《戰爭機器：事變日》（Gears of War: E-Day）是由The Coalition與People Can Fly聯手開發、Xbox Game Studios發行的第三人稱射擊遊戲，預計於2026年登陸 Windows與Xbox Series X/S。本作是《戰爭機器》系列第六款正統主線作品，但時間軸卻大幅回溯，將舞台設定在初代《Gears of War》事件發生前14年，描寫整個系列中最關鍵、也最慘烈的歷史時刻──「事變日（Emergence Day）」。

在劇情上，聚焦於系列最具代表性的兩位角色：馬可斯・菲力士（Marcus Fenix）與多姆・聖地牙哥（Dom Santiago）。故事發生時，兩人仍是隸屬於秩序聯盟政府（COG）的年輕士兵，尚未成為後來家喻戶曉的戰爭英雄。原本看似平靜的返鄉日常，卻在一夕之間化為惡夢。名為「蝗蟲族（Locust Horde）」的地下生物從地底深處全面湧出，這些外形扭曲、數量無窮的怪物瞬間癱瘓城市、屠戮平民，讓整個行星Sera陷入前所未有的混亂與毀滅。

主要舞台設定在全新城市「卡洛納（Kalona）」，將首次以馬可斯的視角，親身經歷事變日當天的恐懼與崩潰。不同於系列後期已進入全面戰爭狀態的敘事基調，更強調突發災難的無助感與混亂感。城市尚未軍事化，人民毫無防備，士兵也沒有完善的戰術與情報，一切都在倉促應對中進行。這樣的敘事角度，讓蝗蟲族的登場顯得更加殘酷，也讓玩家能更深刻理解這場戰爭為何會徹底改變整個世界與角色命運。

在操作與玩法層面，延續系列經典的第三人稱掩體射擊系統，強調重型武器、近距離交火與高壓戰場節奏。依然需要靈活運用掩體推進、精準射擊與近戰處決，體驗《戰爭機器》標誌性的暴力美學。不過，由於故事設定在戰爭初期，整體節奏預期會比後期作品更偏向「生存與撤退」，而非純粹的正面攻防。玩家在混亂的城市中邊戰邊逃，必須在有限資源與突發狀況下做出即時判斷，強化臨場感與沉浸感。

技術層面是《E-Day》的一大亮點。完全以Unreal Engine 5從零打造，導入最新的光影、物理破壞與角色細節技術，使城市崩毀、地底噴發與蝗蟲現身的瞬間更具震撼力。官方強調，本作並非單純提升畫面解析度，而是透過新引擎重新詮釋「事變日」的恐怖本質，讓玩家感受到那種世界秩序瞬間瓦解的壓迫感。

在市場評價與玩家期待方面，自公開以來便引發高度討論。對老玩家而言，這是一部回到原點、補完世界觀的「起源之作」，終於能親眼見證過去只存在於背景設定中的關鍵歷史事件；對新玩家來說，則是一個不必熟悉整個系列也能投入的切入點。The Coalition再度回歸線性敘事與濃厚氣氛塑造，也被視為對系列核心精神的一次重新聚焦。

整體而言，《戰爭機器：事變日》不只是系列時間線上的前傳，更是試圖以現代技術重新詮釋「恐懼、崩潰與誕生於戰火中的英雄」的作品。它讓玩家不再只是參與一場已成定局的戰爭，而是親身經歷那個一切開始崩壞的瞬間。對喜愛《戰爭機器》世界觀、重視敘事重量與沉浸式戰場體驗的玩家來說，這將是一部意義與份量都極為關鍵的作品。

Gears of War: E-Day is an upcoming third-person shooter developed jointly by The Coalition and People Can Fly, and published by Xbox Game Studios. It is scheduled to release in 2026 for Windows and Xbox Series X/S. As the sixth mainline entry in the Gears of War franchise, the game significantly rewinds the timeline, taking place fourteen years before the events of the original Gears of War. It depicts one of the most crucial and devastating moments in the series’ history: Emergence Day.

Narratively, the game centers on two of the franchise’s most iconic characters, Marcus Fenix and Dom Santiago. At this point in time, both are still young soldiers serving the Coalition of Ordered Governments (COG), long before they become the legendary war heroes known to players. What begins as an apparently ordinary return home is suddenly transformed into a nightmare. A subterranean species known as the Locust Horde erupts from deep underground, and these grotesque, seemingly endless creatures rapidly overwhelm cities and slaughter civilians, plunging the entire planet Sera into unprecedented chaos and destruction.

The main setting is the all-new city of Kalona, where players will experience the terror and collapse of Emergence Day firsthand through Marcus’s perspective. Unlike the later entries in the series, which are framed around a fully realized global war, E-Day places greater emphasis on the helplessness and confusion of an unexpected catastrophe. The city has not yet been militarized, civilians are completely unprepared, and even the soldiers lack refined tactics and reliable intelligence. Everything unfolds in a desperate scramble for survival. This narrative approach makes the Locust invasion feel especially brutal, while also allowing players to more deeply understand how this war irrevocably reshaped the world and the fates of its characters.

In terms of gameplay, the title retains the series’ signature third-person, cover-based shooting mechanics, emphasizing heavy weaponry, close-quarters combat, and the intense, pressure-filled pacing that defines Gears of War. Players will continue to advance using cover, rely on precise gunplay, and execute brutal melee finishers that showcase the franchise’s trademark visceral style. However, because the story is set at the very beginning of the conflict, the overall flow is expected to lean more toward survival and retreat rather than sustained, large-scale offensives. Fighting while fleeing through collapsing urban environments, players must make split-second decisions amid scarce resources and sudden threats, heightening immersion and immediacy.

From a technical standpoint, E-Day represents a major leap forward. Built entirely from the ground up using Unreal Engine 5, the game incorporates advanced lighting, physics-based destruction, and highly detailed character rendering. The collapse of cities, eruptions from beneath the ground, and the first appearances of the Locust are designed to be more impactful and visceral than ever before. According to the developers, this is not merely a visual upgrade in resolution, but a reimagining of the terror of Emergence Day itself, conveying the crushing sense of a world order collapsing in an instant.

In terms of market reception and player expectations, the game has generated significant discussion since its reveal. For longtime fans, it represents a return to the roots of the franchise and a long-awaited opportunity to witness pivotal historical events that previously existed only in background lore. For newcomers, it offers an accessible entry point that does not require extensive prior knowledge of the series. The Coalition’s renewed focus on linear storytelling and dense atmosphere has also been widely seen as a reaffirmation of the franchise’s core identity.

Overall, Gears of War: E-Day is more than just a chronological prequel. It is an attempt to reinterpret themes of fear, collapse, and the birth of heroes amid chaos through modern technology and storytelling. Rather than simply participating in a war whose outcome is already known, players are placed at the very moment when everything begins to fall apart. For those who value the Gears of War universe, narrative weight, and deeply immersive battlefield experiences, this title stands to become one of the most significant and meaningful entries in the series.