Of the myriad AAA superhero games currently in development, EA Motive’s Iron Man is among the most intriguing. The likes of Spider-Man and Wolverine have already received high-profile, well-reviewed game adaptations in the past, and while Iron Man isn’t necessarily a stranger to the world of interactive entertainment, his footprint is certainly less pronounced than many of his compatriots. This makes his game enigmatic, and therefore fascinating.
Perhaps part of the reason why characters like Spider-Man and Batman have received more high-quality video games than other superheroes is their relative weakness in relation to, say, Superman. Batman is highly capable, but still just a mortal, and while Spider-Man has superhuman strength and reflexes, he is far more feeble than his peers in The Avengers and the X-Men. This makes it easier to develop complex and engaging game mechanics around their canon abilities. Iron Man, with his powers of flight and mass destruction, poses a more challenging, but also more interesting, dilemma, so it will be interesting to see how EA Motive handles such abilities in its Iron Man adaptation. Some of the famed character’s powers will be more important to nail than others, though.
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The Iron Man Video Game Needs to Nail Flight
Flight Is an Essential Part of Iron Man’s Toolset
Flying can be tough to get right in games. Something like Spider-Man’s web-swinging requires constant player engagement and expression, and is tied to physics systems that provide a sense of tension and realism. Meanwhile, flight is weightless by definition, and clear blue skies don’t provide much in the way of obstacles or other interactive elements. As such, soaring through the air often loses its luster in video games, since there’s no opportunity for mastery.
But flight is one of Iron Man’s defining traits, perhaps even his most recognizable ability. Rarely is Iron Man seen walking, running, or driving a car: flight is his primary method of transportation. With this in mind, EA’s Iron Man adaptation will have no choice but to overcome the aforementioned mechanical issues of flight systems in games, as there’s a good chance that the activity will consume most of players’ time. Other games, such as Marvel’s Avengers, have featured satisfying flight mechanics for Iron Man, but these instances are limited; a stand-alone Iron Man game will require a far more fleshed-out system.
How the Iron Man Game Could Soar to New Heights with Its Flight Mechanics
The greatest hurdle facing superhuman flight design in video games is the inherent lack of challenge that such a concept represents. After all, plenty of games have good airplane-flying mechanics, but that’s because there are airplane-related systems that require mastery. Planes can’t turn on a dime or stop and hover in midair, for example. But perhaps the adherence to real-world physics and mechanical constraints seen in games like Ace Combat would be a good source of inspiration for Motive’s approach to Iron Man.
Iron Man is still bound by the laws of physics, so flight mechanics that require careful management of inertia and momentum could make for satisfying gameplay. For example, players who go full-throttle and reach max speed can do so at the cost of handling and deceleration speed, putting them at risk of crashing. It would be a bridge too far to limit Iron Man’s fuel or anything of that sort, but perhaps a rigorous upgrade system could make for higher-level engagement with flight mechanics as well, as players could toy with stats like weight, acceleration, and handling, not unlike a racing game’s customization features.
EA Motive
- Date Founded
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July 13, 2015
- Headquarters
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Montreal
- Services
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EA Play