The once-canceled Daredevil game for the PlayStation 2 has resurfaced online. The best part? It’s now playable.
The prototype of Daredevil: The Man Without Fear, developed by 5,000 Ft. Studios and published by Encore Inc., offers fans of the Marvel character a bittersweet glimpse into what could’ve been.
This abandoned project, which started as an ambitious attempt to capture the essence of the blind lawyer and vigilante Matt Murdock, was full of challenges from its inception. Daredevil, despite his popularity in the comic books that later led to a live-action adaptation starring Ben Affleck, has had limited representation in video games. His only foray as a protagonist was in a largely forgotten Game Boy Advance title tied to the 2003 film adaptation.
Originally envisioned as a series of vignettes, the game’s direction shifted towards an open-world format in response to the Daredevil movie announcement. However, this change in scope led to clashes between Marvel and Sony, with the disagreements ranging from gameplay mechanics to how faithfully the game should adhere to the film’s portrayal.
The challenges didn’t end there either. The developers grappled with the RenderWare engine, which struggled to meet the evolving needs of the project. Internal strife within 5,000 Ft. Studios made the situation worse, resulting in missed deadlines and staff departures. The straw that broke the camel’s back was the persistent bickering between Sony and Marvel, culminating in the game’s cancellation.
Despite these setbacks, the allure of Daredevil’s world remained strong. The Hidden Palace’s recent unveiling of a near-final build of the game offers an intriguing, if incomplete, window into the game that might have been. The gameplay, based on the Elektra Lives Again comic, portrays Daredevil in a third-person beat ’em up style, battling his arch-enemy The Kingpin amidst a gang war in Hell’s Kitchen. Players can experience Daredevil’s unique abilities, including wall grappling and the Shadow World, which simulates his heightened senses.
While filled with bugs and relatively unfinished, obviously lacking polish, its emergence nearly two decades later (and three years after a video of it was posted online) comes timely. It coincides with a surge in Daredevil-related rumors and teases in other media. For example, Insomniac Games continues to hint at Daredevil in Marvel’s Spider-Man 2, possibly in the form of a DLC or standalone spin-off. On the other hand, Charlie Cox’s portrayal of character, which Disney made part of the Marvel Cinematic Universe with his arrival in Spider-Man: No Way Home and the addition of the Defenders Saga on Disney+, will see the small screens once again with the premiere of Echo in January, which is Marvel Studios’ first TV-MA project.
Though Daredevil: The Man Without Fear for the PlayStation 2 ultimately met an untimely end, its legacy lives on.
Speaking of 2003’s live-action adaptation of Daredevil, it’s been rumored that Ben Affleck will reprise his former role in Deadpool 3 as well as Jennifer Garner, who played Elektra, in the film and in a later spin-off.
