Gears of War: E-Day Could Benefit From Assassin’s Creed Shadows’ Dual Protagonist Approach

Gears of War: E-Day has been a long time coming, and by that is meant a series-long wait. As the first game that will allow players to experience what is perhaps the single most important event in all of Gears of War history, Emergence Day, Gears of War: E-Day is primed to not only be an emotional and action-packed adventure, but also a shoutout to series veterans and a potential entry point for newcomers. In the shoes of beloved franchise characters Marcus Fenix and Dominic Santiago, players will take on the Locust Horde as they emerge from beneath Sera’s surface in what will likely be an incredibly dark and gritty story.

Very little is currently known about Gears of War: E-Day‘s gameplay and whether it will prove to be an evolution of the series or a callback to its origins. Either way, there is one area of gameplay that it should evolve, especially considering the game will feature both Marcus and Dom at the forefront of the tragic event. At the moment, it appears that players will only be controlling Marcus throughout Gears of War: E-Day‘s story, just as they did in the original trilogy. However, the upcoming prequel would be remiss not to follow in the footsteps of the very recent Assassin’s Creed Shadows and break a major Gears of War tradition involving playable protagonists.

Past Gears Games Have Kept Players Locked in to Playing One Character

In the past, Gears of War games have featured multiple characters fending off waves of Locusts together, but players have primarily been locked in to playing one character. In the original trilogy, that one character was Marcus Fenix, whereas other entries — like Gears of War: Judgment, Gears of War 4, and Gears 5 — put players in control of a different character. Regardless of who it has been, though, the point is that players have really only ever been able to directly control the actions of one character. To be fair, it has worked up to this point, but Gears of War: E-Day could afford to follow in Assassin’s Creed Shadows‘ footsteps, especially given its premise.

Gears of War: E-Day’s Marcus and Dom Should Function Similarly to AC Shadows’ Yasuke and Naoe

In Assassin’s Creed Shadows, players can seamlessly swap between two protagonists, Yasuke and Naoe, once they’ve unlocked Yasuke in the story. The best thing about that, however, is that both of these characters have distinct playstyles — Naoe being a stealth-based Assassin and Yasuke being an honorable samurai who specializes in direct confrontation. While the two characters have unique personalities that are compelling enough, the ability players have to change their playstyle with each character at will allows them to have more control over their gameplay and approach different situations in a variety of ways.

With Gears of War: E-Day putting Marcus and Dom at the forefront, it would be a great opportunity for the series to break its tradition of locking players into one character and instead allow them to swap between the two at any time. Of course, this would be much more viable if each character had a unique playstyle, just as Yasuke and Naoe do in Assassin’s Creed Shadows, so Gears of War: E-Day may want to ensure that is implemented. Nevertheless, it would be a great way to allow the uniqueness of both Marcus and Dom to shine, all while putting Gears fans in direct control of Dom, whom they haven’t had the chance to control in that capacity previously.

Given the central role both Marcus and Dom play in Gears of War: E-Day, it would make sense for the game to give players control over both, especially since it would align with the cooperative foundation the series is known for. Control of Dom during moments when the two are separated would be a natural fit and is expected, but going a step further and allowing players to swap between the two could add variety and agency without compromising the core Gears of War formula.

Gears of War: E-Day

Systems

Released

2025

ESRB

m

Publisher(s)

Xbox Game Studios

Engine

Unreal Engine 5

Franchise

Gears of War

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