There are a few phrases out there that must be carefully muttered in front of videogame fanboys and fangirls. Say any of these phrases too loudly, and said fans will deteriorate into a screaming and frothing husk of what used to be a human being: Marvel. Diablo. Free-to-play MMO. Today, we must warn you, all three of these sacred words must be muttered in order to describe Marvel Heroes. Commence the screaming.
There are a few phrases out there that must be carefully muttered in front of videogame fanboys and fangirls. Say any of these phrases too loudly, and said fans will deteriorate into a screaming and frothing husk of what used to be a human being: Marvel. Diablo. Free-to-play MMO. Today, we must warn you, all three of these sacred words must be muttered in order to describe Marvel Heroes. Commence the screaming.
Let’s dissect each of those factors. The game Marvel Heroes is a dungeon crawler set in the popular comic book universe. It’s being created by Gazillion, which in turn is run by David Brevik, the previous executive behind Blizzard North and Diablo (I and II). It will run on Unreal Engine. It’s being written by Brian Michael Bendis (Ultimate Spider Man, New Avengers, Secret Invasion), and the game will be free to play.
It looks like The Avengers aren’t the only super team building something amazing this summer.
In Marvel Heroes, players will put themselves behind the suit of one of their favorite superheroes in an isometric perspective. While twelve characters have been officially revealed so far (including Deadpool, The Thing, and all of the Avengers characters from the film), Gazillion has promised an extensive roster that reaches all the way into the deepest obscurities of the Marvel universe, including Squirrel Girl.
Thought picking which of the five classes in Diablo III you wanted was hard? You might as well start thinking about who you want in Marvel Heroes now. Hulk Smash sounds pretty good. But wait, what about spider man’s web-slinging? The Black Widow’s close-quarters combat? Decisions, decisions.
No super hero roundup would be complete without a competent super villain, however, and Marvel Heroes is bringing the goods. This time around, Dr. Doom of Fantastic Four fame has gotten his hands on the dimension-altering Cosmic Cube, and it’s up to you (and your hero friends) to team together and fight your way through.
It’s clear that Bendis’ Diablo influence has found its way all over the game, from the traditional isometric hack-and-slash gameplay to the dark, candle-lit castle of Dr. Doom. We can’t wait to see what kind of dark influence he’ll have on confirmed areas like Manhattan, Hell’s Kitchen, and Mutant Town.
“I’ve been a big Marvel fan for all of my life,” said Gazillion president David Brevik. “Marvel Heroes represents the combination of Marvel IP with all of the knowledge and experience I gained creating Diablo. It is a dream come true. I’m excited to unveil Marvel Heroes and share this revolutionary MMO with both gamers and Marvel fans.”
It seems like the perfect time for this game to come to life. The Avengers continues to sell in the number one spot and broke box office records. Diablo III sold millions of copies at launch and proved that the dungeon crawler is addicting as ever. If all goes according to plan, we’ll be seeing a multi-million dollar franchise that appeals to everyone.
While we’re desperate to learn when the release date on this sucker is, the gameplay featured in the first trailer gives us hope that we’ll be fighting crime soon.
