Superheroes triumph wherever they go . The countless stories that have been written about them and the variety of characters, good and bad, that fill its pages mean that almost anyone can find a story suitable for their tastes . But long ago these demigods typical of a Greek tragedy like The Iliad left the cartoons to continue growing in the cinema, merchandising and, of course, video games .
The rush caused by Avengers: Endgame , the culmination of ten years of work and more than twenty interlaced films, has made many of us wonder what will become of those heroes who have accompanied us throughout this time and where they will go after the final battle. Since 2018 there are rumors and confirmations that speak of a new video game developed by Square Enix with the Avengers as protagonists . But since we know little so far, we are ready to use our thinking cap to imagine what that video game about the most powerful superheroes on Earth would be like.
Learning from the elders
It would not be, by any means, the first time that a title based on comic characters has been proposed. These have always given game but then there have not been so many that have been transferred correctly to the consoles. Therefore, to avoid past mistakes, it is necessary to take two clear references : the Batman Arkham saga by Rocksteady and Warner and the Marvel’s Spiderman by Insomnyac , both recognized as extremely excellent video games.
In the case of Batman, its high point came with Batman: Arkham City and it is this title that should be taken as a reference. A rich, detailed and large open world serves to allow us to move through a brilliant and complex story in which nothing is superfluous. In addition, the gameplay is very varied and presents us with a Batman faithful to the essence of the comic book characters, something that the most staunch fans appreciate.
Marvel’s Spiderman turns out to be three-quarters of the same. The Spider-Man video game takes the best features of the games released in recent years and reuses them to create a very, very entertaining experience . New York is our playground, and the abundant references to the world of comics further enrich the story.
Image: Playstation.
What story to tell and who to tell it with?
As the most recent examples we have show, the film world tends to greatly influence the aesthetics and history of video games because companies try to take advantage of the pull they have and make their work closer to the fans. However, each superhero has a thousand and one versions of himself, so separating from the canon of cinema would not be a bad thing to break the mold a little bit.
Within the freedom to speculate that uncertainty grants, we humbly pose a story set in the golden age of Marvel comics and using the first group of heroes that formed the Avengers as a starting point. Thor, Iron Man, Ant-Man and the Wasp. A story set in the 60s, with the Cold War in the background, could give rise to a wide plot arc in which the group is still forming and thus justifying the appearance of new playable characters.
Square Enix’s teaser for his so-called The Avengers Project , later renamed Marvel’s Avengers , hinted that we could handle the Hulk, Iron Man, Thor and Captain America but there are many more characters that have formed, at some point in history , part of the Avengers. The game should find the balance point to give enough options but without turning it into a circus of characters and mindless appearances as happened in Lego Marvel Super Heroes , where we tolerated it because … well, because they were Lego .
The same would happen with the villains. From various types of generic thugs to fill in to the final bosses, everything must have a concordance and pose a fight in which players can combine brute force and skill with strategy . Just like Marvel’s Spiderman did with the Sinister Six, a villain alliance will be more appropriate to justify multiple bosses than if they simply appear disjointed.
Gameplay and style
An Avengers game involves a team game, with various characters on the scene and the need for them to interact with each other during the plot for the story to work properly. Although we already had the opportunity to manage several characters on a mission and insert them in Marvel: Ultimate Alliance , this game followed a similar model to the Diablo and it seems unlikely that this is the scheme that Square Enix will follow. A style more similar to Dragon Age Inquisition , in which we can choose the members of our team and decide who to handle depending on the situation or our tastes, sounds much more appropriate. Another option would be the simultaneous game of GTA V in which we cannot decide what our allies do but who to control.
Image: Marvel Studios.
Regarding the style or genre of the game, the current trend points to an open world with freedom of exploration, collectibles, different costumes or skins and many secondary missions that manage to extend the experience even after the main campaign has been completed. An action game with a powerful combat system (other than just pressing buttons) and touches of platforms, puzzles and RPG as improvements, development of new equipment and skill trees could be a real bombshell if you give it a good starring story by Marvel heroes.
The most important thing about a game like this, in addition to building an interesting and seamless plot, is that it provides a good experience for the player . The presence of such different characters would give the opportunity to explore the different abilities and play styles of each character: while Black Widow could serve for moments of stealth, the Hulk would be a tank to activate in moments of desperation (like when you take out the rotating machine gun in GTA ). All the doors are open and, although we probably haven’t given a single one, but the good thing about imagination is that it allows us to design the game that, as fans, we would like to see.
Square Enix has announced that it will present Marvel’s Avengers at E3 2019 and has already raised the expectation of fans to the clouds. Until the desired moment arrives, we have to wait .
