Detailed Analysis - Main Narrative
Prologue - Moving on from the Past
When a new developer takes over a game series, they tend to want to leave their own mark on the series and with the release of Gears of War 4, they stamped their fingerprints all over the Gears of War series that was now under their charge. At the start of Gears of War 4 the day the game starts on happens to be the 25th anniversary since the end of the Locust War, 25 years to the day when Marcus Fenix and his squad of Gears fought their hardest to end the fighting and save their world.
Now on the 25th anniversary, the new COG holds a celebration while hosting several old and familiar characters, like Augustus Cole, Samantha Byrne and most notably Colonel Victor Hoffman who is starting to show his years along with Sam and Cole. As the Leader of the COG, we are introduced to First Minister Jinn who seems to take her position seriously enough as she’s an excellent speaker and seems steadfast.
Commemorating 25 years of fighting gives us as the player a chance to see some interesting flashbacks, through Hoffman’s eyes as he remembers his past experiences. Using the initial prologue to provide the players with a last glimpse of the previous wars is a nod from the developers, to let us know that their bringing Gears of War into a newer war while also reminding us of the past. The flashbacks we get act as more of a nostalgic trick than anything else but it’s a welcome one as we get to focus on areas that haven’t been explored in the games.
Our 1st flashback was during the Battle of Aspho Fields, a long-fabled war in the Gears of War lore. While it’s been greatly fleshed out thanks to other media like the books, we never really got to experience it with the visceral action that we are typically used to from Gears of War games. We also get a hint of nostalgia when we get to see squad member and Gears hero Dominic Santiago who sacrificed himself in Gears of War 3 to ensure Marcus and his team could survive. A welcome sight, even if it’s only in the past and it’s clever for the devs to pull at our heartstrings, knowing the love many Gears of War players have for Dom.
It’s also good to note that this is the 1st clear glimpse we’ve gotten of what a Pendulum war battle looked like and it’s likely we might never get another glimpse as the prologue is dedicated to moving forward essentially. While it’s difficult to glean anything from the whole battle, certain visual elements do show that the Pendulum Wars were potentially much bigger in scale compared to the initial Locust conflicts we’ve faced in past games but the casualties were not any harsher than what we experienced.
The 2nd flashback takes place on perhaps the most important day in Gears of War history, Emergence Day. As however unlikely it is, for those who don’t know Emergence Day is perhaps the most well-known day in Gears History as it is the day the Locust emerged from their underground warrens and declared war with humanity. The section perfectly captures the essence of E-Day, the rampage by the Locust, the overwhelming numbers and confusion experienced by everyone along with humanity's blissful ignorance that there were much worse things to come.
We also got to see Kim and Anya. Kim has a relatively small role in the 1st Gears of War as the original leader of Delta squad but Anya has been the long-time love interest, tactical help and squadmate to Marcus Fenix. The devs also take the opportunity to poke fun at a funny Kim narrative and gameplay mechanic where he had codes for certain sections of a Gears of War 1 level that we revisit in the flashback where Hoffman essentially says what many of the players were thinking, “Well good for you”.
The 3rd and final flashback is what really ties up this chapter of the past. We rejoin Colonel Hoffman and Bernie as well as the Gears stationed at the besieged Anvil Gate fortress. In Gears of War 3, Marcus went there looking for Hoffman while also defending it against mounting Locust forces. When Marcus gained everything he needed, Hoffman sent him on his way in favour of defending Anvil Gate, If you’ve read the books, you would know that Hoffman valiantly defended Anvil Gate during the Pendulum Wars. 17 years into the Locust war, after the COG fell, Hoffman returned to the fort that he had defended for so long, deeming he was too old to run.
Near the end of the Locust war, when Marcus Fenix would begin his final run to end it, Anvil Gate would be besieged by the Locust forces who were on a last-ditch effort to eliminate the remnants of humanity. The final (hopefully) siege of Anvil Gate is what you might expect, fiery, intense, COG soldiers facing insurmountable odds, and Hoffman barking orders, inspiring his men. As it seems the COG is about to lose, the weapon that Marcus Fenix’s father, Adam used to destroy the Imulsion, the parasitic miracle fuel that gained life, activates and sends a wave of light across the field.
