Gears of War: E-Day has made a big deal about focusing on the series’ classic elements, particularly the dynamic between Marcus Fenix and Dominic Santiago. It turns out that E-Day will also bring the franchise back to its linear roots, ditching the more open maps from Gears 5.
Creative director Matt Searcy spoke with GamesRadar about going back to the series roots, confirming that E-Day will go back to linear gameplay and set-pieces. Searcy says that E-Day will be a mixture of new and old, as they’re pairing linear gameplay with a graphics engine that can deliver on the animations.
"We've worked on Gears now in our studio for like, 10 years. We've got a really good handle on things that work really well in gears, as well as like things you want to keep pushing and trying. We know for sure that Gears, you know, has those linear, epic moments in them," Searcy said.
In addition to its linear roots, Gears of War: E-Day is also embracing more of those horror elements fans loved from the earlier games. Although fans did enjoy the slightly lighter tone of previous titles, those creepy sci-fi elements were missed. Getting them back alongside the cool linear gameplay should make old-school Gears fans very happy.
Fans are finally excited to see a new Gears game in the series, with many fans excited to see how Marcus and Dom are like in this prequel title. Even series creator Cliff Bleszinski is hyped for this new game, praising the trailer from Xbox Showcase for going back to its roots. Only time will tell if these efforts to recapture the past will work, but it’s the most that fans have talked about Gears for the longest time.
At the time of writing, Gears of War: E-Day doesn’t have a release date yet. The game will be an exclusive release for Xbox Series and PC owners, at least until Microsoft changes their mind.