Marvel 1943 Writer Talks Wakanda, Cap/Black Panther Dynamic
The upcoming Marvel 1943: Rise of Hydra puts players in the shoes of Captain America and Black Panther as they become uneasy allies to stop the Nazis during WWII. If that wasn’t already enticing enough for you, the game comes courtesy of Skydance and Amy Hennig, a director and writer on titles like the first three Uncharted games and Legacy of Kain series.
Up to now, Marvel’s crop of triple-A games have all been set in the relative present, but Hennig spoke with Entertainment Weekly about how the game is informed by the WWII setting. As she tells it, it let her and co-writers Marc Bernardin and Todd Stashwick tell a story in the vein of action-adventure films set in that era. Think of a “guys on a mission” movie where Nazis get killed or beat up, and it sounds like you’ll have a good idea of what to expect here. The ultimate aim, according to Hennig, is to provide players with “the look, feel, and sound [of] watching a great Marvel movie or TV show, but you’re driving the action.”
Since Marvel 1943 is a “globe-trotting stories,” players will go to a variety of locations, including occupied Paris and Azzuri’s home nation of Wakanda. In the game, it’s isolated from the outside world and protected by an “impenetrable jungle,” but Hennig said the Wakandans are “pulled into” the war. Much as they’ve taken a non-intervention stance, “the world is getting smaller, and they have to protect their interests. […] You can shoot down planes that maybe want to fly over Wakanda, but how long can you stay in the shadows?” That question will be explored through Azzuri and Steve’s eyes, plus their respective primary allies, Wakandan spy Nanali and Howling Commando Gabe Jones—all four are said to be playable throughout Marvel 1943, so they’ll all likely have something to say on the matter.
:max_bytes(150000):strip_icc():format(webp)/Marvel-1943-Rise-of-Hydra-01-121224-3ab812b589ea4a4ba8004f7b64c5a70b.jpg)
As for Cap and Panther themselves, Hennig said this Steve is still a bit green as a soldier, whereas Azzuri’s got more experience and maturity under his belt. The trailer from earlier this year gave an idea of how that first meetup will go, but like all “guys on a mission movie,” they’re united by their concerns “about the same events that are transpiring.” Nothing brings people together quite like fighting Nazis, which could ultimately be the core message of the game and Marvel stories in general: “Good people have to work together to overcome evil. If you separate, then you’re not going to succeed.”
Marvel 1943: Rise of Hydra is expected to release in 2025 for PC, PlayStation 5, and Xbox Series X|S.
Want more io9 news? Check out when to expect the latest Marvel, Star Wars, and Star Trek releases, what’s next for the DC Universe on film and TV, and everything you need to know about the future of Doctor Who.