“We got this. Probably.”

The titular Guardians of the Galaxy happen across a threat of cosmic proportions as their journey, initially rooted in a lighter, mischievous situation appropriate to the ratbag shenanigans they’ve become known for, goes awry. Eidos Montreal have masterfully developed an adventure that interweaves the intimate, close-to-home personal struggles of each member of the team with a scheme that has diabolical consequences for the entire galaxy.

Blessed with choices that impact the narrative, and affecting the individual Guardians as well as the team overall, Marvel’s Guardians of the Galaxy takes players on a cosmic thrill ride from the playable perspective of the uber-charismatic leader, Peter Quill aka Star Lord. Full of laughs, action and an unexpected amount of heart, the near 15 hour adventure is an absolute blast from start to finish.

Peter is at the heart of the story in the broader narrative but also in the flashbacks to his childhood that are laced throughout the sixteen chapters, with these flashbacks informing how a thirteen year old Peter Quill would go on to become the sarcastic rebel that thrives in his own hype. His rock-star image and energetic persona have been shaped by a tragic past and the life he has lead has been born of necessity rather than desire.

For a character that stands at the forefront of a legion of cosmic adventures, galactic threats and space piracy, Peter is so cleverly grounded and brought to his knees emotionally. The way his walls are brought down genuinely lets players into the mind of a man that uses his helmet as a mask to hide the pain he can never escape. Peter’s relationship with his mother plays out in flashbacks, providing a window into his childhood on the fateful day that set him on his path to become Star Lord.

The relationship between the entire team is excellently explored and the story offers up several moments where each individual is given the spotlight, reflecting on their own tormented pasts as well as the situations the Guardians find themselves in during the broader narrative. Despite Star Lord being the only playable character, each Guardian is showcased effectively during combat and the story. For those unfamiliar with the Guardians of the Galaxy, the team is comprised of five misfits that offer varying levels of humour and sarcasm that challenge Star Lord in entertaining fashion start to finish.

Drax the Destroyer is the muscle of the group, a bulky teal powerhouse covered in red tattoos. His wife and daughter were murdered by the Mad Titan Thanos, sending Drax on a quest for vengeance that ultimately saw him defeat his family’s murderer. Drax possesses super strength and legendary hand to hand combat prowess.

Gamora is the adopted daughter of Thanos, a skilled assassin with impeccable swordsmanship. Her association with Thanos complicates her relationship with Drax, resulting in a lack of trust and a bombardment of jokes and remarks at her expense.

Rocket is, according to him, NOT a raccoon. He is however cybernetically enhanced due to his time in captivity and experimentation. He is a master marksman and regardless of how comfortable his team are with his tinkering and plans, a self proclaimed explosives expert. Rocket is incredibly sarcastic and intelligent, the former attributes frequently disrupting the team and their plans.

Groot is known as a Flora colossus, the last of his species. His tree-like appearance is accompanied by appropriately flora-based abilities that allow him to extend his limbs, wrap his enemies in vines and manipulate the environment. Groot’s vocabulary is limited to “I am Groot” though the team are able to understand him through special devices. Rocket is extremely protective of Groot and the special bond they share makes them perhaps the closest members of the Guardians.

Each of the Guardians are flawed and tormented by their pasts and it’s their collective backgrounds that bring the unlikely band of outlaws together. The team have been together for a long time when the game starts and after the adventure that unfolds they are closer than ever before. The banter between the team is hilarious and persistent throughout the story, exploration and combat. Each Guardian is so well written and their interactions are amusing without wearing thin.

There is only one thing that brings that banter down and that is the ridiculously frequent use of the word ‘flark’, obviously a substitution for a naughtier word beginning with F. It is immensely overused during cutscenes and gameplay to the point of annoyance. It was amusing at first but over the course of 15 hours it would have been used well over a hundred times.

As Star Lord players can jump, slide and platform through the diverse environments across the sixteen chapters. The story is incredibly linear and while this limits exploration to a degree, the environments offer just enough freedom in terms of alternate paths and explorable areas that hide an assortment of collectibles and outfits for the entire team. An impressive amount of outfits can be found for each Guardian, including their appearances from the 2014 film of the same name.

