 |
| © Marvel Entertainment and Square Enix |
By Evan Lewis, Entertainment Weekly
Whatever fans thought of the reveal of Marvel’s Avengers at
the Square Enix E3 showcase on Monday night, the question remained: How
does it play? That question has been answered, at least partially, by a
hands-off demo available to view on the E3 show floor. EW checked out
that demo, and then sat down with lead designer Philippe Therien and
lead producer Rose Hunt to find out more about what it will be like to
take control of the superhero team.
Gameplay is a “hybrid melee and shooting game,” says Therien.
Building
on the San Francisco scene from the trailer, the demo featured melee
combat sequences for each of the game’s current Avengers — Thor, Iron
Man, Captain America, Hulk, and Black Widow — along with some
specialized sequences based on their individual skills. Melee combat
sequences appeared to be fairly standard third-person action with some
added Avengers flair. Thor has plenty of special abilities related to
throwing and recalling his hammer, Iron Man hovers above the fray,
firing projectiles at opponents, Hulk smashes, etc. Iron Man’s specialty
section appeared to be sort of an on-rails shooter in the vein of Star Fox or Panzer Dragoon,
while Hulk’s involved some light platforming and Black Widow’s became a
one-one-one martial arts boss fight between her and the demo’s villain,
Taskmaster.
Some levels are designed for specific Avengers, but others let the player choose.
The
demo on display showcased a very linear section of gameplay, but
Therien and Hunt promise other missions in which players will be able to
approach situations however, and as whoever, they want. Throughout the
campaign, certain story moments will require players to embody specific
heroes, but for other missions, they will be able to choose their
favorites. Even in the context of single hero, Therien teases some
degree of choice. “You’ll be able to pick the skills that you like,”
Therien says. “So you might play your Captain America differently than
mine.”
The game will cover plenty of ground the MCU has never touched.
From
the beginning, this game was designed as a new take on the Avengers
story (hence the lack of MCU likenesses). Eventually, the game could
host team-ups that have only happened on the page, if at all. “This is
our own take on the Avengers, so who ends up joining the Avengers is
really up to us,” says Therien. Adds Hunt, “We’re certainly going to
have some villains that you’ve only seen in the comic books before.”
New heroes and regions will be added at no additional cost.
In
addition to the core five Avengers, more heroes will be added, along
with new areas to explore and new villains to combat. All of these
additions will come at no additional cost to players who own the game.
“We’re going to be expanding this roster for years to come,” says Hunt.
The game will be balanced to let every hero stand out in co-op play.
With
someone like Thor and someone like Cap working toward the same
objective, things could potentially get a little unbalanced, but Therien
says the level design has been crafted with each hero’s strengths in
mind. “You’ve got Black Widow who is a human with amazing skills, and
then you’ve got Hulk who’s nearly indestructible, and you’ve got a god.
So putting all that together, [balancing for co-op play] couldn’t just
be numbers,” Therien says. “When you’re playing co-op, the environment
and the enemies create situations where, at any given time, somebody can
shine.”
COMMENTS