Why a ‘Superhero’ Themed Role-Playing Game Needs to Happen

I’ve noticed that most RPG video games are more or less either medieval fantasy or galactic science-fiction. I’m not tired of it, but sometimes I would love to see something fresh. Vampire: The Masquerade Bloodlines and Alpha Protocol are great examples of games in that genre that tried something different. Both were set in a modern setting, yet one focused on the supernatural and the other on espionage. With new IPs coming out for next-generation consoles, perhaps it’ll be time for us to get a superhero RPG?

Normally, people are puzzled when I bring this topic up. How about a game like Infamous? The game does feature a protagonist with powers and players can be either good or evil but it’s missing the ‘superhero’ culture we know from Marvel and DC. Not every game with ‘powers’ falls under the that genre. I’m talking about a game set in a universe where people actually fight or commit crime wearing these iconic outfits. Imagine yourself as the protagonist who has to choose between joining the Justice League or the Secret Society of Super Villains. Choose your outfit, powers, or heck even your hero name. Sure, there’s DC Universe Online and Marvel heroes for this. I do play the former and it’s really quite enjoyable, but I think gamers still pine for an offline single-player experience similar to BioWare’s titles wherein the focus is on the story and character development. I was really excited when X-men: Destiny was announced, but it failed to meet players’ expectations upon release. If ever a developer does give this genre one more shot, what can they do to make it the one we’ve always wanted? Here are my suggestions for developers, storyline, and other mechanics.

The Protagonist?

I definitely think it would be cool for players to have their very own character. While it would be nice to role-play iconic heroes like Superman or Iron Man, I think gamers would have less freedom knowing that these heroes already have their characters pretty much established. I really liked how you could create your own hero for DCUO. You could choose your gender, a name alignment, powers, mentor, and you could design your own digs as well. Developers could go the Mass Effect route as well wherein you get a pre-set character with a name, but you still have the freedom to choose your gender, alignment, powers and history. That might be restrictive to some degree, but too much customization can sometimes project protagonists as walking dummies. With that said, I’d totally love to have a voiced protagonist and I’m sure that developers would most likely go this route if they had to make a video game like this.

I really liked how Alpha Protocol had a “timed” factor during dialogue, and I think that makes the experience more realistic with the added urgency. Morality is a cool gameplay mechanic as well, but I hope that having more points in one alignment won’t limit your options. However, I also think it would nice if you had a reputation and you could only join certain factions based on both your past decisions and alignment.  Lastly, I think this kind of game would benefit from having a squad but there can also be a time when you’ll have to face one scenario alone just like in other games.

Open World vs. Linear

When it comes to this, I could definitely see a Mass Effect style of play wherein it’s pretty much linear but there are still places you can explore to do side quests. I’m not too fond of an extremely open world for story-driven games, mostly because the world is a giant level and we don’t really see that much of unique gameplay aspects. It’s always either some quests where you kill people or ones that require you to run around.  I believe that it’s challenging to convey a story in an open world setting because it’s less controlled. Players are free to do what they want so the developers have less say in how players experience the story.

 At the same time, it wouldn’t be fun if your character could fly and you were only trapped in an enclosed and linear level mission after mission. There must be a balance between the two. I do love how Assassin’s Creed and Deus Ex: Human Revolution works when it comes to level design and their worlds. You can explore a sizable area, but it doesn’t lack in cinematic value. Yet, next-gen offerings like Watch Dogs and Infamous: Second Son aims to show us that you can marry open-world and cinematic flair in one game.  One aspect of exploring could  include the need to blend in by wearing civilian clothes. When trouble comes, you’d need to find a place to suit up. Similar to Vampire: The Masquerade- Bloodlines, it’s important to be discreet about your identity during dialogue moments and even when you’re idly exploring. Perhaps, it could work with a mix of elements from games that I’ve mentioned above.

The Setting & Storyline

I personally prefer a developer creating their own universe and stable of “superheroes” for their own game. However, I’m not against being thrust upon Marvel, DC, or any other existing universe if that were the case. The hard thing about it is getting the appropriate licenses to to use it them. Plus, developers these days are awesome at creating rich and compelling worlds. They have the power to create iconic characters and they usually don’t just stay in video games these days. Comic, movie, and television deals are big nowadays. So yes, it could be a world where the universe is used to seeing masked villains and caped crusaders. Apocalyptic scenarios can be as common as leaving your keys at home. Insurance is a big business because both superheroes and villains just like to destroy stuff. Developers could also have a universe wherein the concept of superheroes is widely known, but there’s still tension because it’s a fresh idea. Now, what kind of stories could they go for in these scenarios? I’ve listed some of my favorite plot arcs they could take a page from. I’m not saying they’ll copy it, but simply some ideas that could fit into this video game concept.

