It’s already somehow been seven years since Gears 5, and Gears of War: E-Day is nearly here to turn back the clock to the very beginning of the saga.
The latest title feels new in multiple ways, while being based on an older story from the series’ origin, but players noticed during the game’s multiplayer beta that some features from the older games were missing. Notably, Lancer chainsaw duels and the ability to pick up downed enemies as a meat shield.
In an interview with Dexerto’s Fall Damage where the devs answered questions from the community, they were asked why classic Gears features such as the chainsaw duel and meat shields were missing from the multiplayer beta.
“They haven’t learned how to do them yet,” creative director Matt Searcy said of the prequel, jokingly. “The real answer is we built this game from scratch. That’s an empty hard drive; everything is new, every mechanic, every animation. So, even though it feels like the Gears you love, it’s a brand-new game, and it took us a long time to sort of build it up.”
So, yeah, if you played the E-Day beta, you know that these features are not in the game, and the game itself does feel quite different. There’s no more “roadie run” when you sprint and the camera zooms in on your character, instead replaced by a freer movement system. It’s going to be hit or miss for some players.
Evolution is necessary in franchises, especially in one like Gears which hasn’t had a new title in a long time and is getting a bit long in the tooth (the original launched on Xbox 360 20 years ago now), so going backwards in a regard like this is certainly reason for some players to be confused.
But as for E-Day or future new Gears games having these beloved gameplay aspects again, Searcy said, “we love chainsaw duels, we love meat shields, so we’ll see what the future brings.”
