Ryan McCaffrey says Gears of War E Day already lands as a prequel with real emotional weight, even before its multiplayer is folded into the score. IGN’s review covers only the story campaign, and that means the current verdict is still incomplete.
“I’m thrilled to say that E-Day carries its own satisfying emotional weight, with additional welcomed backstory for Marcus and Dom leading the way – oh, and the action is pretty top-notch, too.”
Marcus and Dom before E-Day
Gears of War E Day is set 14 years before the first game, on the day the Locust emerged from underneath the planet Sera. That placement gives the campaign a built-in problem the review leans into: the audience already knows Marcus Fenix and Dominic Santiago survive to the end of the prequel, yet the campaign still has to make each scene feel like it is moving somewhere new.
Marcus and Dom begin with a ceremonial tour honoring their service in the finally-ended 79-year Pendulum Wars. Marcus is ready to re-enlist and wants Dom with him; Dom wants to go home to his wife Maria and their two young children. That split is the emotional engine before the Locust tremors even begin.
Bravo Squad at the bar
Marcus Fenix and Dominic Santiago are then paired with Mags Carter and Lucas Reyes at a bar when the Locust tremors begin, and the four later become Bravo Squad once the COG starts organizing its defenses. IGN says the campaign gives Mags Carter and Lucas Reyes meaningful and enjoyable sections, which matters because the prequel is not just filling time between legacy beats. It is trying to widen the cast without losing the series’ focus on Marcus and Dom.
That is also why the review reads as more than a score-in-progress note. A pre-release campaign-only evaluation can tell readers whether the story holds up, but it cannot yet settle the full package. IGN is making clear that the final score will move once multiplayer is added to the conversation.
Versus and Horde Siege
“It will be updated with a finalized score and multiplayer impressions once we spend some time with the Versus and Horde Siege modes.”
That leaves the practical takeaway for readers simple: the campaign has already cleared the first test, and it did so on story and mood rather than raw spectacle alone. The final read on Gears of War E Day will depend on how Versus and Horde Siege modes land once they are part of the review, and that is the part still worth watching.