The combat is surprisingly well executed for a single player title and allows the player to not only cause chaos with Star Lords dual pistols, including the four elemental upgrades that come with story progression, each of the four other Guardians have a total of four abilities each that can be unlocked and can be commanded to use with ease on the battlefield.

The abilities are all appropriate to their respective skill sets, for example, Rocket can cause mayhem with his rocket launcher, Groot can bind enemies with his vines, Drax can cause wide-spread damage that affects multiple enemies and Gamora can unleash devastating sword combos. Experimenting with all of their abilities is fun and simple to execute, making combat feel more dynamic, engaging and interesting. Each ability requires a brief cool-down before they can be re-used but by balancing the use of each Guardian it is simple to manage.

One of the coolest features of combat is the Huddle Up. Throughout combat a gauge is slowly filled and when it is full, Star Lord can call the team in for a huddle. The Guardians talk to Star Lord and key words appear in the background. Once the Guardians have spoken, the player is able to choose between two dialogue options to motivate his team. Choosing correctly, by making a choice that embraces the key words floating in the background, will buff the entire team while the incorrect choice will fail to rally the team and only Star Lord will be buffed.

Regardless of success, a random 80’s track from Star Lord’s tape deck will play, turning the battlefield into an energetic war zone with the likes of Billy Idol’s “White Wedding”, Starship’s “We Built This City” or Soft Cell’s “Tainted Love” for example. These hit tracks make combat amusing more often than not though in some of the grander battles, particularly during the wealth of boss encounters, the licenced tracks can make things feel a little less urgent or dire.

Choices are integrated into the dialogue throughout the story that are fun to explore in alternate playthroughs. Some of the choices are inconsequential but others have a more dramatic impact. One of the earliest choices is very entertaining, putting the Guardians to vote on whether to sell Rocket or Groot to get money they need to pay a fine. Hearing each of the team justify their choice is hilarious and putting the verdict in Star Lord’s hands gives the player their earliest choice to change up the mission structure based on their decision.

As Star Lord levels up ability points are unlocked that can be spent on any member of the team, each with three skills overall to unlock and a fourth awarded with story progression. Components can be found in the environment and used at workbenches your upgrade Peter’s jet boots, weapons and shield regeneration for instance. It isn’t the most in-depth upgrade system but it offers enough variety to encourage exploration to upgrade everything. The inclusion of New Game + allows players to start a new game with all of their unlocks intact, making it easier to unlock everything.

Enemy variety is initially shallow but as the story progresses and the Guardians visit new worlds it opens up impressively, offering up a variety of foes that range from simple, shielded and semi-boss types that have multiple health bars. The boss battles are epic, typically featuring very large enemies that throw an assortment of obstacles at the Guardians to overcome while they slowly chip away at their large health bars.

Marvel’s Guardians of the Galaxy is a visual marvel, excelling in character and environmental designs and providing a stunning variety of locations that manage to always feel unique whether the scenes are taking place in interior or exterior settings. The story is incredibly cinematic and the seamless transition between gameplay and cutscenes showcases how beautiful the experience looks at all times.

The sound design is epic on so many levels. Weapons sound great, the different enemies each bring their own unique sound to the chaos and the score encompasses a wide range of emotions that allow for shattering dramatic beats, heart warming moments or ominous larger than life situations. Over 25 licenced tracks from the 80’s truly give Guardians of the Galaxy an added layer of humanity and energy.

Marvel’s Guardians of the Galaxy is heartwarming, tragic, hilarious and action packed, an experience that truly aims to entertain and engage on every emotional level, succeeding with flying colours. The story unfolds in a manner that is very surprising, constantly stepping up on an emotional level with each passing chapter. With fun team-based gameplay, enjoyable platforming and excellent writing, this adventure is not only essential for Marvel fans but also for players that enjoy great story driven experiences.

My every expectation was exceeded, the humour I expected was dialled up to 11 and the energy from the team and gameplay never ceased to amaze. Marvel’s Guardians of the Galaxy is a cosmic triumph for the band of galactic misfits and showcases the team in their deepest video game experience to date.

