Summary
Gears of War: E-Dayis a bit of a surprise, as it will be a prequel, rather than continuing the story ofGears 5. Even so, it is the most important prequel in theGears of Warseries since it centers around Emergence Day, the day that started it all and saw the Locust Horde invading Sera.https://gamerant.com/db/video-game/gears-of-war-e-day/Gears of War: E-Day’s premise alone indicates that it will prioritize storytelling above everything else, and that was further confirmed in an interview earlier this year with The Coalition devs.
Speaking in an interview with GamesRadar+, creative director Matt Searcy confirmed thatGears of War: E-Daywill be prioritizing the series' classic linear roots. This would be a huge departure from whatGears of Warhas done in more recent entries — particularlyGears 5, which includes large, open hub areas in certain acts, like the snowy Vasgar region and the red-sand deserts of the Kadar Valley. However, it wouldn’t necessarily be all bad forGears of War E-Dayto go back to a linear style, though it would certainly take away much of what other installments likeGears 5offered in their worlds.
The Good: Gears of War: E-Day Being Linear Should Recreate the Classic Gears Experience
Most importantly,Gears of War: E-Daygoing back to its linear roots would serve to recreate that classicGearsexperience The Coalition is going for with this particular entry.Gears of War: E-Dayis already reprising the darker themesand horror elements found in the first couple ofGearsgames, so a more linear adventure would help reinforce those presumably nostalgia-inducing elements even more. That being said, in the same interview with GamesRadar+, Searcy stated, “It’s gonna feel new and also authentically Gears at the same time,” so there will still be some freshness to it.
The most obvious con ofGears of War: E-Daybeing more linear is that it would potentially (and most likely) limit player agency. In installments likeGears 5, players had more freedom to choose what they did with their time between major objectives, especially since they could explore its open areas at their own pace, discovering side missions, hidden collectibles, andupgrades for Jack.Gears of War: E-Dayessentially means that most of that player agency would be out the window, reducing players to something more along the lines of active spectators rather than the primary driving force behind progress in the game.
The Good: Gears of War: E-Day Being Linear Should Allow for a More Focused Narrative
Another good thing aboutGears of War: E-Daybeing more linear is that it should, in theory, allow for a more focused narrative. Unlike a more open-ended experience could offer, a linear format allows for a detailed and emotionally impactful storytelling approach. The player will likely be able to more closely follow key characters like Marcus and Dom, and experience the chaos of Emergence Day with a strong sense of pacing, tension, and drama. In the end, a more linear experience may increase the cinematic quality ofGears of War: E-Day, and since it is set during themost important day inGears of Warhistory, it could benefit from that immensely.
Finally,Gears of War: E-Daybeing more linear may end up reducing the scale of theLocust Horde invasion on Emergence Day. Of course, this all depends on how boxed in everything is or isn’t, but a more linear structure may nonetheless make Emergence Day feel smaller or less dynamic. Since Emergence Day is a global catastrophe,Gears of War: E-Day’s linear approach could struggle to convey the full scope of the tragedy.
There are obviously both ups and downs toGears of War: E-Daybeing more linear, with the advantages largely benefiting its narrative and the disadvantages potentially limiting player agency and reducing the scale of the conflict. However, Searcy has made it fairly clear thatGears of War: E-Daywon’t be as linear as its oldest predecessors, but that it also won’t be as open as its youngest. In light of that, perhapsGears of War: E-Daywill find a balance between the classic experience it used to be and the more open-ended experience it has become in recent memory.
Gears of War: E-Day
WHERE TO PLAY
The Story of E-DayFourteen years before Gears of War, war heroes Marcus Fenix and Dom Santiago return home to face a new nightmare: the Locust Horde. These subterranean monsters, grotesque and relentless, erupt from below, laying siege on humanity itself. New FoundationsBuilt from the ground up with Unreal Engine 5, Gears of War: E-Day delivers unprecedented graphical fidelity.
