Gears of War: E-Day Preview Promises a Retro, Explosive Campaign
TechRadar's hands-on with Gears of War: E-Day reveals a classic-feeling campaign with new semi-open areas, weapon mods, and stunning visual fidelity.
The opening mission tasks players with crossing a giant mechanical bridge to reach a Thrashball stadium, fighting through waves of Locusts spewing from Emergence Holes. The combat is classic Gears: aggressive drones use cover, shotgun-wielders flank, and dog-like Feral Wretches keep pressure on. New enemy types, from snipers to bazooka-equipped brutes, add variety to the encounters.
Later, the preview showcased one of the game's new "open district" missions, which allow free exploration of a city section. The mission in the demo was a wave-survival challenge in a car dealership, with optional side objectives and collectibles. Completing it unlocked weapon mods, a new feature that allows altering stats like magazine size and fire rate, or even changing a pistol to a two-bullet burst.
The campaign is expected to last roughly 14 hours, and the overall formula feels deliberately retro, which the preview describes as welcome in an era of live-service shooters. Visually, E-Day is said to be stunning, combining retro 1980s aesthetics with Gothic architecture and ray-traced lighting, potentially making it the best-looking Gears yet.