Marvel Snap dev Ben Brode recently explained why Second Dinner added Ego, a living planet location that plays both players' cards for the match, to the game. Locations play a key role in every Marvel Snap game, forcing players to improvise no matter how strong their decks may be. Ego is somewhat counterintuitive, however, as it plays the game for players. Why Second Dinner thought that was an exciting addition to Marvel Snap is interesting, to say the least.
In every match of Marvel Snap, there are three locations. They are hidden at first, with a location revealed each round. These locations each dramatically alter the landscape of the game. They can make cards more powerful, restrict card usage, or even destroy other locations. Ego is a rare Marvel Snap location, but easily one of the most impactful. As soon as Ego is revealed, whether it's turn one or three, both players lose control. Ego's AI will decide what cards to play, and ultimately who wins.
Brode explained to IGN that Ego's design started in the opposite direction. Second Dinner was selecting locations for Marvel Snap and considered Ego as a possibility. Brode says the team asked what a sentient location would do, to which they figured, "maybe it would play your cards for you." Rather than start with the idea of a location that controls the game, they started with Ego and decided to design it in a way where he could control the game.
What clinched Second Dinner's confidence in Ego as taking control of the game, though, is Marvel Snap's unique Snap mechanic. While players can't play their own cards while Ego has control, they do control when to Snap or when to retreat. That makes an Ego match much more like poker, where the betting is much higher stakes and where folding can save a player from a bad gamble.
While Brode doesn't mention it, Marvel Snap players can also likely appreciate the fact that they can take their hands off the steering wheel for a game. There's no tension regarding outplaying an opponent. Ego will decide who wins and who loses, and there's a randomness and fun in it that's not really found in other games.
Ego also has a card counterpart. The Agatha Harkness card starts in Marvel Snap players' hands and will play their cards for them. It's a way for Marvel Snap players to choose to let the AI control their game rather than being surprised by Ego as a location. It would be interesting to hear whether Ego or Harkness came first in Second Dinner's design of Marvel Snap. That's a story for another time, though.
Marvel Snap is available now on PC and mobile devices.
Source: IGN
