Game Rant takes a look at the scariest moments from the entire Gears of War franchise, digging up what we believe are the most memorable moments from Marcus Fenix.
Gears Of War is known as an adrenaline-filled, testosterone-heavy action series, but both Epic Games and The Coalition have combined to deliver some true moments of horror as Marcus Fenix and company have fought the Locust horde over the years. We take a look back through all of the previous Gears of War titles to find what we think are some of the most scary moments in the entire franchise, and we expect they're some moments veterans of the property haven't forgotten, either.
It goes without saying that this list contains spoilers from across the entire Gears of War franchise, so those who don't want any spoilers should catch up before reading on!
8 Facing The First Berserker
Before gamers even get to experience the Berserker first hand, they hear her horrifying scream fill the halls. The first Gears of War introduces berserkers as uncontrollable, rage-filled husks of blind muscle, and they have remained one of the most horrifying creatures that Marcus Fenix has ever faced off against. Gamers witness the shadowy decapitation of a panicking COG soldier before they're forced to step into the stone-plated deathbowl that houses the angry Locust, and for most gamers it was all downhill from there.
As Marcus and company soon find out, Berserkers have a penchant for both being immune to bullets and for blindly charging full-tilt at anyone who makes noise, knocking entire walls down in their rage. Using this knowledge, Marcus manages to lure the female brute outside to where the Hammer of Dawn could turn it into mulch, but when it's hidden under a ceiling, the bersersker is the de facto top predator. We'd rather spend a night in Freddy's Pizzeria than return to fight her again.
7 The New Hope Research Facility
As the fight wages on in Gears of War 2, Delta Squad finds itself scavenging for clues about the Lambent threat. This search leads them to the New Hope Research Facility, a classified, shadowy, and downright creepy abandoned building which had accepted early cases of lambency and the children of those who had been mutated by the disease. Instead of becoming a beacon of hope for the infected, scientists performed tests on them as the disease changed them into rabid, violent creatures. As the researchers began to uncover what lambency truly led to, the facility was shut down before the news could become public knowledge.
By the time Delta Squad arrives, the facility has been completely overrun by wretches, and the squad faces resistance from a cryptic AI. Eventually, Delta manages to hack into the building's system, and that's when things really start to fall apart: the mutated remnants of the poor remaining infected break out of their stasis tanks, quickly storming towards Marcus and Dom. The sires are undoubtedly one of the most off-putting creatures the Gears of War series throws at players, and many gamers were happy when Delta was finally able to escape from the horrifying laboratory and put it firmly in the rearview mirror of their centaur tank.
6 Watching General RAAM Kill Kim
When it comes to baddies, General RAAM is often the first one who comes to mind. The hulking Locust warlord rose through the ranks until he was General of the entire subterranean army, and spent the majority of his time terrorizing every human he could from both the video game, comic, and novel portions of the Gears franchise. Out of all of these events, however, the most memorable encounter is undoubtedly when he kills Lieutenant Minh Young Kim.
It's not just the fact that it occurred that makes this event stand out, though – it's how it happened. As Kim continues fighting on in one direction, gamers witness a slow and silent General RAAM walk up behind Kim with an almost casual air. The giant mole-man is almost directly behind the Lieutenant before he realizes, but by then it's too late. As a voiceover from Queen Myrrah describes the bleak situation humanity finds itself in, Kim is picked up by General RAAM and impaled upon a serrated blade as Marcus looks on hopelessly. Delta is forced to retreat, leaving Kim bleed out at the General's feet.
Perhaps because of his reputation as a horrifying fighter, General RAAM has since been added to the Killer Instinct fighting roster.
5 The Corpser Ambush
Epic Games had a penchant for making some truly horrifying creatures, so it was almost a given that gamers would find a gigantic spider-like enemy along their way through the first game. If there's something scarier than watching the giant legs of a Corpser appear above you as the beast completes its ambush, we don't know what it could possibly be.
