Marvel 1943: Rise of Hydra brings players an opportunity to control several heroes, most notably Captain America and Black Panther. While other games have tried to put players in Captain America’s shoes, Marvel 1943: Rise of Hydra might be better off taking a less conventional approach than its peers.

Skydance Media is throwing its hat into the ring of Marvel games with Marvel 1943: Rise of Hydra. The game will take a look at Captain America in his years fighting in World War Two with the Howling Commandos. In a parallel story, that era's Black Panther is also taking to the fight, sticking mostly to the shadows. With the heroes at odds, shown about to do battle in the Marvel 1943: Rise of Hydra story trailer, and Hydra taking power, the plot will likely see them learning to set aside their differences for the greater good.

As well as controlling the two popular heroes, the player will also take on the role of Gabriel Jones, one of the Howling Commandos, and a Wakandan spy named Nanali. Naturally, these characters will each have a distinct play style. When it comes to Captain America, the developers might want to stray from his typical gimmick.

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Marvel 1943: Rise of Hydra Has an Important Choice to Make with One Iconic Character

Marvel 1943: Rise of Hydra takes players back in time to World War 2, but one major character during this era has yet to be addressed.

Captain America’s Shield Can't Be the End-All, Be-All for his Gameplay

Captain America’s shield is one of the most iconic images in Marvel’s canon, but if it’s overused, it may lose that status. Captain America is constantly tossing the shield into bad guys and bouncing it around the field, only to catch it again with style, but this is only one technique that the character uses. Obviously, the shield will play a big role in his fighting style, as evidenced in the game’s reveal trailer, but it might also be low-hanging fruit. It’s simple to think about Cap using his shield as his main weapon, but the super soldier is skilled in so many other ways, so it would be a shame not to utilize them.

Captain America’s Other Techniques

With the game including four playable characters, it’s hardly starved for ways to play, but placing each character in a box is a disservice to them. Black Panther looks to be a stealth-focused character, but fans deserve to use skills like his vibranium claws as well. Likewise, Captain America isn’t just a man with a shield; he’s a super soldier, and the game should embody all that means. Soldiers use weapons, and while Gabriel Jones will probably use guns, there’s no reason Cap can’t as well. He’s also skilled in hand-to-hand combat, as showcased in his legendary first issue’s cover art.

Including all of these aspects might be a tall order in a game that already has a lot on its plate, but representing the characters well is important. The best way to handle the diversity of each hero’s moveset might be by implementing skill trees, much like Insomniac’s Spider-Man games, which make expert use of them. If each character has their own tree with a few different branches, it would let players decide which parts of the character are important to them. Characters could have branches representing equipment, like Cap’s shield or Black Panther’s claws, or skills, such as Nanali’s spy senses or Jones’ weapons expertise. This way, characters wouldn’t only play differently than each other, but also from any other player’s version of them.

With multiple hero story lines, four playable characters, and the political powder keg of WWII, Marvel 1943: Rise of Hydra has so many threads being woven together to create the game. This means that Skydance faces a tall task with its debut Marvel title, but it has the pedigree to deliver on its ambitious plan. The story trailer shows that the idea has potential, and the characters have no shortage of fans these days. In the end, it might be how the characters are represented, and how their playstyles work, that defines this game's legacy.