Why The DC Fans Will Never See The Flash Game?

Given The Flash’s recent appearance in the Suicide Squad game, I wonder why we haven’t seen a game solely based on the Flash yet. His presence has been acknowledged in many games like Injustice and DC vs Mortal Kombat but his inability to receive an open-world game raises questions.

Just have a look at the character’s popularity and extensive comic material. It’s frustrating to think about what’s stopping DC from making a Flash video game. Let’s be honest here: it’s been tough for the Flash fans recently. We could use a win, okay?

As a DC fan, I will tell you the multifaceted challenges of bringing an iconic speedster to life in the interactive world. Let’s look at his abilities and find out the demanding adaptation.

The Lightning-Fast Flash

Flash is one of the most famous heroes of the DC universe. In reality, Flash is the mantle shared by Jay Garrick, Barry Allen, and Wally West. With his gifted speed, Flash has been involved in many critical events in DC’s history, mainly the Flashpoint. 

Flash possesses powers such as dimension travel, accelerated healing, enhanced reflexes, and whatnot. He can lead to mass destruction just by delivering a punch with the force of a white dwarf star. However, all of these abilities are out of the question when to be incorporated into a game.

Difficulties With Flash’s Super Speed

One major problem in making a standalone Flash game is the demanding technicality behind his super speed. Although I am no game developer, I believe capturing the sensation of lightning-fast speed with smooth gameplay is not a piece of cake.

The developers must balance speed control along with engaging mechanics to ensure the running of the game without disorientation. The complexity of designing a game while keeping up with the rapid movements of Flash proves why we still have not heard about such a project.

Flash’s Combat

DC’s traditional combat mechanics, like ArkhamVerse, may not translate well for the speedster. Like what would you expect if Flash ran into someone? Or what would happen if he punched someone with full potential? Will the game stop?

The actuality is that Flash will catastrophically disintegrate a human if ran into them at full speed. Similarly, his solid punches will pierce through the opponent’s body, smashing them. Flash pulls his punches and controls his speed; otherwise, he will be the most dangerous entity to handle.

The developers will have to put additional focus on the combat mechanic. It will be necessary to put a seamless combat system that leverages his speed and allows players to make quick strikes and dodges. 

We have seen fast-moving characters in games like Infamous before but they weren’t fast like the Flash. 

Applying Time Travel 

Flash quite often breaks the time barriers by tapping the Speed Force. This acts as a medium that allows him to travel through time. Flash creates time paradoxes by changing the past events, ultimately altering the timeline.

Implementing time travel will require storing and managing numerous states of the game’s world. Different versions of the future based on the changes of the past will necessitate the game to keep track of multiple timelines simultaneously. 

This way, the world will be huge and demand a big budget and greater storage, eventually exceeding the present hardware capabilities.

Expansive Map

It is not unknown that Flash can travel the globe in milliseconds. For that, world design should be highly detailed and immersive, requiring the game engine to render the areas instantly. It will be essential not to limit the setting to Central City like Gotham in ArkhamVerse. Instead, a GTA-like free-roam setting is a better vibe to go.

I believe it will be nearly impossible to render fast enough with the current technology to keep up with the Flash’s speed.

The Flash’s Cancelled Open-World Game

Bottlerocket Entertainment and Brash Entertainment once collaborated with Warner Bros. on a standalone “The Flash” video game set to release in 2009. Unfortunately, the game never saw the light as Brash Entertainment went out of business in 2008. 

In this game, Wally West would take the role of Flash and speed around in Keystone City and Central City. The game’s events were supposed to occur in America, and Justice League members were planned to appear as supporting cast members. The concept art revealed the game’s villains, such as Professor Zoom, Captain Boomerang, and Captain Cold.

Note: The canceled game’s unseen footage can be viewed on Unsee64’s YouTube channel.

We Won’t Receive The Flash Game

The problem of inexperienced gaming staff in Brash Entertainment and Bottrocket’s inconvenience in paying salaries served as the primary reasons for the scrapping of The Flash game. Otherwise, it could be a game-changer.

Currently, the goal of making the Flash game seems unattainable with the technology in hand. Even if any company does try to make it happen, the game will eventually break. My guess is that the Flash fans will have to wait another decade to see the fastest man alive in the open-world setting.