GEARS OF WAR: E-DAY MAY HAVE A TOUGH TIME JUGGLING ITS 'DARK MOMENTS'

The Gears of War series has seen an increasingly steep decline since Gears of War 3 closed out the original trilogy with a bang. While Gears of War 4 was fairly well-received considering it followed the performance of the critically acclaimed trilogy, Gears 5 turned out to be the worst-reviewed mainline installment in the series. That's what makes the announcement of Gears of War: E-Day such a pleasant surprise, as it promises to take Gears of War back to its grittier roots with a darker story and horror elements reminiscent of the original trilogy.

Set 14 years before the events of the first game, Gears of War: E-Day sees a younger Marcus Fenix and Dom Santiago fighting for survival during the series' historic Emergence Day, when the Locust Horde first emerged from the ground and began threatening the world of Sera and its inhabitants. As one would expect with a premise such as this, Gears of War: E-Day rightly should have plenty of dark moments. Unfortunately, the game's prequel status may inadvertently steal away the peril and impact of those dark moments, so the game will need to do its best to prevent that from happening.

Gears of War: E-Day Could Make The Argument For Another Spin-Off's Remaster

The Gears of War franchise could benefit from a remaster of another prequel to coincide with Gears of War: E-Day's return to the Locust War

Gears of War: E-Day's Needs to Really Sell Its Darker Moments

Gears of War: E-Day Going Back to the Series' Grittier Roots Is a Step in the Right Direction

What makes Gears of War: E-Day's announcement so timely is that the stories of the last two mainline Gears of War games, Gears of War 4 and Gears 5, are quite a bit more lighthearted than the original trilogy. Things are not only brightened up visually but also in each game's dialogue, trading the battle-hardened, and darkly humorous tone of the original trilogy's dialogue for something more akin to a Marvel film script. The banter between each of these games' younger protagonists is understandably far more playful than that of the series' original protagonists, but it's still arguably too much of a step in the wrong direction, as Gears of War may have gained more heart but gave up its soul in the process.

Gears of War 4 and Gears 5 are far from being bad games, but they lack what made the original Gears of War trilogy so unique. Gears of War: E-Day's darker tones thus have an opportunity to reignite the franchise by bringing it back to its glory days, especially with Marcus and Dom at the helm once again. The biggest problem it may face, however, is an ability to take full advantage of its darker moments, as its prequel status may interfere with that.

Gears of War: E-Day Can't Let Its Prequel Status Ruin Its Darker Moments

Since Gears of War: E-Day is a prequel, it inadvertently eliminates anything potentially life-threatening for Marcus and Dom from the picture, as the two protagonists are alive in Gears of War. Instead of relying on putting Marcus and Dom in physical danger, Gears of War: E-Day needs to ensure it hones in on the emotional breakdowns of each character that serve as precursors to the men they would become.

Lore-wise, Gears of War: E-Day has some very weighty moments that would allow its darker moments to be worth it. Most notably, Dom loses both of his children to an Emergence Hole, and his wife, Maria, is later captured by the Locust Horde and then tortured and abused at a labor camp. Dom then has little choice but to end her suffering once he finds her, as she is but a shadow of her former self. As unfortunate as these events may be, Gears of War: E-Day's story needs to dig deep into the pain of Marcus and Dom's past to provide context for their characters in the original trilogy.