Summary
Finding firm and consistent success in gaming can be a difficult achievement, even for the biggest of creative companies. While the Marvel Cinematic Universe is showing no signs of stopping andJames Gunn’s DCU is starting to develop, the pair of comic titans haven’t done as well in gaming over the years. Film tie-ins were the norm for what seemed like decades for Marvel andDC, but in recent years, superheroes are finally starting to get a fair shake.
DChas an impressive slate of upcoming and recently released games, though this hasn’t been without fault. A 2023Suicide Squadtitle has been delayed into 2024, andGotham Knightsdidn’t live up to its potential.Wonder Womancould reset the course towards something positive, but there are other ways that DC can succeed. Branching out into other genres could be a viable and brave way to do this, and one format could be the most primed of all: a DC game akin toMarvel’s Midnight Suns.
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Tactics RPGs can Help DC Take the Fight to Marvel
Tactical RPGs went through a period of obscurity, but games likeFire Emblem: Three Houses, XCOM: Enemy Unknown, andTriangle Strategyhave proved that the genre still has a lot to give. They allow players to spend ample time with plenty of characters, and instead of being reactive like action-based games can be, they are strategic, giving gamers who prefer a mental challenge to overcome an adversary something to enjoy. Marvel has used the philosophy to great effect withMarvel’s Midnight Suns, and while that game doesn’t have the same legacy as Insomniac’sSpider-Man, it gained a following of players who really found something to love.
Using the Justice League, Teen Titans, Justice Society of America, or eventhe cast ofYoung Justicefor a tactical RPG would easily shine a light on multiple characters at once and give players a different option that helps break up the AAA released that they’ve come to expect. Marvel has understood the benefits of this, but despite a lengthy delay toSuicide Squad: Kill the Justice League, DC is still chasing success in the most popular genres. Taking some of the DC universe and implementing it in a tactical RPG would be a fresh, and unexpected, change of pace.
DC Needs Variety to Survive
The third-person action/adventure format seems to be the norm for superhero-centric games withSpider-Man, Batman: Arkham, andGuardians of the Galaxydoing well to establish a following. It works, but with thelitany of characters that DC has, it would be a shame to not see them in a new light in the gaming sphere.Marvel’s Midnight Sunsdeploys a turn-based, tactical gameplay loop that not only brings plenty of the aforementioned personalities to one title, but does so in a way that satisfies a different audience and shows the range that the comic company has in gaming. The same can be said ofMarvel Snap, which delves into an entirely new genre, finding success as if it was a formality.
WithBatman: Arkham,Suicide Squad: Kill the Justice League, andMonolith’sWonder Womanall adopting the third-person perspective, DC is running the risk of being too rigid in its approach to gaming. If DC wants to maintain a steady foothold in an industry that it’s finding continued success in, deploying new ideas would make sense. With plenty of compelling storylines in the pages of comics and characters who have wonderful chemistry between them, a tactical RPG would have a lot of potential.
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