+ Excellent writing and hilarious banter

+ Fun gameplay

+ Exciting and emotional story

+ Character depth and exploration

+ Cool outfits

+ Pleasant character surprises

+ Incredible soundtrack and sound design

– Lack of secondary or optional objectives

– Excessive use of ‘flark’ becomes annoying

Developed by: Eidos Montreal

Published by: Epic Games

Release Date: October 26 2021

Platforms: Xbox One/Series X|S, PlayStation 4/5 and PC

 * A digital code was kindly provided by the Publisher to GameNewsAus which I reviewed on behalf of the team *

– Additional Links –

For more of my reviews, click HERE.

To see this review and other multi-platform content from my associates at BG4G, click HERE.

To see all the latest news and reviews from the team at Game News Aus, including this review, click HERE.

Don’t forget to also follow Games of DAYNE on: Twitter, Facebook and YouTube!

All digital photography in this review was captured on an Xbox Series X by Games of DAYNE

The post Marvel’s Guardians of the Galaxy Review first appeared on Games of DAYNE.

My reaction? Marvel’s Avengers is excellent, offering extensive customisation of outfits and skills to allow players to comprise a team of Avengers the way they want. My full review can be found HERE, originally published on the eve of release of the standard edition after putting in over 60 hours. My review coincided with the launch of my website, gamesofdayne.com.

But how do I feel after nearly doubling my playing time? Has the honeymoon phase of this game I have waited so long for wore off? Was I viewing it through the lens of a, and I hate the term, “fanboy”? Maybe a feeling of repetition and lack of endgame content has tired me from wielding the hammer of a god or the shield of a patriot. This new feature intends to tackle these questions to look at things after the initial excitement and a “One month later…” feature will follow these titles.

With over 100 hours in Marvel’s Avengers on Xbox One so far I have managed to complete the story and every mission chain and individual mission in the Avengers Initiative multiplayer component. I have leveled 5 of the 6 launch heroes to the level cap of 50 and have kitted them out in all Legendary grade gear. On a mission to be the first player to unlock all of the Achievements on Xbox I was met with several broken Achievements, some that unlock for others while some don’t unlock at all. I have 625 registered Gamerscore in this title, with another 225 that should have unlocked, including for completing the story which I did in a single sitting inside my first 36 consecutive hour play session. What’s left?

I may have done all of this in a short period of time but I am by no means anywhere close to being done with this game.

Having played less than a dozen games with other players, my AI composed Strike Team that primarily consists of Thor, Captain America, Iron Man and Hulk (alternating which of these 4 I play as) have tackled the toughest missions on the highest difficulties. Several of these missions have been replayed to grind levels and gear with absolutely no feeling of repetition or tedium.

Marvel’s Avengers is simply a lot of fun. Each character feels so distinctly different that by mixing up which character to play as, their unique play styles keep the game feeling fresh and engaging. Certain heroes have advantages such as flight that add a different dynamic to a character such as Captain America for instance. Instead of simply flying to the top of a building I must use a combination of wall-running, somersaulting and clamouring as Cap to reach these same heights. It’s these subtle changes to the gameplay that keep it fun and different.

Having put extensive time in with each character it surprisingly took mere minutes of my first experience as certain heroes to establish my favourites. Thor is life. Wielding that hammer and raining down lightning on a field of foes is something I am yet to tire of, a feeling I can’t see being diminished for months at the very least. Captain America follows close behind with his excellent melee combat, traversal techniques and of course, his iconic shield to sling around and deflect projectiles with. While I also enjoy Iron Man and Hulk, Kamala is my least favourite character to play as but that by no means equates to a lack of enjoyment to play. She has her own strengths and weaknesses, as do the others, that keep my playtime with her different and still fun.

For someone so driven by Gamerscore, while the broken Achievement situation disheartens me, Marvel’s Avengers is a very rare exception to my typical approach of moving on from a game when there are no more Achievements to unlock.

Once the state of the Achievement system is fixed, and I obtain my glorious 100%, I will not be done. I will continue to play this daily.

The prospect of new heroes, missions, stories and regions that are to come free of charge for years to come excites me immensely. While I could happily rotate through the current roster of 6 for months to come, this new content will make it even easier to justify a return and sink hundreds more hours in. Marvel’s Avengers is just getting started and so too is my preparation and acknowledgment that this one is going to be a part of my life for years to come, starting with the free next-gen upgrade. As a Marvel fan there is plenty to love, as a gaming fan there is a ton of engaging aspects to appeal to even the harshest of critics. A non-invasive micro-transaction ecosystem is something I am actively monitoring, keeping my eyes out for any exciting new outfits that my heroes can don as I put in the work.