This would mark the end of the Locust war as the wave of light destroyed every being where the Imulsion had progressed. In Gears of War 3, we saw the Locust drop dead and the Lambent forces, the result of Imulsion mutations, drown in a pool of their own Imulsion and with that the Locust/Lambent war ended after 17 years. What we never saw, as seen in Gears of War 4, the Locust didn’t just drop dead but the Imulsion came to the surface of their bodies and crystallized.
The Coalition proved themselves in the prologue to have a very good grasp on Gears of War lore and history and gave us moments that we never really got a glimpse of in past games and only in the books. This wasn’t just a way to show they know and understand the series, this was their way to close the book on the past conflicts of the series. The Pendulum War was spoken about like it was a fabled chapter long since past and with the state of the world and the continued Locust onslaught it was easy to see it could have been a long time ago and in fairness it pretty much was.
This was the Coalition’s way of telling their audience, the players who have been long-time fans of the series and the new players, that they understood the series and that they know what to do with the series moving forward, closing the chapter on the past. We might still be hungry to learn more about the past and I don’t think the Coalition would be foolish to lock the door but they’ve made their intentions clear that they are looking onward and want to carve out their own piece of Gears of War history. It’s their era now.
Plot Structure - A Game of Cat and Mouse
A game of Cat and Mouse. There’s not a much better way of describing Gears of War 4’s campaign structure than essentially a glorified game of cat and mouse. While the concept is not necessarily a bad thing it can feel like a little like a little sluggish especially since a game of cat and mouse can have a nice break now and then but with Gears of War 4 it feels like the game runs until the very last fight. When it comes to past campaign structures it doesn’t necessarily feel different in the sense that we were always on long journeys but it always felt like we accomplished a lot of relevant tasks in between the different acts but this is different in Gears of War 4. While the new characters who will be helming this adventure are likeable enough, they carry an air of inexperience around them as they have not been hardened by any conflicts which was the hope by the end of Gears of War 3 when series hero Marcus Fenix and his team ended the Locust and Lambent threats.
Joining JD and his team they are stealing from the COG because the village requires resources housed here. One might think it’s a bit odd that a COG soldier would be stealing from the COG itself but apparently, JD and his friend Del are both no longer COG and are instead Outsiders, the newest iteration of the Stranded who choose to live outside the COG. Kait has never been a part of any type of COG civilisation, being raised by her mother Reyna. Also part of the team is Kait’s uncle Oscar who is a former Gear and has a bit of a drunkard. These 4 work together well as they have plenty of training behind them, with JD, Del and Oscar being former COG and Kait receiving brutal if necessary training from Oscar. As they seem to have completed their heist they are confronted by COG forces, led by First Minister Jinn who is appearing at a hologram from a drone.
Initially, we think she is there to stop the theft but according to her people have actually been disappearing and she blames JD for the theft because apparently, that’s what he was trained to do. Not something that gives a lot of context but it’s enough to question more of the COG’s motives and values if they were training their soldiers to take people. Finding and capturing enemy soldiers is one thing but the only people in the world or at least in their region are the Outsiders who so far seem non-lethal to COG citizens save a few DeeBees, the militarised machine force of the COG. Fighting their way out and back to their village shows that this new team have what it takes to be able to survive against threats they know well but their true skills will soon be put to the test.
After getting back to their village they repel a COG attack and anger, Reyna, the village leader and Kait’s mother, the village is attacked and their people are taken. In the abduction, Reyna is taken by a creature covered in crystals and shrouded in the dark. Reyna is taken but not before she cuts the creature's hand off which thankfully gives JD, Del and Kait their lead moving forward and so this is where the game starts. The search for Kait’s mother is the pillar on which the game’s story is built and while it is a strong one, the game’s campaign structure and design don’t always make that a good thing as Reyna is thrust into the spotlight in a way that makes her important to the characters but not to the player’s. If it was a case that an Original Delta squad member was in trouble and captured, as long-time players of the series we would endure almost anything to get them back but for Reyna, we don’t have a bond with her that really makes us care, save for the fact that she’s the mother of a new Delta Squad member.
