Highlights
- Wonder Woman's upcoming open-world game benefits from the relative obscurity of her homeland, Themyscira, giving it an advantage over other DC game adaptations.
- Unlike familiar locations such as Gotham City in Batman games, Themyscira offers a sense of exploration and discovery for players in Wonder Woman's game.
- Monolith's Wonder Woman has the opportunity to provide a deep dive into uncharted waters, offering a more in-depth look at Diana's home than any previous adaptation.
Following the confirmation that Monolith's upcoming Wonder Woman game will be open-world, there is already one clear advantage in its world design thanks to the relative obscurity of the heroine's homeland across mainstream entertainment. Despite being one of the founding members of DC's Justice League and arguably its most well-known female superhero, it has only been in recent years due to a push for better mainstream representation that Wonder Woman has had a much-deserved heyday from standalone films to Monolith's titular game. But with a history of being on the sidelines, Wonder Woman now has an advantage few other DC video game adaptations have had.
While Wonder Woman will be joining an ever-expanding roster of DC games such as Rocksteady's acclaimed Batman Arkham series, multiple different Lego adaptations, and even the upcoming Suicide Squad: Kill the Justice League set to release next year, these have all revolved around familiar characters and settings. For instance, as Batman is undeniably one of DC's best-recognized and beloved superheroes, people know all too well what to expect from locations associated with The Dark Knight such as Gotham City or Arkham Asylum. However, the same could not be said for Themyscira, the home of Princess Diana and what could be the backdrop to Wonder Woman's open world.
Themyscira is Still New for Mainstream Audiences
Though they might not have had the same staying power as the most recent adaptations such as Wonder Woman 1984, the DC superhero has appeared numerous times in other media from the short-lived Wonder Woman film and TV series of the same name to her recurring prominence in DC's various animated universes. But while Diana's home of Themyscira was also included in these adaptations, the island nation never saw much in-depth development as it was reduced to a setting for the story. Even the DC Extended Universe's Wonder Woman moves its story away from Themyscira as Diana and Steve travel to Europe to stop Ares.
As a result, audiences are only familiar with general surface-level information about Themyscira and know little about the nation's history, its landmarks, or its secrets. While there will be fans of Wonder Woman's extensive comic books, Monolith's Wonder Woman is likely going to draw a more mainstream audience that doesn't have the familiarity with Themysciran lore. Combined with previous adaptations overlooking Themyscira and Wonder Woman's modern resurgence in pop culture, Monolith has the ideal opportunity to finally provide players with a deep dive into uncharted waters.
An Open-World Themyscira Could Be Wonder Woman's Edge
However, the audience's unfamiliarity with Themyscira becomes an even bigger advantage for Monolith's Wonder Woman when put into context alongside other DC games. Since players have consistently revisited locations such as Gotham City across the likes of the Batman Arkham series, Gotham Knights, and both Injustice games, it is difficult to recapture the sense of exploration and discovery that open-world games traditionally call for. By comparison then, Wonder Woman could have a significant edge over previous and upcoming DC games if Themyscira is set to be part of its open world.
So long as Monolith explores Themyscira in greater detail than the likes of Roblox's Wonder Woman: The Themyscira Experience event, Wonder Woman could provide the most actualized in-depth look at Diana's home than any other adaptation, gaming or otherwise. Along with the creative freedom Monolith would have to create its own Themyscira, it could include less well-known details about the island nation from the history of its tribes to creatures such as Kangas, Pegasuses, and other mythical animals. Regardless of what direction Monolith takes though, Themyscira's current unfamiliarity and the offer of something new from a DC game puts Wonder Woman at an immediate advantage.
Wonder Woman is currently in development.