Hawkeye and his protege Kate bishop have already been announced as the first post-launch characters, with Kate arriving first alongside Operation “Taking AIM”. This will lead into Hawkeye’s arrival in Operation “Future Imperfect”. This pair of highly trained archers should be a lot of fun to play with, each introducing some undoubtedly epic melee and ranged attacks and skills.

In a controversial move, Spider-Man has been announced as a playable hero but he will be exclusive to PlayStation. While this segregation of content between players has been universally panned, I personally remain un-phased. While Spider-Man should be available to players across every platform, this title can and will succeed without him. Marvel’s Avengers has shown what it can do with 6 characters already, with god knows how many more to come. There will be enough variety and heroes to choose from to keep the core experience intact and refreshing.

With a great story and a seemingly never-ending multiplayer component on offer, single player and multiplayer fans have something to at least try. There has not been a super hero themed game of this scope to date and Marvel’s Avengers offers a lot of hope not just for its own future, but that of others that will follow. I will be back for more, every single day. Every event, every challenge, I will be there. I don’t think I have never been so engulfed in the enjoyment of a video game experience as this has done for me so far. The thought of such an extensive roadmap of content excites and terrifies me at the same time. Marvel’s Avengers is poised to consume my video game life for years to come and I can’t wait to see what’s in store.

The post One Week Later… with Marvel’s Avengers first appeared on Games of DAYNE.

The Avengers are no strangers to video game appearances. Over the years we’ve seen Earth’s Mightiest Heroes in various incarnations including standalone and team-up titles. As the sun sets on the current generation of consoles, Marvel’s Avengers is finally here and poised for next gen with a free upgrade. 

Featuring a highly cinematic single player campaign alongside a vast offering of co-operative missions, 6 heroes are available to bring the fight to A.I.M. (Advanced Idea Mechanics) forces. With several more heroes set to join the playable roster post-launch, as well as new regions and missions all free of charge, there is a lot riding on Crystal Dynamics’ original take on Marvel’s iconic property. If Marvel’s Avengers is to be the foundation of a healthy, long lasting games-as-service title, it has hit the ground running.

“Fall from grace”

Marvel’s Avengers is essentially broken down into two components. “Reassemble” serves as the single-player campaign, which also has a generous range of missions that can be completed co-operatively with AI or up to 3 other players. “Avengers Initiative” is the meat of the game in terms of longevity and depth of content. Every mission here can be played co-operatively and features a large variety of mission types not found in “Reassemble”. Players can choose which one they would like to play immediately from the main menu and can be switched between as they please in-game. By playing through the “Reassemble” campaign the roster of 6 characters gradually unlock alongside their narrative re-introduction after the fallout of the thrilling opening set piece. Alternatively, diving right into the “Avengers Initiative” allows players to get into the co-operative chaos, with all 6 characters available immediately. Naturally, a slew of spoiler-filled missions are present as it takes place post-campaign.

It would be unwise to start detailing Marvel’s Avengers without first diving into the story as it provides not only context but the foundation of the universe that Crystal Dynamics have set out to establish. Kamala Khan is introduced as a teenage Avengers super-fan invited to the VIP area of a celebration of all things Avengers, known as A-Day. After submitting a piece of fan-fiction to secure her spot, Kamala explores this expo and meets the heroes she idolises. This playable introduction beautifully portrays the innocence of Kamala and sets her on a journey of self-discovery and emotional growth, transforming her over the course of the approximately 10 hour campaign from a star struck regular girl into an empowered woman, drawing strength not just from her new-found abilities but her convictions and experiences.

The attack on the Golden Gate Bridge, as heavily advertised and showcased, sees a simultaneous assault on the Avengers Helicarrier that is loaded with terrigen, a mutagenic mist that mutates the cellular structure of those it comes in contact with. This acts as a tutorial for each of the 5 main Avengers, Thor, Iron Man, Hulk, Black Widow and Captain America. A brief sampling of each character and their unique play styles culminates in the destruction of the Helicarrier, releasing the terrigen to infect the masses in attendance of the celebrations. Tragically,  the patriotic Captain America goes down with the ship.