To get a lead, JD goes to the one place he doesn’t want to go for his reasons, home to the Stroud Estate, to find Marcus Fenix. When we find Marcus he has changed a lot in the 25 years since we’ve seen him but hasn’t as well. Confusing I know but it's quite simple. While he is still the gruff man that doesn’t say anything that doesn’t need to be said who’s also aged a fair bit and leaned into more of the old hermit who doesn’t want to be disturbed and seems somewhat dismissive to JD, only because JD has made decisions that Marcus considers to be mistakes. Mistakes like joining the COG and then becoming an Outsider which in fairness are mistakes from Marcus’ experiences but of course JD wanted to try and live his own life and form his own opinions but no doubt being in the shadow of a 2 great war hero’s would make any young kid arrogant enough to do something his parent(s) don’t want.
When JD shows Marcus the crystal taken from the hand of the creature that took Reyna but also when the COG knock on his doorstep and burns down his house. Having Marcus as part of the Delta helps to keep the players grounded when in the story we get hints of nostalgia with Marcus guiding the younglings on their journey but almost as quickly as we spend with him near the start he is taken by the same creatures that took their villagers. What went from a search for Reyna, quickly turns into a search for Marcus which brings the group face-to-face with their new enemy, “The Swarm” who are much more lethal than the Locust could have been but are as yet unproven. Thankfully they already know where to go and as they explore the depths of an abandoned mine turned Locust burial site, they confirm Marcus’ theory, that the Swarm are actually the Locust that have returned.
Even as one chase ends, the original chase resumes with the long road to finding Reyna beginning again and it starts to show the cracks in the trio’s demeanour specifically Kait. When Marcus was taken he was connected to the Swarm hivemind and learned that the villagers have all perished but that Reyna is being held at a hive much bigger than the one Marcus was in and so will be more heavily guarded. As they progress, Marcus hesitates, not because he’s afraid or even doesn’t want to save Reyna, he’s just looking at the bigger picture. The new threat that has arisen is stronger than the Locust and more difficult to eliminate and at this point, no one besides Delta even knows about them, so Marcus makes the smart suggestion to contact help and at least warn someone.
While Kait is understandably scared for her mother, she scolds Marcus. Being scared for someone’s safety is a natural thing and Kait captures that desperation perfectly and it’s expected that making rational decisions won’t be in someone’s purview. While it’s realistic, it doesn’t make it any less annoying as Kait truly shows how young and reckless she is. Going into enemy territory with unknown odds, it makes sense to try and find any help possible. When JD and Del agree with Marcus, Kait warns Marcus that if they can’t find help she will go alone. I think it’s clear she was expecting Marcus to leave the conversation there but Marcus always makes his intentions clear when he tells Kait that he, JD and Del will be right there with her. She wasn't expecting that and it gives her a moment to pause and contemplate. Marcus isn’t her enemy but with all his years of experience and what he’s lost, he knows what will be the best help in the pursuit of Kait’s mother.
As the game’s story comes down to a close and the game of Cat and Mouse comes to an end, the team manage to destroy a powerful Swarm beast and find Reyna, linked to something that connects her to the Swarm hive. She is suffering and so ask’s Kait to put her out of her misery. Kait does this with great hesitation and remorse after, being given her mother’s medallion, which was her grandmother’s before her. When she re-joins the rest of the squad, she is notably distraught but also a hint of gratitude, to the people that helped her and who she can depend on in the future. The Journey to Find Reyna was a notably lone one, with some sections feeling like they were only padding, looking for an excuse to try and flesh out the characters with mixed results because while they are likeable enough, they are only grounded by Marcus who helps to keep them focused as he carries the energy of the Locust war with him.
