When Square Enix and Crystal DYnamics release the first official trailer for MARVEL's Avengers, some fans of the iconic heroes were left with a sense of uncanny valley when they saw the members of the team. While the designs themselves weren't bad, they could have used some polish.
It wasn't just the designs, though, that threw some people off, but the fact that these Avengers didn;t look like the ones from the insanely popular Marvel Cinematic Universe — which is somewhat fair, considering that most fans have gotten used to seeing the live-action version of the Earth's Mightiest Heroes for the past decade or so.
Not basing the look of the Avengers on the actors that played the characters in the Marvel Cinematic Universe is a deliberate decision made by the developers at Crystal Dynamics, since this is not the same universe, and these characters will be different, while still keeping their personality traits from the comics.
With that being said, the developers at Crystal Dynamics did draw inspiration from the Marvel Cinematic Universe, especially when designing Thor, the Asgardian God of Thunder himself, and players will be able to spot some similarities when the game finally releases next Friday.
In a recent post on Square Enix's official website, MARVEL's Avengers Lead Combat Designer Vince Napoli revealed that the team of developers drew inspiration from Kenneth Branagh's Thor(2011) — which is the fourth film in the MCU, and the third Avenger to be introduced — but the reason why is even more fascinating.
"Early on, we focused intensely on what Mjolnir does when it hits the enemy. We all know what it should do - when Thor swings his hammer at someone, it should essentially carry them off into the sunset! We wanted to capture that fantastical feel and make the weapon worthy of the name. So we invested a lot of time, energy and technology into developing this core system that lets you 'pin' things to the hammer," Napoli revealed.
According to Napoli, the inspiration they took from Branagh's film was in relation to Thor's hammer Mjolnir, and how the hammer behaved in terms of physics, and how Thor seamlessly wielded it, and was able to "pin" it to other objects; his younger brother Loki, in particular.
"And it works! We can literally pin anything to it. So at a basic level, you can throw it at an enemy and stick them to the wall! We took direct inspiration from the first Thor movie - particularly the scene when he uses Mjolnir to pin Loki to the ground. That simple moment sparked ideas for all sorts of crazy combat moves."
There is more, as Napoli also mentions that this "pinning" mechanic allows players to flow a little bit more during combat — which is one of the many reasons why wielding Mjolnir will look and feel similar to the hammer seen in the Marvel Cinematic Universe.
"For example, it’s also dynamic so if you line it up correctly, you can pin an enemy with Mjolnir, and if it hits another enemy it'll bring them into the group too. You can basically create a little pile of enemies, with the hammer sticking them to the ground.
"That was really the starting point for us. Mjolnir acted exactly as you expect it to, and it felt authentically 'Thor.' It gave us a target to strive for - from that point everything the character did had to feel just as good," Napoli concluded.
As mentioned above, MARVEL's Avengers will finally be launching on PlayStation 4, Xbox One, and PC next Friday the 4th of September, so players will have to wait just a little more in order to finally play the game, and wield Mjolnir with the same grace that Chris Hemsworth does as the God of Thunder in the Marvel Cinematic Universe.
Marvel’s Avengers begins at A-Day, where Captain America, Iron Man, the Hulk, Black Widow, and Thor are unveiling a hi-tech Avengers Headquarters in San Francisco — including the reveal of their own helicarrier powered by an experimental energy source. The celebration turns deadly when a catastrophic accident results in massive devastation. Blamed for the tragedy, the Avengers disband. Five years later, with all Super Heroes outlawed and the world in peril, the only hope is to reassemble Earth’s Mightiest Heroes.
MARVEL's Avengers will be available for the PlayStation 4, Xbox One, PC, and Stadia on Friday the 4th of September; PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X release date to be determined.