In the wake of these events and the testimonial of Hulk’s human counterpart Bruce Banner, the Avengers are condemned and disband, blamed for the tragedy and transformation of innocent civilians into super-powered anomalies referred to as Inhumans. Doctor George Tarleton managed to escape the Helicarrier before its destruction and over the course of the 5 years that followed the tragedy, has brought A.I.M. to strategic prominence, hunting down the Inhumans to keep the world “safe”.

Affected by the terrigen, Kamala too has become Inhuman, developing the ability to transform her body, stretching and enlarging her limbs. Suspecting foul play of Captain America’s demise, Kamala hacks into A.I.M. servers and in doing so asserts herself as their most wanted. On the run, Kamala follows a series of leads in an attempt to reassemble the Avengers and uncover the truth.

Bruce Banner accompanies Kamala on her quest and offers emotional depth to the story that drives home the fact that this man feels responsible for the events from 5 years ago, an inescapable guilt that torments him without relent. An emotional reunion with Tony Stark/Iron Man reignites hope for the Avengers and the potentially sinister truth behind what transpired on the helicarrier with the loss of Captain America. While Kamala is on the run trying to discover the truth, A.I.M. mastermind George Tarleton is slowly mutating as a result of his exposure to the terrigen and the regenerative serum he is regularly administered from biochemist Monica Rappiccini. His decent into unrecognisable disfiguration culminates with his inevitable transformation into M.O.D.O.K. (Mechanised Organism Designed Only for Killing).

Before all is said and done, as well as their iconic hero alter egos Bruce Banner and Tony Stark are playable in all their broken and, in Tony’s case, egotistical human glory. The ability to play as their humanity grounded personas brings depth to the men behind the masks so to speak in moments that feel more personal. After an emotional roller coaster of events and epic reunions, the Avengers take a final stand against M.O.D.O.K. in a dramatic finale that is as grand in scope as the highly cinematic journey that preceded it. Kamala’s growth in particular defines the adventure, inspiring hope in the Avengers that they ironically had done for her throughout her childhood.

Packing in platforming elements, stealth sequences and epic action set pieces, a lot of influences are clearly on display from the likes of the Uncharted and Tomb Raider series’ that keep the experience fresh and dynamic. The conclusion of the “Reassemble” campaign story is far from the end of the journey and the missions continue beyond the closing credits. As has become standard for the extensive series of films in the Marvel Cinematic Universe, known as the MCU, players keen for tidbits into the future of Marvel’s Avengers long term narrative expansion will want to stick around for a tantalising pair of mid and post credit scenes.

“Avengers Initiative”

While it is encouraged to play through the “Reassemble” campaign to familiarise with the different Avengers and experience the main story, “Avengers Initiative” can be accessed as soon as the game is loaded up. As with the campaign, missions are presented in an assortment of different types such as War Zones, Drop Zones, Sabotage and Hives to name a few, with even more to be added post-launch. These each have different requirements for completion and are varied enough to remain interesting and engaging. With Faction Assignments and Iconic Mission Chains focused on specific Avengers as pleasant companion pieces, the missions themselves are in abundance and the War Table screen they are accessed from refreshes regularly, bringing new ones to complete.

Rearing it’s head however is a sense of repetition in the environments these missions take place in. While there are a number of regions, quite often the same specific areas are revisited but with alternate objectives. Remaining fun to play, it’s a shame there isn’t more variety in the playable environments within the different regions. Littered throughout the fairly sprawling environments, which are significantly more open than the campaign, are an array of points of interest that appear on the map. Accessible by using the Tactical waypoint system and audio cues from Iron Man’s AI Jarvis, these points have chests to open, high profile and better loot dropping targets to eliminate, Depots to raid for high tier resources and more.

“Avengers… Assemble”

While “Reassemble” offers an epic and big screen worthy narrative, Marvel’s Avengers bones exist in its gameplay. Unlike most superhero titles that have paved the way, the gameplay on offer feels far more unique and layered, due almost in its entirety to the incredibly diverse play styles of each of the 6 heroes. Each hero moves, attacks, defends and traverses the environment differently than each of the others.