JD comes across as someone who could carry the series but has a lot to learn as he tries to get out of his father’s shadow. Del is pure comic relief and while his knowledge is useful it hasn’t found a place in the squad yet. Kait brings a nice contrast to the group as she was raised to be anti-COG but after their adventure, trusts JD and Del with her life. All 3 of the new team have their own merits and while it seems like they could leave a positive mark on the series, it’s not truly established in this adventure. Unlike original Gears heroes, Marcus, Dom, Cole and Baird, they instantly made their mark on the series and even the players as they were likeable, distinguishable from each other and didn’t seem like cardboard cutouts from other video game characters, whereas the new trio feel like they are a combination, with JD, Del and Kait having characteristics reminiscent of the original Gears of War heroes. Only time will tell if they have what it takes to carry the series in the future.
Legacy Characters - The Old Delta
Taking place 25 years after Gears of War 3 concluded the end of the Locust war, it was obvious that we would have to step into the shoes of a new generation of heroes. As Gears of War 4 was the first game created by new developers The Coalition and the start of Gears of War’s run on the next generation of Xbox consoles they would have to create new characters who could capture the attention of the players and honour the heroes that came before. Taking the helm of the new adventure is James Dominic (JD) Fenix, the son of distinguished Gears Marcus Fenix and Anya Stroud and while he certainly proves to be Marcus’ son it’s easy to see that he inherited most of his qualities from his mother who we remember as being more friendlier than Marcus and certainly more sociable.
Initially, when the first footage for Gears of War 4 was shown for the first time, I assumed that JD would only be the first of a few kids belonging to the legacy heroes that we would be introduced to but as they seek to make their mark on the series, JD would be the only legacy child we would meet in this game. Squad members Del and Kait are new to the series with no roots linking them to the original games or heroes and it’s a good thing that The Coalition is trying to create characters that aren’t just related to our legacy heroes. While the primary focus is on JD, Del and Kait and their journey it’s also grounded by the inclusion of Marcus Fenix, JD’s father. When they came for help, Marcus is initially hesitant but decides to help when JD shows him the crystal and then the COG come and burn his home. While visiting the estate and before they see Marcus, JD enters a small courtyard where the grave of Anya Stroud is housed. It’s unclear how Anya died and even more unclear how long but either way we are owed answers but not in this game.
Marcus hasn’t fought for a while and it shows on occasion While his gunplay and leadership skills haven’t’ dulled, perhaps a little bit of his sense has left when he has the team hold in a barn to avoid a storm, thinking it will hold but in the end, overestimating it. While typically this would be the time to say “I told you so”, Marcus cuts in saying “Not a goddamn word”. Marcus may have lost a bit of a step but he’s still not one to endure sarcasm. When Marcus is taken by The Swarm, JD and his team have to find him and contend with the possibility that Marcus might be dead already but don’t give up till they find him. JD might not be as proven as his father, but he is no less determined. When we find Marcus, we believed that he was dead but thankfully was able to be revived. While I for one am glad that Marcus didn’t die, it’s a shame that the Coalition didn’t take the risk to try and kill Marcus but it’s probably for the best to leave it for a later game.
As the story winds to a close and they make a final push to save Reyna Marcus calls in some help. When JD and his team first find Marcus and get Geared up to pursue their lead, Marcus sends a message to someone. When Marcus is rescued and suggests sending another message he insists that his friend will probably have been waiting by the phone the whole time the team have been pursuing the leads. By the time Marcus sends the final message for help, he assures the team and the players that it will be worth it and it most definitely is. Arriving in 2 unbelievably huge mechs, Augustus Cole and Damon Baird have come to reinforce Marcus and the team.
Cole hasn’t lost a step as he still maintains his boisterous attitude whereas Baird seems to have matured greatly, still maintaining his classic sarcastic attitude minus the arrogance that we’ve been used to. Seeing Marcus was still part of the series I was glad to see that they weren’t moving on completely and with the inclusion of Cole and Baird, the New Delta has met the old Delta and they will have a lot to learn from them. JD seems friendly with Cole, while he seems colder to Baird. Seeing as the DeeBees are Baird’s creation, JD seems to hold him fully responsible, even though Jinn sent them herself. JD unfairly holds Baird in contempt in my opinion as Baird would never have DeeBee’s go after civilians or Outsiders if he could help it. Also joining in a King Raven chopper is Sam Byrne who is now Baird’s romantic and business partner, not too surprising seeing the affection and chemistry they had with each other in Gears of War 3.
