Following on from the gameplay reveal that started the Xbox Showcase, and the announcement that Gears of War: E-Day will now be an Xbox console exclusive, and not coming to PS5, the Gears of War: E-Day Direct was a deeper dive into how The Coalition has built this game and everything within.
There’s a lot of behind the scenes details – like how they found the same model of chainsaw as from the original game to recapture the sound – but we’re going to stick to the main gameplay features and information. You can always watch the full E-Day Direct to catch all the info.
Emergence Day in One City
Gears of War E-Day isn’t a globe-trotting adventure across Sera, but will instead see the events of Emergence Day how they unfold in the single city of Kalona across three days.
The game starts with Marcus and Dom reminiscing about Dom’s brother, who died in the Pendulum Wars that had just come to an end, but as news of tremors take over the new channels and then the Locust start to crawl out of the ground, they leap into action. At various points in the game, you’ll be able to take on side mission content from situations that you stumble across, such as COGs needing a bit of help or civilians in need.
While the game is not an open world, The Coalition has approached building it as though it is one. You’ll have a linear level to follow, but it takes place in a fully realised city which morphs and changes with massive destruction events, and the camera can pull back to show the whole vista.
Bravo Squad and a Chainsaw
Bravo Squad is more than just Marcus and Dom, and they’re joined by Mags Carter (played by Elizabeth Ludlow) and Lucas Reyes (played by Jake Ryan Lozano). Mags is a former Gear now working at Kalona’s Imulsion Refinery, while Lucas is a young cadet and comms officer who never saw the front lines.
There’s also some familiar faces returning, like Tai Kaliso from Gears 2. His appearance is the catalyst for the Lancer’s iconic chainsaw attachment – yes, that’s right, Gears of War E-Day will tell the origin story of a chainsaw gun.
The full game can be played in four-player co-op using these four characters, with support for two-player local split-screen retained.
Marcus can jump now
Taking the jump to Unreal Engine 5 as an opportunity for a blank slate for the gameplay. It will naturally retain the same cover shooter action, but cover transitions will be smoother, sprinting can now lead into sliding under objects and around corners, and climbing is now more broadly built into the environments to enable greater vertical spaces.
But also… you can jump now, hopping across gaps within the environment.
Weapons have also been rebuilt around their core principles, so the Gnasher is ultra-close range, the Longshot needs precision at distance. There’s new additions, though, such as the Gut Puncher grenade launcher that can fire with a player-controlled charge.
Multiplayer
The classic 4v4 game modes are back, with levels built throughout Kalona, but there’s also a new Horde Siege mode that takes the PvE experience even further. This is for 12 players, split into three squads, fighting to defend Kalona from huge moments.
The Coalition is planning a seasonal road map, with more details coming soon. An Open Beta weekend will also start on 6th August, with early access to this for Game Pass Ultimate and PC Game Pass subscribers.
via Xbox Wire
