Rounding out the Xbox 2024 Showcase was the return of Marcus Fenix and Dominic Santiago on Gears of War E-Day. As Marcus grapples with an enormous drone in hand-to-hand combat and is later pulled up by his arm-brother, Dom, an iconic Easter egg lingers in the background that long-term fans of the series may have picked up on. on.
Following a brutal grappling match with a grasshopper drone, the floor beneath Marcus collapses and he finds himself clinging to a pipe to prevent himself from plunging to a gruesome death. In his moment of need, Dom Santiago appears out of nowhere to pull Marcus back to solid ground and safety. Throughout the action, but especially visible towards the end of the trailer as the two soldiers hug, some iconic chords from the series’ past can be heard playing.
Those notes were from Mad World by Gary Jules, a song that supported the trailer for the original game all the way back in 2006. Not only in these closing moments of the E-Day trailer could Mad World be heard. You’ll hear different elements of the song fading in and out over the grunts of struggle and Locust growls in battle. It’s much clearer towards the end when the two COG soldiers share a moment of calm as they look out over the war-torn city below them.
The trailer has a lot of fans, showing the series going back to basics with a beloved cast of characters and exploring a different stage of the Locust War than what we’ve seen before. Even the lead designer of the original Gears of War trilogy, Cliff Bleszinski tweeted to show his appreciation for the reveal trailer.
What do you think of the Gears of War E-Day trailer? Let us know in the comments below. No release date has been shared for the next entry in the iconic third-person shooter series, but you can be sure it will be coming to Xbox consoles and PC.
