Summary
Arkane’s made a pretty big name for itself from the first-person perspective, but that’s about to suddenly take a turn whenMarvel’s Bladeadopts a third-person perspective. This over-the-shoulder angle obviously isn’t anything emergent in today’s standards, but for Arkane it’ll be the first third-person game it’s developed, making that somewhat of a big deal. BetweenArkane’sDishonoredandDeathloop, there’s been a foundation the studio could lean on with parkour and hand-oriented mechanics from a first-person perspective.
Players can climb, leap, and maneuver in specific ways, and their avatar’s right hand traditionally holds a primary weapon while their left hand holds a tool, ability, or another weapon in dual-wielding. It seems like that’ll still hold true inMarvel’s Bladeas seen in the game’s initial announcement teaserand subsequently shared concept art, where he’ll be swapping between a katana, a revolver, and other items such as grenades or stakes. Blade will likely have some sort of Dhampir-related abilities, too, and seeing how all this comes together in third-person will be an exciting and refreshing change.
Marvel’s Blade Will Be Arkane’s First Third-Person Game
Adapting Arkane’s Gameplay to Third-Person Will Be an Interesting Dynamic
Marvel’s Bladebeing third-person seems only to fully display the titular character at all times. Arkane Lyon’s never had a problem with making sure its protagonists shined through their dialogue and hand motions when their facial expressions and body language couldn’t be seen in first-person, but in third-person players will get the entire package for Blade’s portrayal. Character animations will now require more than the protagonist’s hands, too.
Marvel’s Blade’s concept artgives a glimpse of what this could all look like with Blade’s full character model in view, sneakers and all. Seeing Paris from this perspective will also allow players to scour rooftops and have a much wider POV than usual, heightening the game’s potential draw distance and demonstrating even greater environmental design.
Third-Person Pros
Brand-new perspective for Arkane, making it one of the studio’s most unique games. See Blade at all times in all his glory with character animations that Arkane games haven’t gotten to play around with before. Wider POV. Camera can now rotate around the character and will be able to show off more of each environment.
Third-Person Cons
Could take away from how distinct Arkane’s games are with an identity centered wholly around first-person until now.
Marvel’s Blade Could Change How Future Arkane Games are Designed
Depending onhow development ofMarvel’s Bladegoes, Arkane could consider developing other games with a third-person perspective in the future. It’s well-known for its first-person games and suddenly swapping a possibleDeathloopsequel to third-person would need to be for good reason, butMarvel’s Blademay help set a precedent for Arkane that allows it to stretch its legs further and find even more ways to be one of the industry’s most artistically adept studios nowadays.
It’s not unheard of for a studio to radically change its design philosophies, as seen withGod of War’s substantial overhaul in the Norse saga, but becauseDeathloopwasonly released back in 2021 it seems like a fairly large transition in such a short time. Either way, it’s a shift that’ll surely benefitMarvel’s Blade, especially if it’s still able to embed Arkane’s signature features and style. This may or may not have any effect on whether aDeathloop 2or new IP will stick with third-person or swap back to first-person, but if it’s successful it could determine a new avenue for Arkane.
Marvel’s Blade
Marvel’s Blade is in development at Arkane Lyon, which developed Deathloop and Dishonored. It is a mature single-player third-person adventure game set in Paris, where players take on the role of the titular and beloved comic book hero.