Kamala Khan/Ms. Marvel uses her ability to elongate her limbs that allow her to swing from horizontal objects such as light posts andtree branches as well as platforms and ledges. Able to increase the size of her limbs as well, enlarged hands and feet make for short work of A.I.M. forces.

Hulk may feel a little slower than one might expect but his strength is unrivaled, causing mass and widespread devastation on the battlefield. With an incredible vertical leap that increases with succession, Hulk can cover a lot of ground very quickly to bring some serious raw physicality to the combat.

Tony Stark/Iron Man is more than just a suit of armour but it’s his suit that brings the fight with a primary focus on ranged attacks. Armed with his trademark repulsors, lasers and rockets also bring a healthy dose of varied firepower. Able to hover and fly, Iron Man brings verticality to the combat and can bring a top down advantage to his companions fighting on the ground.

Natasha Romanova/Black Widow brings incredible agility to her fast paced melee combat, getting up close to her foes before lethally and swiftly disposing of them. Equipped with a grappling hook to provide a vertical edge, Widow is a swift pocket rocket of an assassin that can cause a lot of damage while seamlessly evading those who mean to cause her harm.

Thor Odinson, the god of thunder and self-proclaimed mightiest Avenger is a weapon in melee and ranged combat. With his trusty mjolnir in hand, Thor is able to summon lethal doses of lightning at range or to infuse with his melee combat to devastate the opposition. Like Iron Man, Thor can hover and fly, making him an undeniable asset in the sky or on the ground.

Steve Rogers/Captain America brings his iconic shield and superhuman physical conditioning to the battlefield. Able to wall-run and somersault jump, Cap can cover a lot of ground very quickly before punishing his foes with his shield up-close or at range.

“I can do this all day”

Missions are selected from the War Table and are spread over a handful of different regions. Each mission has a title, a default difficulty which can be changed and highlights the objective and rewards. Some missions are also part of a Mission Chain, meaning there are several missions that are required to complete in a small but connected narrative.

Missions are comprised of single or multiple objectives that include the likes of securing an area by defeating all enemies, destroying objects or holding an area in king of the hill like fashion to name just a few. Before a mission is even started, players are able to choose their Strike Team that is comprised of 4 Heroes. Aside from their chosen playable character, the other 3 Heroes can either be selected and controlled by AI or other players via online matchmaking. Matchmaking can be toggled to allow players to play alone with AI if they do not wish to play with others. The AI throughout either “Reassemble” or “Avengers Initiative” are actually smart and actively engage and assist in combat and the completion of objectives. They are more than competent in assisting a player that chooses not to play via online matchmaking.

Faction Missions become available via story progression with S.H.I.E.L.D and Inhumans, each offering Assignments which are essentially challenges to complete and earn Faction XP. This in turn increases Faction Rank and opens up the range of items that can be bought from Faction Vendors. There are 8 Assignments that can be simultaneously acquired from each Faction and completed throughout regular play and refresh daily. Each faction also offers a Villain Sector mission which refreshes every few days that offers high tier rewards for completion after a punishing boss battle.

The gameplay is excellent, feeling completely unique when switching between the different heroes. The diverse mechanics of each character screams replayability with the addition of new skills through the skill trees and playing as the different characters, injecting a positive amount of life into a title that has plans for extensive longevity. With melee and ranged attacks for each Avenger, as well as their unique trio of customisable and upgradeable Heroic abilities, each character brings a lot to the combat. When looking at defense, the way each character handles evasion, blocking and parries is unique too, with each feeling distinctly different.

“Where’s the H.A.R.M?”

A series of wave based combat challenges exist within the H.A.R.M. (Holographic Augmented Reality Machine) Room. Each hero has their own mission to complete here and there are 5 that can be completed with any hero. Priority H.A.R.M. Room challenges are available that will truly the test the strength of a Strike Team. As with all of the co-operative based missions, these can be completed alone with AI companions or actual players. The Priority missions in particular can be pretty unforgiving and unrelenting. Going in alone is manageable but it will take a powerful Strike Team to get the job done in this fashion.

“Not all heroes wear capes”

Each hero has extensive customisation options that range from cosmetic appearances, epic takedowns, unique nameplates, impressive skill trees and gear. All of these can be changed at any time in or out of a mission in the menu.

