The wait for Gears of War: E-Day has officially come to an end, and the majority of reviews from both critics and players are singing high praises about the long-awaited prequel. E-Day is the most important moment in the Gears of War franchise, so bringing that tragic event to life was not an easy task for The Coalition to take on. Gears of War: E-Day throws players right into the action and terror of that day, and the campaign has proven to be a great chapter in the Xbox exclusive franchise’s history, at least for the most part. There is one downside that continues to be brought up in reviews, and that’s the campaign’s more open-world-inspired moments.
When it comes to the reviews, the Gears of War: E-Day campaign has a lot of great things going for it, but the open segments are the glaring downside of the game’s level design. The good news is that these moments in the campaign are only a small portion of the overall experience, but it’s enough of an issue that it makes me wonder why Xbox continues to insist on expanding the world design of its exclusives when Gears of War: E-Day is a clear example that some Xbox exclusives are better off sticking to the linear path.
Xbox Franchises Like Gears of War and Halo Work Best When Sticking to the Original Formula That Made Them Successful in the First Place
Now, I’m not saying that franchises shouldn’t evolve. Growing and changing is an important part of achieving the kind of longevity that games like Gears of War and Halo have been able to over the years. However, the recent Gears of War and Halo eras have clearly tried to hop on board the open-world bandwagon that has been so prevalent in the industry for over a decade at this point.
Gears of War: E-Day isn’t even the first game in the series to have open-world hubs. Gears 5 did the same thing, and the level design faced many of the same mixed feedback that Gears of War: E-Day has seen with its open-world moments. Gears of War and Halo have both dealt with these issues, because Halo Infinite‘s semi-open design was also just as frustrating. Eurogamer’s review really hits the nail on the head with why Gears of War: E-Day‘s open campaign segments fail to hit the same heights as the story’s linear moments.
This breakneck pace and tight design work is undercut with open-ended sections that completely hobble the momentum, intentionality, and tension the rest of the game is so good at building up. What’s worse is that some of these sections just have you exploring the same section of the city, just in various states of disrepair. If the more streamlined sections are a totem of Gears‘ best, these languid, free-form bits are emblematic of its worst.
This kind of design choice ultimately feels more like time filler than something that was meaningfully added to enhance the experience. It’s the same feeling I got when playing the Halo Infinite campaign for the first time. Moving away from the franchise’s proven linear structure didn’t make any sense, and it doesn’t work for Gears of War, either. Of course, not everyone is going to agree, but Xbox’s insistence on adding open-world elements to franchises that gained success through linear structure is a strange decision.
GameRant’s very own Dalton Cooper even made a point to mention the same pacing issues that Eurogamer did. The official GameRant Gears of War: E-Day review praises most of the game’s features, with the open-world elements being a clear sore spot. What’s even worse is that these segments take away from the impressive and far more compelling world design found in the linear areas.
Most levels in the E-Day campaign are brilliantly designed, linear levels with impressive set-pieces and exciting encounters. The game does feature some large open areas that are effectively mini-open worlds, though, and these are more of a mixed bag. Players can complete side quests in these stages (in exchange for mods) and search for more Hard Cases, and it can be fun doing these activities with friends, but they definitely hurt the pacing of the narrative.
Xbox’s Future Plans Hopefully Make More Space for Linear Narratives
It’s no secret that Xbox has seen plenty of shake-ups this year. Between Asha Sharma becoming the company’s new CEO, mass layoffs, Obsidian and Bethesda tag-teaming the Fallout franchise, and Activision taking over Halo, there are a lot of questions about what this new Xbox era will look like several years down the road.
GameRant Quiz
Xbox Already Has Plenty of Open-World Successes
- Fallout
- Forza Horizon
- The Elder Scrolls
- Fable
- Minecraft
Clearly, Xbox isn’t exactly in an open-world drought, so Gears of War and Halo should be the ones to carry the linear narrative torch for the company. Sony has gained a reputation for being the reigning champ of linear story-driven titles. Games like Uncharted and The Last of Us have been some of the best examples of these Sony wins, but missteps like the Marvel’s Wolverine controversy demonstrate that there is still plenty of room for Xbox to swoop in and compete in this space.
Just looking at Fallout alone, Xbox has four projects on the way with the Fallout 3 and New Vegas remasters, Obsidian’s unnamed spin-off, and Fallout 5. So, even if franchises like Fable, Forza Horizon, The Elder Scrolls, and Minecraft weren’t part of the equation, Fallout‘s future plans cover plenty of ground when it comes to open-world offerings.
The mixed feedback to Gears of War: E-Day‘s open levels is hopefully a wake-up call for Xbox, but only time will tell. Setting the game’s minor open-world elements aside, it’s great to see a new, strong Gears of War chapter make its debut. I might never get used to seeing Marcus and Dom in normal clothes, but the action-packed combat and sneak peek into the Gears of War franchise’s most important lore moment outshine E-Day‘s small number of downsides.
- Released
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October 6, 2026
- ESRB
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Mature 17+ / Intense Violence, Blood and Gore, Strong Language, In-Game Purchases, Users Interact
- Publisher(s)
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Xbox Game Studios
