What was Doctor Doom up to during the Annihilation Wave? How would the master of Latveria react to an invasion of this magnitude to his doorstep? This was the first question we’ve asked ourselves while tackling the design of our second DLC for Marvel Cosmic Invasion. We knew players demanded a mode promising a lot of replayability.
The idea was to offer something that would mix a perfect combination of classic Beat Em Up combat and an evolving mode that brought a new angle and some unique challenge to the genre – something that would perfectly accompany the addition of the two new playable characters: The Invisible Woman and Doctor Doom.
Doom’s Castle Doomstadt seemed like the perfect candidate for this combination.
Design Intent
It was obvious to organize the new game mode around the duality of Reed Richards and Doctor Doom. Through voice-overs, the leader of the Fantastic Four guides the heroes through their ordeal while Doom mocks their efforts to invade Doomstadt. This notion brought us the idea of creating gauge mechanics.
As Doctor Doom’s brand new Cosmic Inductor charges up with energy to give him massive power, a Siege Gauge charges up each time the heroes get bested by enemies within the halls of Castle Doom. But every victory yields batteries charging up a Stabilizer, stalling Doom’s progress.
We thought this theme and core gameplay enhanced the classic experience of the main campaign by tackling uncharted design territories and giving more ways to interact in the midst of the combat with new equipment, new power-ups, strategies and player decisions that can change the course of each run in a matter of seconds.
The ever-changing experience
The philosophy behind the level design of our new mode was to create a great sense of navigation and surprise within the corridors of the Castle Doomstadt. We aimed to create impactful moments that can reinvent themselves in new encounters, dangers and patterns that can become familiar after multiple runs without taking out the sense of adventure.
The Siege of Castle Doom has more than five times more encounters than the main game without the addition of the new events, traps and hazards that form the environmental challenges.
Reaching Doctor Doom is no easy task. The Halls of Doom are filled with torturous medieval-era tools. Heroes will be challenged by harsh blizzards freezing the Castle Battlements. Beware of the Tower of Solitude’s treacherous elevator platforms where Doom is developing his many experiments.
But to progress through these dangerous halls, the players will have to carefully choose which direction to take by selecting themed doors.
- Equipment: Arms the player with a variety of special powers, whether they’re imposing force fields or devastating energy blasts.
- Events: Leads the heroes to an arena where the rules are temporarily changed, potentially giving bonuses or penalties, depending on the outcome.
- Heal: Gives your hero much needed healing.
- Infinite: Power-up door where the player can be gifted infinite ammo or infinite focus.
- Progression: Where your hero can collect a random amount of batteries that will fill Reed’s Stabilizer Gauge.
Build the best team against Doom
Atop the castle, Doom is charging up his Cosmic Inductor to make himself into Earth’s Champion.
Players will need to be careful to not increase the Siege Gauge before gathering enough batteries to create Stabilizers and give Reed Richards the chance to increase the hero’s efficiency with the help of Perks.
The Perks system allows for leveling up with many branches: Offense, Defense, and Tactical, all based around their own theme. Perks are applied individually to each hero. Together, they will be able to unite their different strengths to create the best possible squad. Coordinating decision making for the builds will create a clear strategy, enabling even more chances for victory. In multiplayer, an MVP system will even reward the most effective players in the runs by showcasing their statistics.
Back at the lab
When collecting Stabilizers, heroes can reach Reed Richard’s Lab where they can expand their experience and unlock even more content. All-new unlockables such as equipment, events, and modifiers will reshape your Castle Doom experience. Completing a run will unlock a brand new palette for your hero, adding even more customization to your favorite character.
We are excited to welcome you to Castle Doomstadt and give you a brand new adventure within Marvel Cosmic Invasion on November 10.
