The Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness movie features a very distinct fight scene featuring musical notes, but fans of an upcoming indie game claim that the scene has been ripped from development footage of the title. Having seen the footage himself, the developer believes it is “highly probable” the Doctor Strange 2 fight sequence was taken from the music-based JRPG Sword of Symphony.
Fighting enemies with music in Dr. Strange 2
The Doctor Strange 2 fight sequence in question features the titular superhero conjuring up a bunch of glowing music notes in mid-air before they’re flung towards his enemy. Sword of Symphony is almost entirely based on this mechanic, as seen in footage developer Stephen Ddungu has posted on Tiktok and Twitter. The audio design is also incredibly similar during the sequence. If you’ve seen the movie, take a look at the trailer below and see what you think.
Many fans have been pointing out the similarities between the two. Ddungu acknowledges the idea of fighting with music is not unique, but he did tell Kotaku that “the way I express the idea is original, not necessarily the core idea itself, and that other franchises that use the concept do it in their own unique ways”. As far as the Doctor Strange movie goes, he said:
“Based on a multitude of primary sources that support the notion they did, I’d say it’s ‘highly probable’ and I wouldn’t be surprised if it was true. Therefore, all the sources (which quote the people who made the film directly) strongly imply the scene wasn’t in the film’s original script and that it was a last-minute move executed at least three months after Sword of Symphony went viral and received praise for its concept. So when everyone’s telling me they ripped off my work, after scrutinizing the surrounding evidence, I can understand why people have that view.”
Ddungu feels like Marvel Studios “could have executed the idea in their own unique way” rather than creating a scene that “everyone has pointed out looks like an attempt to copy mine with infinitesimal changes”. In the future, he hopes studios like Marvel will credit those from whom they draw inspiration.
In other news, Test Drive Unlimited Solar Crown has been canceled on Xbox One and PS4 so they can concentrate on making a true next-gen experience. Elsewhere, Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2 will likely get a marketing deal on Xbox for exclusive content.
