Reloaded That Could Be Answered In Gears of War: E-Day

Gears of War was one of the first new IPs on the Xbox 360 to really catch on. It arrived at the perfect time, just before Halo 3, and for some, they enjoyed this third-person shooter a lot more. Between the brutal action, co-op aspects, and cover mechanics, it was a whole new breed of exclusive shooter for the Xbox family. Gears of War remained a staple for Microsoft for a good decade, until the series started to cool down around 2020.

Fans have been eagerly anticipating the next game, and at long last, it was announced in 2024. Gears of War: E-Day is not what fans expected, though; it’s a prequel, even though Gears of War 5 left some unanswered questions for a potential sixth game. Speaking of unanswered questions, will Gears of War: E-Day be able to answer these hanging questions left over from the first game or series as a whole?

What Happened During The Pendulum Wars?

Tick Tock

One thing fans may not know, or may have forgotten, is that humans existed on the planet Sera for eons; they didn’t colonize a foreign planet ruled by the Locusts. As every human civilization tends to do, the humans on Sera began to fight each other, most prominently during a nearly hundred-year conflict known as The Pendulum Wars. That military campaign concluded just weeks before E-Day took place, E-Day being short for Emergence Day, when the Locusts appeared to humanity for the first time.

There are plenty of references to the Pendulum Wars in the series, but there has never been a fully playable mission that goes into the conflict in more detail. It would be interesting if Gears of War: E-Day began with the final battle of the Pendulum Wars and showed how that led into E-Day. Colonel Hoffman, as a younger man, would be a perfect fit, seeing how a lot of his backstory was fleshed out in other media like comics. It’s time for the games to catch up.

What Were The Horrors Of E-Day?

The Start Of A New Trilogy Or A Series Of Highlights?

E-Day was not a day-long or even week-long excursion. It was the start of the Locust War, which lasted almost two decades. The title of Gears of War: E-Day implies the game will take place during the incident, but it doesn’t hint at how deep it will get into the war. That’s the tricky thing about creating a prequel, as there tends to be a lot of lore to cover.

Gears of War: E-Day could do one of two things: It could start on E-Day and then go through mission highlights throughout the years of that conflict, or it could focus purely on a day or two at the start of the war. This would not answer many questions, such as how Marcus was imprisoned. It would be a significant commitment to establish Gears of War: E-Day as the start of a new trilogy, but it would also allow the developers to take their time and answer many more questions about characters like Marcus and Dom.

What Was The Locusts’ Society Like Pre-Emergence?

Why E-Day?

The original Gears of War ended with a huge shocker when Queen Myrrah showed her face. She was the narrator for a good portion of the game, and she was, in fact, a human, or at least she appeared as a human, which made a lot of fans curious since she led the Locusts in the infamous Locust War. Eventually, in the sequels, it was discovered that Locusts are actually mutated humans. After the Pendulum Wars, doctors started experimenting on humans to try and cure a mining disease. This cure led to a young Myrrah becoming immune, but the rest of the diseased people were sent underground to live out their days.

Eventually, a parasitic disease started to mutate them further underground, which is why Myrrah led her people back to the surface. She sought to kill humanity and save her people by conquering the surface. While the history of the Locusts is known, the games haven’t spent a lot of time looking at their civilization and psychology. Going more into Myrrah’s decision would be wise, along with perhaps letting players control a Locust warrior for a mission or two.

What Does Thrashball Look Like When Played?

Here Comes The Cole Train!

Any good sci-fi or fantasy property comes up with its own unique sport to set itself apart from other franchises. Harry Potter has Quidditch, Final Fantasy 10 has Blitzball, and Gears of War has Thrashball. Thrashball gets mentioned in the first game when Augustus Cole joins Marcus’ squad, and everyone knows Cole from his days as a Thrashball player: the infamous Cole Train.

While the balls have been shown, some rules have been mentioned, and fields have been laid out in campaign and multiplayer maps, the full sport of Thrashball has never been playable in-game. There have also been Foosball-like tables included in the backgrounds of games. A full Thrashball match hasn’t been depicted in a cutscene beyond Cole reminiscing, and it would be cool to see a game play out, or even be playable, in Gears of War: E-Day.

Why Was Marcus Fenix Imprisoned?

A Son’s Duty

Gears of War opens with a flashback detailing E-Day, followed by a jump ahead fourteen years. Dom goes to prison with a robot named Jack to release Marcus from jail. While details are eventually given as to why he was locked up, Marcus’ betrayal is never shown on-screen.

The story goes that during E-Day, Marcus abandoned his post, disobeying Colonel Hoffman, and even punching him, because his father, Adam, was in trouble. Every son knows what it feels like when their father is in trouble or when a family member is in danger: all sense goes out the window, which is what happened to Marcus. This will probably take place near the finale of Gears of War: E-Day, and if it isn’t in the game, the fans will no doubt be shocked. It really depends on how far the game gets into the Locust War and whether there are sequels planned.

What Did Life Beyond War Look Like On Sera?

A Chance To Bond

A good war story needs strong characters for players to attach themselves to. Gears of War managed to make both Marcus and Dom iconic characters, but at the end of the day, their bond was all about brotherhood built around warfare. The prequel could do so much more to show how humanity survived for ages through war after war on Sera.

After all, not every citizen fought in the Locust War or even the Pendulum War. What were they doing in their day-to-day lives? How that would fit into the prequel is anyone’s guess, but showing Marcus and Dom relaxing in between missions could be one way that Gears of War: E-Day shows humanity outside of combat. Fans may even dare to wish for a social system akin to the Persona series.

Gears of War: E-Day

Systems

Released

2025

ESRB

m

Publisher(s)

Xbox Game Studios

Engine

Unreal Engine 5

Franchise

Gears of War

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