There are an impressive number of skins available at launch that can be unlocked by story progression, as rewards for their individual Hero Challenge Cards, purchasing from vendors as well as completely optional micro-transaction purchases, all of which will be covered in this review. These are purely cosmetic and do not alter any stats. Drawing inspiration from an overwhelming history of comic based material, Crystal Dynamics have proven their intent to allow us as players to have “our” Avengers “our” way. Any skin equipped to any Avenger, as well as skills and gear, will be present on these characters when they accompany the player as AI members of their Strike Team in the co-operative missions.

“Gear of war”

Loot is a heavy part of the core gameplay loop in Marvel’s Avengers, regardless of playing the “Reassemble” campaign or “Avengers Initiative” co-operative component. Frequently and generously rewarded from random enemy drops, hidden strongboxes or for completing missions, loot is present in common, uncommon, rare, epic, exotic and legendary tiers in the form of gear and artifacts. High tier items drop with regularity and assembling a full legendary loadout is achievable with ease.

Gear relates to one of four slots for each hero. The higher tiers of loot come with passive stats boosts and perks, further enhancing the strength of a hero. These range from increased chances of causing critical or elemental damage, enhancing the strength or duration of abilities, ability recharge rate and so much more. The variations of buffs is incredibly diverse and initially overwhelming.

In a move that is sure to be divisive, the equip-able gear provides its stats and buffs without altering the cosmetic appearance. Whatever skin the player has selected will not change based on the headgear or braces they may have equipped. Personally, I love this as far too often in other titles players are forced into having their characters look like a disconnected jigsaw puzzle of armour or clothing purely because of the stats each component increases. I would not be interested in my Thor having the head of an android with a fire covered glove and ice-laden boots purely to have an increase to attack and defence for instance. Player feedback on this subject is already loud and it remains to be seen what will happen here.

Artifacts provide additional buffs and perks that are also tiered, with higher tiers offering multiple effects or perks simultaneously. These come in Minor or Major variants, with two Minors able to be equipped and a single Major.

Cosmetic and gear vendors can be found in the two outposts in-game, one of them on the Helicarrier and another in a Resistance outpost led by a face familiar to Marvel fans. These are bought using the in-game Units currency and refresh regularly. Faction Vendors are an additional source of gear and cosmetics that are locked behind Faction levels for completing their unique Assignments.

“I am Mighty!”

There are 3 skill trees for each hero in the form of Primary, Specialty and Mastery. Primary offers a wealth of new techniques or enhancements to Light, Heavy and Ranged attacks as well as Intrinsic Ability branches, the latter of which is a recharge bar that affords each Hero unique attack and/or defensive capabilities. The Specialty skill tree offers sub-branches for each heroes Support, Assault and Ultimate Heroic abilities as well as Movement. Finally, Mastery contains branches for Melee, Ranged, Intrinsic Ability and Intrinsic Overcharge. Intrinsic Overcharge is achieved by filling the intrinsic meter through combat and activating it either passively or manually via unlocked skills or abilities.

These trees are locked behind Hero Levels, requiring the Hero to be of a specific level before new skills become available to unlock. Skills are unlocked by spending Skill points earned by gaining experience from missions and combat, awarded with every new level reached. Experience is gained at a very generous rate, allowing for a reasonably paced progression of the skill tree and its opening up of new ways to play as your favourite Avenger.

Each hero has such unique abilities and alternate attacks that these skill trees open up, truly empowering the player to focus their build towards Melee or Ranged or a healthy balance of both. By reaching the Hero Level cap of 50, all skills will be unlockable, resulting in a hero that is a powerful force to be reckoned with up close or at a distance.

“It’s over 9,000!”

There are 2 key leveling systems in Marvel’s Avengers that each play a different role:

Hero Level – This relates to each individual hero and only increases when experience is gained as a particular character. For instance, playing as Thor will only increase Thor’s Hero Level and having Thor as an AI member of the Strike Team will not earn him experience. The player must play as the Hero to earn experience. The Hero Level cap is currently 50.

Power Level – This rating applies to the gear equipped to a hero. Gear Power Levels can be increased by upgrading via the character gear hub in exchange for various resources found through progression, exploration and combat. The Power Level cap is currently 150.

