Outside of some out of place games-as-a-service features, Marvel’s Avengers is a strong action game that tells a fantastic story. The characters are all fun to play as, and the mission variety is much more diverse than the beta led me to believe. It’s not perfect, but there’s a lot of single and multiplayer fun to be had with Marvel’s Avengers.
Marvel’s Avengers
Developer: Crystal Dynamics
Price: $60
Platform: PS4, Xbox One, and PC
MonsterVine was supplied with a PS4 code for review
I wasn’t completely sold on Marvel’s Avengers when I played the beta with MonsterVine staff last month, as it felt repetitive and overall bland. As such, I was pleasantly surprised to find that the full game had plenty of excellent content that is fun for both action game enthusiasts and Marvel fans. Its status as a game-as-a-service is a bit confusing, but the game is an overall blast.
The story of Marvel’s Avengers follows teenager Kamala Khan, a young Avengers fan who goes on to become Ms. Marvel. While attending A-Day celebrations, Kamala and many others are hit with Terrigen gas after a villainous group attacks San Francisco, turning them into powered Inhumans. The Avengers are caught off-guard, leading to the death of a team member and the disbandment of the team after the public turns on them. Five years pass, and it’s up to Kamala to find the Avengers and get them to assemble once again in order to stop the ominous AIM from taking over all of society.
The narrative takes a hard look at the Avengers and why each of them is so important to the team. It’s a smart move by Crystal Dynamics to put players in the perspective of Kamala, as she’s as big a fan of the Avengers as many of the people who will play this game. This makes it easier to put yourself in the world of Marvel’s Avengers, making the struggles of each Avenger feel more personal. The way the game looks at Bruce Banner and Tony Stark in particular is impressive, as it emphasizes the contrasting guilt and pride that each feels respectively towards the Avengers as a whole. Thor feels like a bit of an afterthought, unfortunately, but he still has some excellent moments in the story. MODOK and AIM serve as fantastic villains for this iteration of the Avengers, as you can see why the world turned to AIM following A-Day. It’s also rare to see MODOK used effectively in such a big product without him being a joke, so I appreciate this take on one of Marvel’s stranger villains.
“Sandra Saad deserves a special mention for how well she portrays the excited fangirl and emotional openness of Kamala throughout the entire campaign.“
The gameplay of Marvel’s Avengers is action-based, as the game drops you into various open stages and tasks you with multiple objectives. You’re able to freely explore environments if you choose to, or you can head straight for the main mission if you’re in a hurry. The side objectives in each level, typically Inhuman rescues and gear/loot chests that are guarded by foes, are quick enough to not feel like a hassle. A lot of missions boil down to “fight this expanding mob of enemies,” which can get a bit old if you play for long periods of time. The combat is still satisfying and fun, so switching between Avengers is recommended to keep things fresh.
The gear system is a bit confusing, as your character has a level and a power level, while missions have their own power levels that seem to fluctuate with your character’s power level. Gear increases your power level, but since the power level of a mission goes up with yours, it’s hard to tell if you’re well-equipped for a mission or not. The customization that comes with gear is fun to experiment with, as my ranged-focused Iron Man will differ greatly from someone else’s melee-focused Iron Man, all as a result of the gear they’re equipped with.
There’s lots to do after the main story, including new smaller storylines and character-based “iconic missions” that add more depth to the world of Marvel’s Avengers. From seeing Cap’s leadership in action while taking down an AIM satellite to playing as Hulk and destroying AIM’s gamma research, these missions provide the Avengers with extra characterization, while also unlocking new gear and cosmetics for your favorite character. There are also shorter missions that provide you with currency and gear, which can be easily completed in 5-10 minutes. They’re not the most fun or unique missions, but they serve their purpose as small and easy quests.
The games-as-a-service side of Avengers feels out of place and entirely tacked-on, as you never really get enough currency to purchase any of the content that rotates throughout the various stores. Earning faction points and some of the many, many currencies doesn’t let you unlock most things on the Marketplace even after completing the campaign and some post-game content (and the conditions required) feel inconsequential. I think a regular progression system that unlocks content as part of missions would have been the way to go, as the current system doesn’t feel like it fits the rest of the game especially well.
“[…] even the goofiest multiplayer sessions make you feel like part of a real team, which is a huge plus for an Avengers game.“
Though I’d recommend playing through the singleplayer campaign, multiplayer is the most fun way to approach the postgame. It’s ideal to play with friends, as strangers won’t always have mics, making some missions far more challenging. The best sensation that Marvel’s Avengers provides is the feeling of awe that comes with fighting together as The Avengers. Flying around as Iron Man while your friend smashes an enemy into the ground using the Hulk with assistance from Captain America is incredible. So is just messing around with your friends, but even the goofiest multiplayer sessions make you feel like part of a real team, which is a huge plus for an Avengers game.
The voicework in Avengers has grown on me since the announcement, where I was somewhat skeptical about the well-known cast. Troy Baker brings a lot of nuanced anxiety to Bruce Banner, while Nolan North perfectly balances ego and vulnerability with his take on Tony Stark. Sandra Saad deserves a special mention for how well she portrays the excited fangirl and emotional openness of Kamala throughout the entire campaign. She really nails it and makes Kamala feel like a believable, optimistic kid, which is incredibly important since she’s the heart of the story.
One of the main problems in Avengers is the frame rate, which takes a bit of a dive in the later busier levels. For the majority of the game, you won’t notice any major drops, but when it does drop, it drops hard. I can see why it happens, as the game looks sharp and impressive overall, but it can get very rough at times.
The Final Word
Marvel’s Avengers is an all-around fun title that does justice to the Avengers name. Some of the features feel tacked-on and the framerate can be inconsistent, but the excellent story, enjoyable character building, and endlessly entertaining multiplayer make Avengers quite mighty in its own right.
MonsterVine Review Score: 4 out of 5 – Good