Civil War

One of my favorite Marvel storylines would have to be “Civil War.” The superheroes were divided between Tony Stark’s pro-registration movement and Captain America’s opposing group. It was basically about how the government, if I recall correctly, called for superheroes to reveal their identities and register themselves so that the public would feel safer. Theoretically, this sounded like a good idea for the general population but it definitely puts the heroes at risk by exposing their identities. The game doesn’t have to be Marvel, but it could follow along a similar vein regarding registration. This plot would also be great for a role-playing game because the story is hardly just black and grey. Plus, there would be a lot of scenarios for the protagonist to grow with the choices they would have to make. Similar plot arcs include the Avengers vs. X-men and the ongoing dissension between the X-men. This post would be too lengthy if I explain each and every one, but they are examples of stories where there’ no clear good or bad side because each party has its own heroes and villains.

“Alpha-Hero” Gone Rogue

What happens when the world’s greatest superhero crumbles under public scrutiny? The graphic novel Irredeemable explores such a concept. I loved reading this because the idea intrigued me. Growing up, I was used to seeing a selfless superhero saving the day and the population loved him/her unconditionally. I knew that wasn’t realistic. Imagine saving the day from the brink of destruction, only to face massive criticism right after. Normally, we see superheroes taking the high road but what if we had a hero who couldn’t cope? In Irredeemable, The Plutonian decimates an entire city or even more. He also enacts revenge on people who have treated him poorly before. He’s not inherently evil though. You’ll be able to sympathize  with him since he was really a good guy to begin with who had a difficult upbringing and lost his way. I like this idea for a game because in this story, The Plutonian was the world’s greatest superhero and the Paradigm (sort of like their JLA) always relied on him and they were fundamentally not as strong as him. This would be cool because your character could either be a current hero/villain, and you have no choice but to band together with other factions because that’s the only way you could have at least a chance of bringing The Plutonian down. Perhaps, you might even agree with his rationale and join his ranks?

I really liked the storyline for the video game Injustice: Gods Among Us. You could definitely sympathize with Superman more the Plutonian given the circumstances. It’ll be harder to pick out the “whiter” side so to speak. Just to brief everyone, basically The Joker drugs Superman and he accidentally murders Lois and his unborn child with his own bare hands. This results into Superman breaking the “no killing rule” and he takes the law into his own hands thinking “why save one life, when it’ll only result in the death of more?” Thus, this causes a dissension between DC’s heroes especially between Batman and Superman. This story was great, but I was disappointed that it was used for an arcade fighting game instead of something more. I remember debating with my friends about who we’d side with. I personally choose Superman and I don’t care if that’s what Joker wanted. Even if developers use their own roster of superheroes, they can still explore the whole idea of the “no killing principle” and its respective consequences through their own narrative.

Heroes & Villains vs. A Greater Evil

Probably the most common approach among the suggestions I’ve mentioned. DC Universe Online has a pretty cool concept behind it, and it makes me wonder why they keep using stories like these in a non-story driven kind of video game?

The Old Dealing with the New Generation

Kingdom Come is my favorite comic book story-arc of all time. It’s not part of DC canon, because it is under their Elseworlds imprint. Basically, all the traditional superheroes that we know are now middle-aged folks. There’s conflict brewing between the old and new generation of  ‘heroes.’ I quote the term ‘heroes’ because the new generation is considered to be largely reckless and amoral. Strangely enough, some of them are even the offspring of the traditional heroes. I think this would be a good story line to explore, regardless if you focus solely on either party or even both. What happens to these heroes once they are past their prime? Will they leave a good legacy behind? Gamers could play as a younger vigilante who could either taint or live up to JLA’s legacy.

Conspiracy Theory

Or they could also go for a Watchmen approach, by going for a “conspiracy theory” themed storyline where one of them was the mastermind after all. He/she could be inherently bad, but it’ll be much better if it was a case of good intentions executed through Machiavellian methods.  Silk Spectre and Nite Owl didn’t want to disrupt the peace Ozymandias was responsible for even if  it was the cost of the lives of millions of people. Endings like these can make players debate about their choices for a lifetime.

Who Should Do It?

I initially chose Quantic Dream for this, but then I changed my mind because combat and open worlds are uncharted territories for them. BioWare would have to be my top choice to pull off something like this mostly because they can balance action and story for the most part with their previous titles. Ubisoft and United Front games would be my other top choices as well. Ubisoft and United Front may not be experienced in RPG, but they know how to make a well-rounded game in terms of environment and story. Obsidian and Bethesda can do something like this, but I’m skeptical about that. I would also want to say Rockstar, but I’m not entirely sure about how they would tackle the genre.

Do you want a superhero RPG game too? If so, what would you want to see in it? Let us know in the comments. Here’s to hoping we’ll actually get a game like this!