When Cole sees a pod he expresses that he kind of missed the Locust in a messed up way but Marcus and even Baird and Sam know what he means. After spending 17 years fighting the Locust and the Lambent they became hardened for war and loss and for the last 25 years, they’ve had to find new ways to carry on. While Baird and founded a company together, Cole seems to have stayed as a soldier and Marcus decided to stay in seclusion away from civilization and nobody was gonna tell him no. Without the reinforcements, Delta would never have been able to push into the hive and find Reyna even if it was too late. On their way, the old Delta has proven that they can tackle this new nightmare but this time around they aren’t at the centre and now they have to help the kids prepare for the coming battles as this was just a taste of what’s to come. Having the old squad present is also reassuring as their experience and knowledge will be vital for the road ahead and they are still capable fighters.
Finding ways to introduce the old characters in the new story without it feeling forced was a delicate approach as the Coalition would want to make sure that they were giving their new heroes room to breathe and making sure that they were honouring the heroes of the past. By giving us small doses of the original heroes it helped to keep the focus on JD and his team while also providing fan service to fans of the original games. While it’s a shame Marcus and Cole haven’t managed to undergo much of an evolution, with Marcus reverting to a hermit and Cole staying the same, Baird and Sam have changed a fair bit. Their initial hostile attitude towards each other has turned into a romantic relationship and while we don’t gleam enough from Sam to see if she’s changed much, Baird has become much more tolerable this time around and while he’s still sarcastic. I’m sure this isn’t the last we’ll see these old Gears and it’s interesting to see what kind of role they will be fulfilling in the future now that the torch has been passed onto the new heroes.
Recycling - Return of the Nightmare
When we first saw the footage of Gears of War 4, we were wondering what kind of enemy we would be facing, With the Locust and the Lambent gone, it didn’t seem like there could be an enemy that could capture the nightmare that was given to us in the original trilogy. In the first demo, we saw the main characters JD and Kait fighting creatures that we’ve never seen before and frankly didn’t look like anything that has ever existed in the series before and in terms of originality the creatures we saw looked like they would be able to establish themselves as the next and formidable threat of the series, but we would have to wait and see. It seemed like the Coalition was taking a risk by creating a brand new species for the heroes to contend with.
When we first learn of this new threat in the game it’s little more than rumours and hearsay when JD and his team learn that CO citizens have been taken. Later that day when they get to their outsider village, it’s attacked by the COG who believe that they have taken their citizens. After a failed attack, JD is scolded by Reyna for bringing the COG down on them for the theft of recent COG tech but JD informs Reyna of the missing citizens. Reyna has JD, Del and Kait put the stolen tech to good use but their village is attacked by creatures unlike anything they or we have ever seen as the people of the village are taken. Reyna locks the 3 of them in a barn before anything can get to them but Reyna is attacked. While we don’t get a very clear look at the creature, it’s very reminiscent of some original Locust variants and during the attack, Reyna manages to cut its hand off before she is taken.
When the trio get out of the barn, they find no trace of any of their people, taken by what they call “The Swarm”. The only thing they can find is the hand that Reyna cut off covered in some kind of crystal. To get a lead, JD takes the crystal to the one person who might be able to confirm a suspicion that JD is having. When Marcus is shown the crystal he instantly recognises it. Marcus takes the team to confirm their theory, that the Locust have returned. When the Locust died for the first time thanks to their original efforts in Gears of War 3, a machine was activated that would destroy the Imulsion, the parasitic fuel of Sera that was infecting everyone, the Locust fell. What we didn’t see initially is that when they died, the Imulsion seemed to crystalize around the Locust. When the COG tried to destroy them, they couldn’t and so they buried them, returning them home to the darkness where they came from. If the Swarm are linked to the Locust then they’ll find out at the burial site.
