Given its subtitle alone,Gears of War: E-Dayis already set up to be one of the most fear-fueled, horrific, and hopelessGears of Wargames ever made, as it explores the beginning of the Locust Horde invasion on the planet Sera. That alone is enough to justify comments that The Coalition has made aboutGears of War: E-Day’s renewed emphasis on horrorthat the original trilogy was known for. However,Gears of War: E-Day’s smaller setting, Kalona, tells an even darker story that even the series' most die-hard fans might not be ready to witness firsthand.
While all of Sera was greatly impacted by the Locust Horde invasion on Emergence Day, Kalona’s place inGears of Warlore causes it to stand out among the cities that were attacked during the catastrophic event. Already,Gears of War: E-Dayis expected to be non-stop chaos as COG soldiers attempt to fend off the Locust invasion and humanity recklessly scatters in hopes of surviving the onslaught. But the fact thatGears of War: E-Daytakes place in the city of Kalona means there will be little room for heroics, despite series legends like Marcus Fenix and Dominic Santiago as its main protagonists.
Gears of War: E-Day’s Kalona Can’t Be Saved
Kalona Was One of the First Cities to Fall on Emergence Day
What makes Kalona so special inGears of Warhistory is that it was one of the first cities to fall on Emergence Day. In the lore, Kalona isn’t famous for military action orPendulum Warsignificance. Instead, it was mostly a typical civilian hub that is more famous for being hit hard on Emergence Day and being almost immediately overwhelmed by the Locust Horde.
What’s more is that Kalona has never been mentioned or depicted in aGears of Wargame and is merely found deep within supplementary material, with its first mention in theGears of WarcomicsandGears of War: Aspho Fieldsnovel by Karen Traviss. Its description as a city in the Tyrus province of Sera — the same region that includes locations like Ephyra and Jacinto — is about all it has for it apart from its fate during Emergence Day, making its role inGears of War: E-Dayall the more clear. Kalona has likely been chosen asGears of War: E-Day’s setting, simply on account of its historical catastrophic destruction.
Kalona Has No Plot Armor to Keep It Above Ground in Gears of War: E-Day
In other words, Kalona has absolutely no shred of plot armor to keep it above ground inGears of War: E-Day’s story. While it was already expected thatGears of War: E-Daywouldn’t end with Sam and Dom rising as heroes, Kalona’s backstory inGears of Warlore ensures that even more. This ultimately opens the door for some intense emotional weight, and it will likely even explain why Marcus is so closed off in the originalGears of Wartrilogy.
Kalona has likely been chosen asGears of War: E-Day’s setting, simply on account of its historical catastrophic destruction.
Visually and tonally, Kalona is the perfect setting forGears of War: E-Day’s horror angle. It isn’t a battlefield but a neighborhood, a shopping district, and a place with homes, schools, and families. Watching that kind of place get torn apart by the Locust Horde as they erupt from the ground is bound to be one of the most traumatic gaming experiences inGears of Warhistory. In the end, Kalona lets the series return to what made theoriginalGears of Wartrilogyso unforgettable — that feeling of being completely overpowered, trapped, and barely surviving.
