Detailed Analysis - Collectibles, Environmental & Context
COG Tags
As Delta squad explore the war-torn ruins of Sera and fight through the Locust Horde they will often find the remains or lack thereof fallen COG Soldiers or at least the indication that there were bodies whenever they find COG Tags. In the gameplay, these Tags can be typically found whenever the players find a Crimson Omen. The Crimson Omen is a red version of the COG symbol with a skull in the centre and this would become the logo for the Gears of War series. While there is nothing special about the COG tags in general they do help to add up to just an incredibly small percentage of the lives lost to the Horde. Finding these tags sadly does not give much of a reward besides an achievement and doesn’t offer anything in the way of any Narrative component but they do leave room for improvement for future entries.
World of Sera
The backdrop for the devastating and terrible war against the Locust is the war-torn ruined world of Sera, an alternate version of Earth, or a different planet altogether. After decades of war and fighting amongst themselves, humanity finally knew a semblance of peace until Emergence Day. Emergence day is the day the Locust Horde attacked with incredible force and numbers beyond what the COG could count and laid waste to their citizens and their cities. When the Locust took the COG’s cities and it was clear there was no end to them, the COG used their most lethal and devastating weapon, The Hammer of Dawn. The Hammer of Dawn is a satellite-based laser weapon that can be used in controlled bursts or for the COG’s purposes, completely decimating the cities that the Locust were dominating, killing them, but also killing many of their people. Sadly this did little to delay the Locust onslaught as their forces remained strong and continued to attack humanity.
As Delta explores this broken and fractured world they come across many historical locations significant to the COG but also the individual members of the squad. While these characters bring you information that is important for getting to know them, the developers also do a great job of making sure the locations don’t distract from the main story but provide their subtle context. As Delta make their way through the “House of Sovereigns” we learn it is essentially a COG courtroom with many secrets and lies and when cornered in the “Tomb of the Unknowns” we learn it is a mausoleum dedicated to COG soldiers who could not be identified during the long wars waged across the years.
We also get to see the underground home of the Locust, if a little obscure and brief. Making their way through the dark undermines of Sera we get a look at the environment the Locust are used to. It’s difficult to believe that the Locust could ever have thrived underground in the dark but the military encounter speaks for itself about just how well they have built themselves up. Making their way to an “Imulsion” pumping station to plant the Resonator we also get a little bit of knowledge about the world of Sera. Imulsion itself is a natural resource used to fuel the world from cities to vehicles and war machines. At one point Delta finds enough Imulsion that Dom asks Marcus how much he thinks it’s worth. Marcus replied that he doesn’t think he can count that high. Considering Marcus comes from a rich background, he is certainly educated enough to count high and this shows the massive value of Imulsion, the lifeblood of Sera.
The ever-expanding World of Sera shows that there are many layers and secrets beneath its grim exterior filled with mysteries that haven’t even begun to be answered but do intrigue. For a shooter game to put so much emphasis on the world around it and the characters we encounter isn’t typically the norm but not completely unheard of as shown with games like Halo: Combat Evolved and Half-Life. Delving into the Sera’s past will be a useful and fulfilling Narrative tool if done right.