Gears of War: E-Day is one of my most anticipated games of the year. I grew up with the franchise, and getting to see the very first day when the Locust Horde invaded Sera and set the series’ events into motion is going to be a huge moment. There are a few key details from the recent gameplay preview that are really unexpected, though. The first thing that was so shocking during the Xbox Games Showcase gameplay footage was seeing Marcus and Dom in normal clothes. After being used to them suited up in armor for so long, seeing the duo in casual wear just felt wrong.
That’s a very minor gripe, though. Marcus and Dom’s wardrobe is superficial and doesn’t really matter in the long run. However, there is one part of the gameplay preview that is genuinely a bit worrisome: the Locust Horde in Gears of War: E-Day almost looks a little too easy to kill, which is a direct contrast to how they were presented in the past.
Gears of War: E-Day’s Xbox Game Pass Launch Comes With a Good Problem
Gears of War: E-Day has Xbox Game Pass on its side, but that easy access gives the series a harder job than it may seem.
Fighting Gears of War: E-Day’s Locust Horde Hopefully Doesn’t Feel as Easy as It Looks
Yes, Marcus and Dom are skilled soldiers, but this game takes place 14 years before the events of the first entry. They had never faced Locusts before E-Day, so one would think they weren’t as good at fighting them. Despite this, Marcus pretty much mows them down with ease in the first look at its gameplay. There’s no way to know for sure until Gears of War: E-Day‘s release date gets here and players can experience the game for themselves, but even the series’ original creator has pointed this out.
Guess the games from the emojis.
Guess the games from the emojis.
Easy (120s)Medium (90s)Hard (60s)
Cliff Bleszinski Voices His Concerns About Gears of War: E-Day
Shortly after Gears of War: E-Day got its Xbox Games Showcase spotlight, original Gears of War creator Cliff Bleszinski spoke up about how easy it looked to kill the Locust variants. He simply tweeted, “Those Locusts are dying mighty easy, just sayin’.” Bleszinski expanded on his point in other tweets by explaining that Locusts are defined by thick skin and strong armor that should make them difficult to take down. Even if the demo was being played on an easier difficulty setting, it should still at least look like a struggle.
Bleszinski has also had plenty of positive things to say about Gears of War: E-Day, too. How easy the enemies look to kill is really the only major note that he’s offered since the game was announced, but it’s a note worth taking into consideration. Gears of War: E-Day‘s Kalona setting is significant. The city was a major battleground during E-Day, and the fear of the moment needs to be felt in the game’s combat. After years of hearing about how harrowing E-Day was, it would feel completely jarring if the Locusts felt more like obstacles at a shooting range than any actual threat.
The Locust Horde Being Too Easy to Kill Could Make It 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 challenging balancing act to achieve. On the one hand, Gears of War: E-Day has to feel different and distinct, since it’s such a different version of Marcus and Dom that we’re seeing. However, on the other hand, there also need to be aspects that feel deeply familiar, especially when it comes to the gameplay.
The Gears of War games have become one of the most notable action franchises in the industry. There are going to be plenty of newcomers to the series whose first Gears game will be Gears of War: E-Day, but longtime fans already have expectations of what fighting Locusts is supposed to feel like.
After 20 years of Gears of War, lowering the challenge of the Locust Horde in such an anticipated prequel would be a big disappointment that makes the series feel less consistent than it should. It wouldn’t necessarily be a dealbreaker, but it would take a little bit of wind out of the game’s sails. In order to really nail the atmosphere, the fall of Kalona has to truly feel like a deeply dramatic life or death situation. Such an important moment in the Gears of War franchise lore isn’t easy to bring to life, and The Coalition’s gameplay preview is hopefully just a reflection of the difficulty setting used in the demo.
To Reach a Larger Audience, Gears of War: E-Day’s Combat May Have Been Made More Accessible
I want to make it clear that I’m definitely not against making a franchise’s gameplay more accessible. Video games are meant to be fun, so a variety of difficulty levels is a great way to allow people to enjoy something awesome. Developers often play gameplay demos while using easy mode. The Coalition hasn’t confirmed that the Xbox Games Showcase demo was played in easy mode, but it’s highly likely. However, that may have been the wrong decision in this case. If Gears of War: E-Day‘s easy mode makes Locusts look like a walk in the park, then it may not have been the ideal way to get longtime players excited via the demo.
Despite the Locust Horde Concern, 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 Gears of War: E-Day‘s story length expected to be the longest in the series, but it’s also going to maintain its status as an Xbox console exclusive. After Gears of War: Reloaded came to the PS5 last year, there were a lot of expectations that the prequel would also come to Sony’s console. Thankfully, Xbox is walking back its plans to abandon exclusivity. Gears of War and Xbox are deeply intertwined, so it’s exciting that the game is still going to find its main home there.
Gears of War: E-Day looks great, but it may take a second to get used to some key changes. As the launch date gets closer, exactly how different the prequel feels hopefully becomes clearer. Until then, the wait for Gears of War: E-Day is growing shorter every day.
