Disney andMarvelreleasedDr. Strange in the Multiverse of Madnessearlier this month, and since then, superhero fans have been dissecting all the critical scenes to grasp their importance. SeveralMarvelfans that also happen to be gamers have noticed a detail in one of the movie’s pivotal fight scenesthat has similarities to developer Stephen Ddungu’sSword of Symphony.
There are several superhero battles inDr. Strange in the Multiverse of Madness, with some involving the titular hero, Sorcerer Supreme Wong,Scarlet Witch, and some new faces to the Marvel cinematic universe. One of the keyMultiverse of Madnessfights involved Dr. Strange fighting an alternate version of himself using musical notes as weapons which results in an epic back and forth exchange between the two. During this fight, some eagle-eyed gamers noticed that the battle played out a lot like the in-development JRPG with a heavy emphasis on the music from Stephen Ddungu.
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Sword of Symphonyhasn’t been released yet, but Stephen Ddungu has updated his audience with a teaser video and other content through TikTok, Twitter, and YouTube, and the brief teaser clip shows his game’s protagonist using a quill to wield powerful magical notes similar to Dr. Strange’s abilities in the alternate universe. Just like in the Marvel film, players will use music inSword of Symphony’s combat, where musical notes are wielded to slay foes in a mutually non-violent fashion. BecauseSword of Symphonyhas been in development for two years at this point and Ddungu has reached about 50,000 followers on Twitter and millions of views on TikTok, there may be some truth to the suspicion.
Gamers anticipating the release ofSword of Symphonybrought the idea thatDr. Strange in the Multiverse of Madnesscopied this scene from the game, and Stephen Ddungu admitted he “wouldn’t be surprised” if they drew inspiration during some significant reshoots. Ddungu also suggests that the scene in question “wasn’t in the film’s original script and that it was a last-minute move executed at least three months afterSword of Symphonywent viral and received praise for its concept.” The solo developer has discussed music being used in combat in similar ways toSword of Symphony’s in the past and acknowledged that it comes down to the way it was done being entirely too uncanny.
Considering that bothMultiverse of MadnessandSword of Symphonyseemingly draw inspiration from Disney’s classicFantasia, both creators could’ve manifested their ideas in a similar way. Ddungu has also notedKingdom Hearts,Nier: Automata,Final Fantasy, andGenshin Impactas inspirations forSword of Symphonyand its predecessorPurpose: Versa. Although some fans have pointed out the similarities betweenSword of SymphonyandDr. Strange in the Multiverse of Madness, another claimed that the timing makes it improbable that Marvelcopied Stephen Ddungu’s ideas.
