I'm sure we can all agree that the Spore Matrons, or "giant floating ballsacks" as they deserve to be known, were better left in the past.

Jokes aside, E-Day strikes a solid balance between preserving the familiar identity of the franchise and introducing enough new ideas to keep the experience fresh.

One of my favorite additions is the ability to customize weapons using modification parts discovered throughout the campaign.

Exploration has never been the primary attraction of Gears of War, but giving players a reason to venture off the beaten path is a welcome improvement. Finding upgrades feels rewarding, and the customization system provides a surprising amount of flexibility in how you approach combat.

Want to transform your Lancer into a precision-focused assault rifle with reduced recoil and a 4x scope?

Yes, please.

Rather than simply swapping between the same familiar weapons throughout the campaign, I found myself experimenting with different configurations and building loadouts that better suited my playstyle.

It's a relatively simple addition, but one that genuinely improves the experience.

When Hardcore Becomes a Chore

For all the things E-Day gets right, a handful of frustrating design decisions occasionally get in the way of the fun.

I completed the campaign solo on Hardcore difficulty, and for the most part, the experience was exactly what I expected from a Gears of War game. The familiar cover-based combat remains satisfying, weapons feel appropriately powerful, and surviving overwhelming enemy encounters still provides that signature adrenaline rush.

Unfortunately, certain encounters seem designed to test your patience more than your skill.

A handful of enemy waves and boss fights become unnecessarily grueling, turning otherwise exciting moments into exhausting exercises in repetition.

Boomers, in particular, seemed to have developed an unhealthy personal obsession with me. Despite having an entire squad of NPC teammates available to shoot, these enemies would frequently ignore everyone else and focus their attacks almost exclusively on my position.

Apparently, Marcus Fenix is the only person on Sera worth killing.

Stealth and flanking also felt largely ineffective on this difficulty, with enemies frequently locking onto my location regardless of how carefully I approached an encounter.

These issues become especially frustrating when combined with the game's checkpoint and loadout systems.

A relatively simple improvement would be allowing players to modify their weapons or change loadouts directly from the game-over screen. Instead, certain encounters force you into repeated attempts with a configuration that might be poorly suited to the fight, unless you're willing to roll back to an earlier checkpoint.

There's a difference between a challenging encounter that rewards adaptation and one that makes you repeat the same frustrating sequence until everything finally goes your way.

E-Day occasionally crosses that line.

And, in typical Gears of War fashion, a few familiar movement frustrations have survived the transition to modern hardware.

There were several instances where Marcus inexplicably refused to vault an obstacle or take cover behind an object, resulting in deaths that felt more like control failures than legitimate mistakes.

It's hard to appreciate a challenging combat encounter when your heavily armored super-soldier suddenly forgets how to climb over a waist-high wall.

One final minor complaint concerns the updated control scheme. As someone who has spent nearly twenty years developing muscle memory around the original controls, I wasn't particularly enthusiastic about relearning the basics.

Thankfully, the developers had the good sense to include a legacy control option, making it easy for stubborn old fans like myself to pretend nothing has changed.

The Verdict: Brothers to the End

Gears of War: E-Day is a reminder of what made this franchise special in the first place.

Yes, the brutal combat, iconic weapons, and overwhelming Locust encounters are all here. But what ultimately makes this installment memorable isn't how many enemies you can cut in half with a chainsaw.

It's the story of two brothers facing the end of the world together.

By exploring Marcus and Dom's relationship with a level of emotional depth rarely afforded to them in the original games, E-Day manages to make a nearly twenty-year-old franchise feel surprisingly fresh without abandoning its identity.

That doesn't mean the experience is flawless. A few unnecessarily punishing encounters, questionable enemy behavior, and occasional movement issues interrupt what is otherwise an outstanding campaign.

But those frustrations rarely overshadow what E-Day does exceptionally well.

This is a story worth telling, and perhaps more importantly, a story worth sharing with a friend, whether that's through online multiplayer or good old-fashioned couch co-op.

Nearly two decades after those late nights playing Gears of War in my college dorm, it's reassuring to know that the franchise can still deliver the same excitement that made me a fan in the first place.

Some things really are better with a brother by your side.