Summary
While it was officially announced back in July 2023, very little is known about EA and Cliffhanger’sBlack Panthergame, aside from the indication that it’ll be a single-player action-adventure game, likely giving players some kind of open-world version of Wakanda to explore. With so little known about the game, that means that anything could theoretically be on the table, and there are plenty of great superhero games forBlack Pantherto draw inspiration from.
Naturally, one of Black Panther’s most obvious sources of inspiration would beInsomniac’sSpider-Manseries. Making its debut in 2018, there are now three games underMarvel’s Spider-Man’s belt, all of which capture the core essence of the superhero’s identity while exploring new routes and putting fresh spins on classic villains and comic arcs. Gameplay-wise, Insomniac’sSpider-Manseries continues to outdo itself, with each new entry improving upon an already excellent traversal and combat system. There’s a lot EA’s Black Panther can learn fromMarvel’s Spider-Man, but there’s also one area in which it can easily surpass its inspiration.
EA’s Black Panther Can Easily Outdo Spider-Man’s MJ Missions
Spider-Man’s MJ Missions Have Always Been Divisive
By far the most controversial aspect ofMarvel’s Spider-Manhas always been itsMary Jane Watson-focused missions. In the firstMarvel’s Spider-Man, every few hours or so during the game’s main story, players would be forced to hang up their Web Shooters for one mission, and instead play as Mary Jane Watson, who in this continuity is an investigative journalist on the hunt for a new scoop. These missions are essentially short stealth sequences that have players slowly make their way past enemy guards, distracting them with environmental objects along the way.
The purpose of these MJ missions – and some Miles Morales missions later on in the campaign – is to break up the game’s pacing. Insomniac’s thinking is that if players are always experiencing intense Spidey action, then it’ll eventually grow stale or wear the player down, so theseMJ stealth sequencesare designed to stop that from happening while also giving players a fresh perspective on the world and its characters. However, these missions quickly became a point of controversy whenSpider-Manfirst launched in 2018.
While pacing is a vital component of any video game,Spider-Man’s MJ missions slowed things down a bit too much, and the gameplay contained inside these missions didn’t hold a candle to the level of enjoyment fans got from swinging around New York and fighting bad guys.Marvel’s Spider-Man 2made the bold decision to bring MJ missions back, overhauling them with new stealth mechanics that evolved naturally throughout the game. Though the new and improved mechanics went a long way in makingSpider-Man 2’s MJ missionsmore bearable, they were still far from perfect, breaking up the rest of the game’s addictive action a little too much.
Black Panther’s ‘MJ Missions’ Can Be Much Better
While it’s probably best forEA and Cliffhanger’s Black Panther gameto just focus solely on its titular hero, there are ways that it can implementSpider-Man-like pacing breaks without having them be quite as controversial as that series' MJ missions. Put simply, this game could briefly put players in the shoes of a different character, just as long as it ensures a high level of action is maintained across all of the game’s missions.
Thankfully, there are two Black Panther characters who would fit the bill nicely. A member ofBlack Panther’s Dora Milajesuch as Okoye would be a great secondary character for EA’s Black Panther game, giving players a different type of combat to explore to break up the game’s pacing while still being engaging. Shuri would be another great choice, with her penchant for high-tech weaponry allowing for another different style of action gameplay.
Marvel
Marvel is a brand associated with a wide array of popular superhero comics, movies, television shows, and merchandise. The company owns the rights to popular characters like The Avengers, Spider-Man, Black Panther, Deadpool, and many more.
