Gears of War: E-Day is one of my most anticipated games of the year. I grew up with this franchise and seeing the Locust Horde invade Sera on day one and set the events of the series in motion will be a huge moment. There are a few key details from the recent gameplay trailer that are really unexpected though. The first thing that was so shocking during the Xbox Games Showcase footage was seeing Marcus and Dom in normal clothes. After getting used to them in armor for so long, seeing the duo in regular clothes just felt wrong.
But that's a very small complaint. Marcus and Dom's wardrobe is superficial and doesn't really matter in the long run. However, there is one part of the gameplay trailer that is actually a bit disturbing: Locust Horde v Gears of War: E-Day they almost seem too easy to kill, a direct contrast to how they've been presented in the past.
The Xbox Game Pass launch of Gears of War: E-Day comes with a good problem
Gears of War: E-Day has Xbox Game Pass on its side, but that easy access makes the series harder to work with than it might seem.
Fighting Gears of War: E-Day's Locust Horde will hopefully not be as easy as it looks
Yes, Marcus and Dom are veteran soldiers, but this game takes place 14 years before the events of the first entry. They had never faced the Locusts before E-Day, so one would think they weren't that good at fighting them. Despite this, Marcus cuts them with almost ease at first sight of his gameplay. There is no way to know for sure until Gears of War: E-DayThe release date is here and players can try the game for themselves, but even the original creator of the series pointed it out.
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Cliff Bleszinski expresses his concerns about Gears of War: E-Day
Shortly after Gears of War: E-Day took center stage at the Xbox Games Showcase, the original Gears of War creator Cliff Bleszinski talked about how easy it looked to kill the Locust variants. He simply tweeted, “Those grasshoppers die very easily, just saying.” Bleszinski expanded on his point in other tweets, explaining that locusts are defined by thick skin and thick armor that should make them difficult to take down. Even if the demo was played on an easier difficulty setting, it should at least feel like a fight.
Bleszinski also had plenty of positive things to say Gears of War: E-Dayalso. The ease with which enemies are killed is really the only major note he's offered since the game was announced, but it's one worth considering. Gears of War: E-DayKalona's setup is significant. The city was a major battleground during E-Day, and you need to feel the fear of the moment in the game's combat. After years of hearing about how harrowing E-Day was, it would be absolutely appalling if the grasshoppers felt more like obstacles on the range than any real threat.
The Locust Horde is too easy to kill and could feel disconnected from the rest of the franchise
This is one of the main reasons why the difficulty level of the enemies is so important. The coalition has a really tough balancing act ahead of it. On the one hand, Gears of War: E-Day it has to feel distinct and different because it's such a different version of Marcus and Dom that we're seeing. But on the other hand, there must also be aspects that are deeply familiar, especially when it comes to gameplay.
The Gears of War games have become one of the most notable action franchises in the industry. There will be a lot of newcomers to the series whose first episode Gear wheels the game will Gears of War: E-Daybut long-time fans already have expectations of how the Locusts should fight.
After 20 years Gears of Warreducing the challenge of the Locust Horde in the much-anticipated prequel would be a huge disappointment, making the series less consistent than it should be. It wouldn't necessarily be a dealbreaker, but it would take the wind out of the game a bit. For the atmosphere to be really charged, the fall of Kalona must really feel like a deeply dramatic life-or-death situation. Such an important moment in Gears of War It's not easy to bring a franchise's lore to life, and The Coalition's gameplay preview is hopefully just a reflection of the difficulty setting used in the demo.
In order to reach a larger audience, Gears of War: E-Day's Combat could be more accessible
I want to make it clear that I am definitely not against making the gameplay of the franchise more accessible. Video games are meant to be fun, so different difficulty levels are a great way to let people enjoy something awesome. Developers often play game demos on easy mode. The Coalition has not confirmed that the Xbox Games Showcase was played on easy mode, but it is highly likely. However, in this case, it may have been the wrong decision. If Gears of War: E-DayLocusts easy mode makes Locusts look like a walk in the park, then maybe it wasn't the ideal way to get longtime players excited through a demo.
Despite Locust Horde concerns, Gears of War: E-Day still looks like a blast
To be clear, there is still a long list of reasons to be excited about this prequel. Not only is it Gears of War: E-DayThe story length is expected to be the longest in the series, but will also retain its Xbox exclusive status. After Gears of War: Reloaded came to PS5 last year, there was a lot of anticipation that the prequel would also come to Sony's console. Fortunately, Xbox is backtracking on its plans to abandon exclusivity. Gears of War and Xbox are deeply connected, so it's exciting that the game will still find its main home there.
Gears of War: E-Day it looks great, but some key changes may take some time to get used to. As the release date draws closer, it will hopefully become clearer how exactly the prequel feels. Until then, waiting Gears of War: E-Day is getting shorter every day.