On their way, they find strange organic material that seems to be growing into the buildings, tendrils and weird-looking pods. In the Gears of War universe, it’s best to usually carry on but Marcus is the curious sort and decides to cut a pod open, only to find the pods hold people, or what’s left of them anyway. The pod Marcus opens only has bones left and on further examination, there is a COG tag, so at least we know what’s been happening to Jinn’s people and Kait makes an astute observation, whatever the Swarm is, they’re harvesting people. The Locust were cruel but they never used people as spare parts, whatever this new enemy is, the old rules don’t apply. Before they progress too further, Marcus is taken by the same creatures that took the villagers, so JD and the team pursue it and as they do they encounter creatures that are far different than the Locust.
Creating a new enemy that doesn’t fight with the standard cover-to-cover archetype was honestly a breath of fresh air to me but that changed when we reach a certain area and we find that we encounter creatures that quickly fill the role of soldiers and are very similar to the Locust, with their murderous attitude and monstrous fortitude. The Coalition had a chance to set itself apart from the original Gears of War trilogy by introducing an enemy that was beyond the conventional cover-to-cover exercise. Because it’s part of the Gears of War DNA, it’s unnecessary to change how the gameplay mechanics look and feel but with a new developer should come new gameplay conventions, even if the core gameplay doesn’t change. I don’t talk about gameplay much and that’s because I focus my efforts on the story but I feel it must be said as it’s another risk The Coalition didn’t seem to take but did clearly consider in the development stages.
As we delve deeper into the heart of a Locust burial site, we find that the site is full of the Swarm, with more pods, tendrils and more importantly Locust shells. The crystallised substance covering the Locust corpses is indestructible, with Del chiming in and telling us that if you were to slam a diamond into the shell, the diamond would break. After more exploring a wall of shells is destroyed and a creature that looks exactly like a Locust creature breaks free and attacks but is quickly killed. When we finally find Marcus’ he’s in the same pod that we have been seeing all over the place and thankfully we got to him just in time before he succumbs fully to the Swarm. While Podded, Marcus was in their hive network, every pod and every creature is connected to a network, a hivemind and then Marcus tells us the truth, the Locust never died, they were simply forced to undergo an evolution. At the start of the game, just before they raided the COG settlement, Kait showed JD a cocoon and describes how the caterpillar forms the chrysalis so it can destroy its body and reform itself. A perfect metaphor to represent the Locust, now known as the Swarm.
When they get to Marcus he tells them that all the people of the village are gone but Reyna is being held somewhere else, not podded like the others. Why is as of yet unknown but after escaping the hive they make a beeline for her location and after linking up with friendly forces attack the hive where they are confronted by an incredible beast. When they kill it, they have free access to the hive and find Reyna connected to it, completely different to how people are being podded. In a state of pain and agony, she is put out of her misery by Kait, after she gives Kait her necklace, which belonged to Kait’s grandmother first. On the back of the necklace is something that could shake up the entire Gears of War story in ways that not even Epic Games could have thought of. The necklace has a Locust Insignia embedded on it and if the necklace belonged to Kait’s grandmother and given that we don’t know much about Reyna’s parentage, it’s plausible that Kait’s grandmother could have been Myrrah, the Queen of the Locust. There’s a reason why Reyna warranted a Scion coming after her and why she wasn’t podded, so it’s possible Reyna was Myrrah’s daughter.
While the Swarm are a dangerous and dare I say it, a worthy successor to the nightmare of the Locust but it is sad that the Swarm weren’t an entirely different and new enemy that wasn’t built off the backs of the past. While their designs contain a lot of love and a lot of passion behind them, the Swarm is too unoriginal in Gears of War terms to be considered new and even with their new creature variations that differ from the Locust, there are so similar to the Locust that they may as well be the same. Going forward it will be good to see if The Coalition takes this into account and focuses more on enemies that are more animalistic or dangerous in the future but nonetheless, they did a great job at reinventing a new enemy for the series that we are looking forward to seeing evolve on the new journey across the world of Sera.