Summary
Skydance was finally ready to share a look at its now-titledMarvel 1943: Rise of Hydralately and did so with a stunning real-time story trailer. Peppered throughout it is the same grainy European set piece imagery laced with an undercurrent of Hydra’s insidious occupation, only this time it revealed its four protagonists in full as well as the actors who are portraying them. The reveal trailer forMarvel 1943: Rise of Hydradidn’t spend much time focusing on Gabriel Jones and Nanali, though, and instead chose to cast a spotlight on Captain America and Black Panther’s budding animosity when they first meet in person.
It was smart to centerMarvel 1943: Rise of Hydra’s reveal trailerfirmly around Captain America and Black Panther and how apparently and unfathomably gorgeousUnreal Engine 5.4’s fidelity will be for the game. That said, seeing how much cinematic emphasis is being put intoMarvel 1943, especially toward its two larger-than-life superheroes, begs the question of whether two other playable protagonists being thrown into the mix was reasonable after all.
Marvel 1943’s Cinematics Mean Its Gameplay Needs to Be Remarkable
Of course, one downside toMarvel 1943: Rise of Hydra’s reveal trailer is the fact that it’s played its hand early and shown how extraordinary its graphics will be before a glimpse of gameplay could be revealed as well. It’s great that Skydance has been able to produce something thatlooks this lifelike and immaculate on Unreal Engine 5.4, creating more comparisons to a live-action movie than a game cutscene.
But unfortunately what this will achieve is creating a nearly impossible demand for legitimate gameplay sequences inMarvel 1943: Rise of Hydrato meet that same standard of fidelity. Considering what’s been accomplished with current-gen hardware thus far, there only seem to be a couple of options Skydance will take from here: eitherRise of Hydra’s gameplay fidelitymatches that of its cinematic fidelity but gameplay itself is on-rails and restrictive to ensure that, orRise of Hydra’s gameplay fidelity fails to match that of its cinematic fidelity and is lambasted for that.
Gameplay not being satisfying or at least on the esteemed level of anAmy Hennigtitle would surely be disappointing sinceRise of Hydrais a game after all and crisp cutscene cinematics won’t always make up for gameplay that is seen as lacking in comparison—not to mention that each playable character is expected to have different gameplay mechanics.
Many games have put visuals forward over a ton of intricate mechanics and that could be perfectly fine forMarvel 1943: Rise of Hydra, too, but if that’s the case it’s somethingAmy Hennig and Skydancemust get out in front of to guarantee expectations aren’t blown out of proportion.
Marvel 1943 Can’t Undercut Gabriel and Nanali
With Captain America and Black Panther being as prolific and iconic as they are, it only makes sense that Skydance would structure a reveal around the household names that uphold its Marvel game. That’s how Skydance is going to sell the game aside from its frankly absurd photorealism—puttingCaptain AmericaandBlack Pantherfront and center.
But it’s not a ‘Captain America and Black Panther’ game; it’s a ‘Captain America, Black Panther, Gabriel Jones, and Nanali’ game, at least based on what’s been shared about it. Gabriel and Nanali weren’t omitted from the reveal trailer and yet if someone didn’t know there were four playable characters they couldn’t be scolded for thinking it was a standalone Captain America or Black Panther game, much less a two-protagonist Captain America and Black Panther game, withGabrielandNanalisimply framed as side characters.
They aren’t NPCs, however, and while their gameplay sequences may be inherently less immediately interesting when Captain America and Black Panther are around, Gabriel and Nanali deserve equal attention. With any luck,Marvel 1943: Rise of Hydra’s next trailer will offer an intimate look at its other two protagonists and hoist them up to the pedestals they need to be on in order to compete for players’ interest in the same way.
Marvel 1943: Rise of Hydra
WHERE TO PLAY
In the chaos of war, worlds collide. Captain America and Azzuri, the Black Panther of the 1940s, must overcome their differences and form an uneasy alliance to confront their common enemy. Fighting alongside Gabriel Jones of the Howling Commandos, and Nanali, a Wakandan spy embedded in Occupied Paris, they must join forces to stop a sinister plot that threatens to turn the havoc of WWII into the ultimate rise of Hydra.
