Despite Marvel being in the video game industry for just over 40 years now, there has never been a game centered aroundBlack Panther. The king and protector of the hidden city of Wakanda, Black Panther has appeared across Marvel media since his debut 1966, though since the2018 MCU movieBlack Panther, the character has reached a new level of stardom. It may have taken a few years, but Black Panther is finally set to appear in his very own video game, and though the studio creating it is brand-new, its developers have been around for quite some time.
Being published by EA, thisnew Black Panther game is being developed by Cliffhanger Games, a new studio with talent from across the industry. As well as developers who have previously worked on juggernauts likeCall of Duty,Halo, andGod of War, Cliffhanger Games is being led by Kevin Stephens, the previous head of Monolith Productions, the team behind the belovedMiddle-Earth: Shadow of Mordorand its sequel. While this Black Panther game is sure to have plenty of its own DNA, there are a few features it might want to borrow fromShadow of Mordor.
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What EA’s Black Panther Game Should Take From Shadow of Mordor
Monolith’sMiddle-Earth: Shadow of Mordorwas an excellent action-adventure game, andits sequelShadow of Warcame close to the same level of greatness, but was stopped in its tracks by its predatory microtransactions. When looking back on both games now, almost a decade after the first game’s release, it’s clear that there’s still a lot of potential there, and there are plenty of mechanics and features that could carry over seamlessly to EA and Cliffhanger’s Black Panther game.
The greatest featureMiddle-Earth: Shadow of Mordorcould give to Black Panther would be its combat system. Heavily inspired byBatman: Arkham’s Freeflow system,Shadow of Mordor’s combat consists of attacks, dodges, and counters, all achieved with three simple button inputs. Timing is essential toShadow of Mordor’s combat, with precise button inputs rewarding players with absurdly long combo streaks that allow them to pull off some brutal executions and special moves.Shadow of Mordor’s combat is highly accessible, but tricky to master, and that’s exactly the type of combat that should carry over to a Black Panther game.
Black Panther is an incredibly athletic superhero. In the comics and other extended Marvel universe media, Black Panther’s fighting style is usually shown to be a lot of lunges and leaps, using his athleticism to disorient his enemies before taking a quick strike and moving on to the next target. AShadow of MordorFreeflow-like combat systemwould be the perfect match for this fighting style, letting players vault over enemies, slash them from behind, leap away, and launch a gadget to finish them off.
Another big feature ofShadow of MordorthatBlack Panthercould take from is the importance of the game’s setting. InShadow of Mordor, the titular volcanic realm played a major role in not only the game’s story, but its gameplay, feeling almost like a character in its own right. When it comes to a Black Panther game, Wakanda is likely the most important setting to fully realize, and thankfully it seems as though Cliffhanger Games is already fully aware of that. In the initial press release for the game, Cliffhanger Games' Kevin Stephens states that the team is completely dedicated to creating an “authentic Black Panther experience,” and that includes making Wakanda a “rich superhero sandbox.”
Cliffhanger Games’Black Pantheris currently in development.
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