Gears of War: E-Day, a new prequel installment of the third-person shooter franchise that will depict the horror of the Locust invasion on Emergence Day through the eyes of fan-favorite character Marcus Fenix, is poised to blow Gears 5 out of the water in terms of graphical fidelity when it arrives for what is presumably Xbox, Windows PCs, and Xbox Game Pass, according to a new writeup of the Unreal Engine 5 game from Microsoft that includes a few exciting details about the project, including what is said to be “100 times more environment and character details” versus the previous, 2019 installment. The new game, which is heavily influenced by the original Gears of War ad that remains fondly remembered for its use of “Mad World” by British band Tears of Fears, also counts hardware raytraced lighting, reflections, and shadows, as well as next-gen destruction and gore as some of its biggest features.
Xbox Wire writes:
- “Gears of War: E-Day is set 14 years before the events of the original Gears of War and tells the story of the first Locust emergence on Sera.”
- “…we’ll follow younger versions of the series’ original heroes, Marcus Fenix and Dom Santiago, as they begin their fight against the Locust invasion.”
- “…E-Day is not a spin-off, it’s a completely new entry to the mainline series, set earlier in the timeline.”
- “Fawcette confirms to me that E-Day is a ‘story of many origins,’ including the Chainsaw Lancer, but opts to keep the specifics of those stories to herself for now.”
- “The Coalition are being very intentional to recast the Locust not simply as foes but as living nightmares. These aren’t your typical alien or zombie videogame antagonists; they’re mysterious, formidable creatures that dwell beneath the earth, tapping into our deepest fears.”
- “…over 100 times more environment and character details than Gears 5, hardware raytraced lighting, reflections and shadows, next generation destruction and gore, and cutting-edge animation technology, to name just a few of the countless improvements…”
- “The original ‘Mad World’ trailer made a real statement by using in-engine footage. We’re pushing that even further with Unreal Engine 5.”
- “…the team is content with the stories told in Gears 4 and Gears 5 and is by no means abandoning them, but the collective passion for such an iconic origin story was simply too great to ignore. ”
The announce trailer, which includes in-engine footage and a new rendition of Mad World:
The original Gears of War “Mad World” trailer:
Microsoft on the teaser footage:
This instrumental cover plays out as Marcus and Dom gaze out into the Locust-decimated ruins of the city – a callback to the profound emotional depth of the landmark 2006 commercial. Unlike typical video game promotions of its time, this ad stood out by portraying its hero as vulnerable and isolated, sharply contrasting with the over-the-top marketing norms of that era.