Power Level acts as the difficulty measure. The higher it is, the more effective the character will be in combat. Missions are also balanced by difficulty levels which are changeable as mentioned. Taking on the higher difficulties with a low Power Level Avenger will be disastrous and borderline impossible. It is encouraged to alternate between Heroes during missions to ensure a balanced team. By gaining experience as each Avenger the player is able to effectively assemble a Strike Team comprised of any combination of characters that can be a force to be reckoned with. 

“Challenge Accepted”

Similar to the Battle Pass system adopted by other multiplayer titles, Marvel’s Avengers has a Hero Challenge Card for each hero. Comprised of 40 tiers and rewards such as crafting resources, in-game currency (Units) as well as micro-transaction currency (Credits), skins, takedown animations, nameplates and emotes. Players are able to complete daily and weekly Hero Challenges to progress through these Challenge Cards and unlock goodies for each hero with no time limit attached. Two daily challenges and two weekly challenges can be completed for each hero, awarding a total of 64 challenge points per week if all are completed. As each Hero Challenge Card maxes out at 200 points, it’s a rather reasonable rate of completion for those interested in getting the most out of their favourite Avengers.

Tiers are able to be skipped to unlock the rewards without putting in the time or work by using the Credits micro-transaction currency purchasable through the market place using real world currency. Credits can be bought in quantities of 500, 1,000, 2,000, 5,000 and 10,000, with the higher tiers coming in at a discounted rate to provide more value. This currency can be used as mentioned for tier skips in the Hero Challenge Cards as well as in unique skins, emotes, takedown animations and nameplates that can only be found in the marketplace which is refreshed at regular intervals.

“Don’t judge a (comic) book by its cover”

The visuals are stunning with environments in particular feeling authentic and vast. Featuring canyons, snowy wastelands, high tech building interiors and sprawling cities to give you an idea, great attention to detail has been taken with their construction and the result is an often breathtaking wonder. Criticism has been drawn online to the character models, large in part due to the lack of resemblance to the high profile and beloved MCU while a vocal minority also simply do not like their designs. Online feedback aside, the models look great, feeling original and different enough to very clearly be a part of something new.

The sound design is impeccable with the score feeling truly epic when the stakes are high and hauntingly solemn to convey the emotion and drama of the narrative beats. The sound effects feel authentic and it is incredibly satisfying to hear Thor’s hammer and lightning or Iron Man’s repulsors firing. Boasting an incredibly talented and renowned voice artists, Marvel’s Avengers hosts names synonymous with epic video games and an assortment of Marvel animated projects. Troy Baker (Bruce Banner), Nolan North (Iron Man), Laura Bailey (Black Widow), Travis Willingham (Thor), Jeff Schine (Captain America) and Sandra Saad (Kamala) all deliver excellent performances but it is perhaps Baker’s Banner and Saad’s Kamala that steal the show with their brilliantly raw and emotional scenes.

“Earth’s Mightiest Hero Experience?”

Marvel’s Avengers is an incredibly ambitious project. With long term plans to rollout more heroes, regions, missions, cosmetics and more over the years, all completely free, a lot is riding on the success of this game. Bringing an excellent campaign and an ever expanding co-operative multiplayer service together is no small feat. Crystal Dynamics have have delivered a title that is fun, engaging and full of replayability due to its customisation offerings in terms of play style and character variety.

This incredible presentation of an iconic franchise is an absolute blast to play and it offers a foundation for an experience to become something far more grand than it has already established. Marvel die-hards and casual fans alike have a lot to sink their teeth into and Crystal Dynamics haven’t even scratched the surface with what’s to come. Marvel’s Avengers is a definitive Avengers video game experience. Catering to fans of highly cinematic and action packed single player storytelling as well as multiplayer games-as-service titles, there is something here for everyone.

Final Verdict

+ Excellent gameplay variety within each Hero

+ Stunning environmental design

+ Epic story and potential of expansions

+ Incredibly deep customisation offerings

– Repetition in mission environments

Games of DAYNE Rating

Developed by: Crystal Dynamics

Published by: Square Enix

Release Date: September 4 2020 (Deluxe Edition September 1 2020)

Platforms: Xbox One, PlayStation 4 and PC

The post Marvel’s Avengers Review first appeared on Games of DAYNE.