It is an exciting time to be a DC fan, at least in terms of video games. Having transitioned away from the Caped Crusader’s seminal run with Rocksteady and WB Games Montreal, DC is now exploring other characters in its mythology. Gotham Knights features Batgirl, Nightwing, Red Hood, and Robin, while Suicide Squad: Kill the Justice League features Harley Quinn, Captain Boomerang, King Shark, and Deadshot. But that is not all that DC has slated in 2022 and beyond.
Recently announced was a standalone Wonder Woman game from Monolith, which previously developed Middle-earth: Shadow of Mordor and Middle-earth: Shadow of War. It will be exciting to see if the swordplay and traversal from those titles is reprised, and what other game mechanics may ensue; however, other Justice League affiliates deserve their own game as well, such as the Flash. Gameplay would surely be more difficult to design for the Fastest Man Alive, but Quantum Break could demonstrate how speed and time-based mechanics could be handled.
Quantum Break’s Time Powers Reflect Those of the Speed Force
Remedy's Quantum Break deals with time-travel as well as a slew of other related abilities, such as radial shield bubble, stasis that withholds bullets fired to strike the enemy when it bursts, a thrusting slam sending enemies hurtling backward, or a dodge that lets players dash away. The dodge in particular has high utility because if players aim a firearm during the dash it enacts slow-motion for a brief period of time, which compounded with other abilities can turn the tide against an ambush of Monarch mercenaries.
This makes for a lot of fun and dynamic combat in Quantum Break, even if combat encounters are repetitive, because powers are unlocked at a rapid pace and open up the options that players have. These powers deal with time and not speed necessarily, but the Time Dodge and Time Rush abilities in particular closely resemble what common interpretations of the Speed Force look like in DC. From anyone else’s perspective, the Flash moves at a speed that is either completely imperceptible, or with a distinguishable yellow line that trails behind him from electricity generated. But when the Flash’s speed is depicted from his own perspective, he is moving at a relatively normal speed while everything around him has slowed to a halt.
Time Dodge represents the former, where players dash in their desired direction in a quick animation that can be repeated. Time Rush, on the other hand, is a similar mechanic but represents the latter depiction, where the player races in their desired direction at normal speed while everything around them is slowed to a halt. These mechanics and how they are portrayed could at least lay the framework for how a game about the Flash might look. Yet there are many things to consider concerning a Flash game that Remedy does not have the answers for in its own gameplay. That said, Control 2 may end up featuring improvements to ability upgrades that again resemble the Flash's abilities.
Gameplay in a Flash Game Would Be Difficult to Balance
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The problem with making a standalone Flash game, similar to a standalone Superman game, is that his abilities are overwhelmingly powerful, meaning a feature-length game would be hard to make engaging the entire time. In particular, these games would have to respect the character’s power while not being overpowered, since enemies could be easily and quickly dispatched if they are not competent enough.
Then, the issue becomes having the Flash underpowered enough to make combat comprehensive, but not so underpowered that he cannot use his full wealth of abilities that fans would expect from such a game. That is why the Flash’s speed would need to be balanced carefully with regard to combat and traversal.
Many actions could be performed similar to Quantum Break’s slow-motion Time Rush effect, but players would surely want to experience the Flash’s breakneck speed and not a slow-motion effect at all times. Blink-and-miss-it actions could be left to simple animations after an input, rather than in movement or traversal. Such effects are fantastic in Quantum Break, and the rumors of Remedy developing a Doctor Strange game are all the more exciting because of its penchant for effects.
Suiting up after the costume is ejected from the ring should be its own instantaneous animation, for example, and most attacks could also be rendered instantaneously, such as if players bounce from enemy-to-enemy. Other considerations include regular attacks and what enemies players would fight for the game’s duration, and Quantum Break does not offer answers for those questions. But Quantum Break does present an interesting way mechanics and effects could be depicted in a modern AAA game featuring the Flash.
Other Titles That Could Inspire a Flash Game
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The Flash would not need to pull from Quantum Break entirely, as many other gaming iterations could also provide at least a small blueprint for potential mechanics or actions. In recent years, Flash has been most notable for his presence in NetherRealm’s Injustice franchise. Here, the concept of superheroes and supervillains battling one another is produced with the idea that characters’ abilities will be dampened or simply not as powerful as they may be in other iterations. This is because each character needs to believably be capable of defeating another character, such as Catwoman defeating Zod.
The Flash is no different, and while he maintains super-speed in many of his animations, he still moves at a relatively normal clip. If Flash was designed with his full potential in mind, he would be imperceptible on the screen at all times, and could dispatch almost every character on the Injustice roster instantaneously.
Even without that intensity, the Flash still throws fast kicks, dashes, and lunging strikes that demonstrate the speedster’s abilities adequately. It would be smart for any developer to remark upon the Flash’s earlier gaming attributions in order to determine animations and attacks that could be utilized in a standalone Flash game.
Flash would be a tricky superhero character to depict in his own game, and there is presently no rumor or speculation of any such Flash game being made. But Quantum Break’s effects make the prospect of a Flash game exciting if all other interactions in combat and traversal could be outlined in a way that is also satisfying and respectful of the character.