In the first Gears of War, Delta has been deployed to plant a resonator-like device deep down in the imulsion mines, although they weren't the first squad to accept such a task. As Marcus and Dominic make their way across an open space, the first corpser to ever directly engage the pair appears above them, its creeping legs illuminated by its plentiful orange eyes. As the fight commences, the corpser uses its many legs to shield itself, and gamers with a fear of spiders probably couldn't be blamed for setting their Xbox on fire after surviving the corpser ambush.
4 Fighting Tickers In The Dark
On a whole, Tickers aren't the scariest of enemies. They're tiny, suicidal creatures and they always make a predictable direct line to enemies, and COG soldiers can kick them away before they unload their explosive cargo. However, at one point, Gears of War 2 upped the ante and forced players to face off against a horde of tickers in a dark tunnel, where the screeching Tickers could use the cover of darkness to appear swiftly and with devastating effect.
We assume most gamers don't enjoy fighting most things in the dark, but proceeding through an abandoned underground road while things constantly explode around you has to be high up on the list of dark battles to avoid.
3 The Riftworm
Revered as Gods by the Locust horde, Riftworms are gigantic creatures that typically stretch 8-10 miles from start to finish. As an unintended consequence of using the lightmass bomb, one of these giant creatures was awakened by the COG, and was soon utilized by the Locust to eat entire cities. With impenetrable skin and an unmatched size, this was the Locust's ultimate weapon.
Eagle-eyed gamers could catch glimpses of the riftworm moving at certain points throughout Gears of War 2, but for most it was kept a surprise until Dominic Santiago pointed out that something they assumed was a wall wasn't a wall at all. Soon after, Delta-One would be eaten whole by the gigantic worm, and gamers would discover Benjamin Carmine being horrifically dissolved by the worm's stomach acid-inspired creatures soon after this. An intense series of firefights from within the riftworm soon followed, and only by chainsawing through each of the beast's three hearts would Marcus and his squad finally escape from one of the game's most intense enemies.
2 Enter The Brumak
In the appropriately titled 'Jurassic Proportions' chapter, Delta is forced to take on a gigantic Brumak for the first time. The creatures were supposedly bred from apes and formed into the towering husks they became, and often feature heavy firepower that could easily turn lone infantry into red mist. Players could hear the Brumak before they see it, as its lumbering steps echoed the scene in Jurassic Park where the cup of water shakes to each footstep.
Eventually, Marcus and Dominic are nearly run down by the monster, which ends up snapping at their heels as they retreat. The seemingly unbeatable creature only succumbs to defeat when it becomes entangled in several power lines and gets electrocuted to death, and even its lifeless corpse almost crushes Marcus as the life ebbs out of its eyes. Many gamers will remember their first Brumak encounter, as from start to finish it looked like the intrepid Delta Squad had more than met its match.
1 Is Marcus Really Dead?
Beyond any of these scary moments, none felt more gutwrenching than the moment in Gears of War 4 where JD finally finds his father and rips him out from the Swarm's cocoon. Spewing out in a trail of grotesque liquid, not unlike his escape from the Riftworm, this time Marcus slid into a lifeless heap on the ground. As JD desperately attempts to resuscitate Marcus, it soon becomes evident his efforts appear to have no effect. Delmont attempts to get JD to stop the sad display, and gamers would be forgiven for feeling a tug on this heartstrings.
As the string orchestra plays up the emotional scene, one gets the feeling that if Marcus was really coming back, that cue had come and gone. Moments after JD steps back and looks forlornly at his father's gunk-covered corpse, a guttural cough erupts from his father as his lungs expunge whatever liquid was in them: Marcus is alive, though not by much. The Coalition really nailed this scene to perfection, and we can't imagine any veteran Gears fan didn't get emotional during this gut-wrenching moment.
There's no denying that the Gears of War franchise throws plenty of horrifying enemies and moments at gamers, but we believe this list represents the scariest of the bunch. Although things like those horrifying Serapedes and surprising Juvie jump scares came at Marcus and co. aplenty, nothing can scar a gamer like fighting that blind Berserker or thinking that, after 10 years of gaming service, Marcus Fenix had really been killed by a single Snatcher.
Do you agree with this list, Ranters? What moment from Gears of War scared you the most?