Prepare to face your Doom on November 10.
What was Doctor Doom doing during the Annihilation Wave? How would the ruler of Latveria respond to an invasion of such scale reaching his very doorstep? These were the opening questions we posed to ourselves as we began work on the second DLC for Marvel Cosmic Invasion. We knew players were looking for a mode with strong replay value. The goal was to deliver something blending a perfect mix of classic Beat ’em Up combat with an evolving mode that introduced a fresh angle and unique challenge to the genre – a fitting companion to the addition of two new playable characters: The Invisible Woman and Doctor Doom.
Doom’s Castle Doomstadt seemed the ideal setting for this combination.
Design Intent
It became clear that the new game mode should revolve around the duality of Reed Richards and Doctor Doom. Through voice-overs, the leader of the Fantastic Four guides the heroes through their trial, while Doom mocks their attempts to invade Doomstadt. This concept led us to the idea of gauge mechanics.
As Doctor Doom’s brand-new Cosmic Inductor charges with energy to grant him immense power, a Siege Gauge fills each time the heroes are overcome by enemies within the halls of Castle Doom. Yet every victory charges batteries that power a Stabilizer, stalling Doom’s progress.
We felt this theme and core gameplay enriched the classic experience of the main campaign by venturing into uncharted design territory and offering more ways to interact during combat – new equipment, power-ups, strategies and player decisions that can shift the outcome of each run in a matter of seconds.
The ever-changing experience
The philosophy behind the level design of our new mode was to create a great sense of navigation and surprise within the corridors of Castle Doomstadt. We aimed to create impactful moments that can reinvent themselves in new encounters, dangers and patterns that can become familiar after multiple runs without taking out the sense of adventure.
The Siege of Castle Doom has more than five times more encounters than the main game without the addition of the new events, traps and hazards that form the environmental challenges.
Reaching Doctor Doom is no easy task. The Halls of Doom are filled with torturous medieval-era tools. Heroes will be challenged by harsh blizzards freezing the Castle Battlements. Beware of the Tower of Solitude’s treacherous elevator platforms where Doom is developing his many experiments.
But to progress through these dangerous halls, the players will have to carefully choose which direction to take by selecting themed doors.
- Equipment: Arms the player with a variety of special powers, whether they’re imposing force fields or devastating energy blasts.
- Events: Leads the heroes to an arena where the rules are temporarily changed, potentially giving bonuses or penalties, depending on the outcome.
- Heal: Gives your hero much needed healing.
- Infinite: Power-up door where the player can be gifted infinite ammo or infinite focus.
- Progression: Where your hero can collect a random amount of batteries that will fill Reed’s Stabilizer Gauge.
Build the best team against Doom
Atop the castle, Doom is charging up his Cosmic Inductor to make himself into Earth’s Champion.
Players will need to be careful to not increase the Siege Gauge before gathering enough batteries to create Stabilizers and give Reed Richards the chance to increase the hero’s efficiency with the help of Perks.
The Perks system allows for leveling up with many branches: Offense, Defense, and Tactical, all based around their own theme. Perks are applied individually to each hero. Together, they will be able to unite their different strengths to create the best possible squad. Coordinating decision making for the builds will create a clear strategy, enabling even more chances for victory. In multiplayer, an MVP system will even reward the most effective players in the runs by showcasing their statistics.
Back at the lab
When collecting Stabilizers, heroes can reach Reed Richards’ Lab where they can expand their experience and unlock even more content. All-new unlockables such as equipment, events, and modifiers will reshape your Castle Doom experience. Completing a run will unlock a brand new palette for your hero, adding even more customization to your favorite character.
We are excited to welcome you to Castle Doomstadt and give you a brand new adventure within Marvel Cosmic Invasion on November 10.
Have thoughts, questions, or benchmarks on this topic? Join the discussion on our forums.
Join Discussion ➔
Sohbete katılın