TheGears of Warfranchise has maintained a presence as one of Microsoft’s most popular exclusives, and many longtime fans have been eager for a sixth mainline entry to come to fruition. Thankfully, a newGears of Wargame is on the horizon, just not in the way many expected.
Gears of War: E-Dayserves as a prequel to the entire series. Players will once again step into the shoes of Marcus Fenix and finally experience what he went through on the fateful day of the Locust Horde’s arrival. As intriguing asGears of War: E-Dayis on its own, it also inspires hope forGears of War 6to become reality some day. Whilethe wait forGears of War 6continues, developer The Coalition could have the perfect source of inspiration for the next main chapter:God of War.
Gears of War 6 Could Make Marcus and JD the New Kratos and Atreus
God of War, Gears of War’s Complicated Father/Son Relationships
Back in 2018,God of Warintroduced Atreus, Kratos' son. Between the first Norse installment andGod of War Ragnarok, this recent era of Sony’s franchise has explored Kratos' difficult journey as a single father and how he has had to grow emotionally to be a proper parent.Kratos and Atreus' storymirrors Marcus and his son JD in a lot of ways. Just like Kratos, Marcus loses his wife, leaving him to care for their child alone. Furthermore, Marcus and JD’s relationship is filled with a lot of tension and resentment, which Kratos and Atreus share in 2018’sGod of War.
Rumors have suggested Atreus may get his own spin-off game, but this has yet to be confirmed.
Gears of War 6 Should Take Ragnarok’s Dual Protagonist Approach
Ragnaroktook a bold leap by putting both Kratos and Atreus in the driver’s seat, but it paid off as a compelling way to shake up gameplay. Switching between Kratos' power-focused combat and Atreus' more fast-paced fighting style helped keep combat diverse.Marcus and JDbeing used similarly as the two protagonists may not lead to the same combat differences as Kratos and Atreus, but it may be a fascinating way to further explore their relationship.
Gears of Warhas experimented with bouncing between multiple characters before, butGears of War 6potentially centering an entire game around Marcus and JD’s relationship as theyfight through the Locust Hordemight be the best way to dive deeper into such a dynamic.
At the end ofGears 5, players have to choose to save either JD or Del, so The Coalition would have to decide on a canon ending if JD were to come back.
This could also set the stage foran emotionally charged send-off for Marcus Fenix. It seems as though Marcus' time with the franchise is destined to come to a close sooner or later, and including such a goodbye in a game that explores his relationship with his son could pack an emotional gut-punch.
Gears of War: E-Day Could Add More Context to the Overall Franchise
There’s no telling what’s in store for players whenGears of War: E-Dayfinally launches. Since the game takes place 14 years before the events of the first game, it will be fascinating to see just how differentMarcus and Domare compared to the versions many are familiar with. Even though the game is a prequel, it will be interesting to see if specific events showcased inE-Dayhelp shed further light on why Marcus and JD are destined to be distant.
