Gears of War 4 releases next month, taking the series decades into the future as a new threat faces the planet Sera, and new protagonist JD Fenix joins his father Marcus in an effort to save the world. But Marcus isn’t the only beloved character we’re going to see return.
“Twenty-five years after our world was ripped apart from the inside, we had peace. But then those we loved were taken, and everything changed,” Fenix says in John DiMaggio’s signature gruff soldier growl. “A storm is coming. My son is walking right into it.”
The storm isn’t a metaphor, either. As we’ve seen in the game’s campaign demonstrations, giant wind flares and electrical storms are just as much a threat to Delta Squad as the new Swarm and other, less organic enemies. Marcus, like an anarchist in the middle of the forest, is well-equipped for the latter threat, with an arsenal of Lancer rifles and armor stored in his bunker.
It appears that Gears of War 4 will also include mech combat, with a shot of giant walking tanks that resemble something out of Titanfall much more than the slow, powerful “Silverback” vehicles seen in Gears of War 3.
The new trailer also appears to signal the return of one of the series’ most popular characters, Augustus Cole, otherwise known as “Cole Train.” Unlike Marcus, Cole was playable in the 2013 prequel Gears of War: Judgment. Also unlike Marcus, who sports a gray beard and a giant facial scar, Cole looks pretty much the same as his 25-years-younger self.
Gears of War 4 hits Xbox One and PC on October 11. Pre-ordering the “Ultimate Edition” of the game will get you access a full four days early, and all pre-orders will earn you the “Zombie Dom,” “Old Man Marcus,” and “Tomorrow Anya” character skins.
