Review for Marvel's Avengers. Game for PC, PlayStation 4, Xbox One, PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X and Google Stadia, the video game was released on 04/09/2020
It has been on everyone's lips for months, and in the last period we have approached the exit deceiving the wait with a series of insights: after a long wait and postponement, we were finally able to get our hands on Marvel's Avengers, the latest effort by Square Enix and Crystal Dynamics, assisted by Marvel. We have been waiting for it for a long time, with great expectations, then partially resized after trying the beta. The preview test made us change our mind a bit compared to the first sensations that the first mission aroused in us, a real gem of animation, dynamism and storytelling. We have changed our minds again, at least in part, with the final version of the game in our hands.
A MODOK mine
It is now useless to go around it, as it has been public knowledge for some time: in Marvel's Avengers our task, in what is most likely only the first story arc, will be to reunite the group of the Avengers after their defeat following the happenings in San Francisco. The references to Divided Avengers, Infinity and some other original story arc, born in comics, are obvious. Thanks to these numerous connections and a fairly well articulated and scripted plot, Marvel's Avengers campaign undoubtedly deserves to be addressed as it captures and entertains, even if that feeling of small emptiness remains. Certain characters could have been done more, improved and deepened (especially villains) who instead only make brief appearances and then be relegated to not too complex secondary storylines. Even the main villain, MODOK, did not seem the best we could aspire to: with the huge pool of evil characters from which it was possible to fish, considering that we are talking about a house that has 80 years of history, the choice is not for us. it seemed too bright. MODOK is however a villain who enjoys a certain respect, as well as the AIM, greatly re-evaluated in the last period, however one could dare more, especially on the characterization of the leader.
As for the narrative sector, however, we reserve the benefit of the doubt again as, being the title structured as a Game as a Service, we expect a lot in the months to come, thanks to the Initiative. In fact, the plot does not end properly with the main campaign but continues within the multiplayer component, which will certainly be the future engine of Marvel's Avengers..
Something we really enjoyed was the characterization of the main characters: heavily criticized before release, the incarnation of the Avengers of Crystal Dynamics is much more faithful to the original than expected. This version of the Avengers is a good mix between the film version and the paper version, in which Kamala Khan, a new character for those who do not follow the comics, falls in an excellent way. Living most of the events in her shoes helps us to identify ourselves better in the story, as well as making us better know the new Miss Marvel, whose personality can only capture the player / spectator. However, we also expect more space for the other heroes, both old and new, such as Hawkeye and Spider-Man, which we already look forward to with trepidation.
Avengers, unite!
The gameplay of Marvel's Avengers does not invent anything absurd but does, without any kind of forcing, its job: it is fun. Once with the joypad in hand, the mad desire to unload all the arsenal of Iron Man or the fury of Thor on our enemies will invest us in full, without forgetting of course all the rest of the cheerful gang (more powerful on Earth). Both in the campaign, with the exception of some missions, and in the Initiative, it will be possible to play in the company of friends or other players in matchmaking. If you are obsessed with secondary objectives, however, it is better to avoid casual pairing with other players and opt to play with someone you trust or alone, accompanied by bots: in fact, we have repeatedly rushare the main objectives without being able to pay attention to the objectives. additional, to secure additional resources or equipment. Without this, playing in company is not something fundamental to face the missions but it adds spice to the already fun gameplay of the title. The GDR-like drift, with the skills to be unlocked for each hero, gives further depth to the gameplay which, during the beta, we could not perceive: there are in fact three different skill panels to consider, two more than seen in the version with early access. It is thanks to these that it will be possible to customize, and even a lot, your approach to clashes without an excessive expenditure of skill points, but rather a careful planning according to what lies ahead. The synergies between heroes become important when playing in company, giving immediate and spectacular results. The equipment is also important, more for the enhancement of the statistics than for the abilities they will be equipped with: the latter in fact will acquire a certain importance only in the late game, when the challenges will become more demanding. In this respect, therefore, we lose a little in depth but always choosing the appropriate equipment for the situations will still be something that will pay off.
However, despite being spectacular, Marvel's Avengers pays off in other respects. The fights, while fun to engage in, will become too confusing when the enemies assault us in large numbers. We will be able to make use of the heroic moves at first, to thin out and reload the life bar, thus trying to take a breather, but it will still come to the moment when we will not even understand where the attacks will come from, despite being present the various position indicators. It is logical to make a comparison with the combat system of the Batman Arkham series, to which many titles now refer: that of Avengers is probably more dynamic and elastic but pays in the most excited situations, which does not happen in the Arkham series., thanks also to the "linearity" and simplicity of the counterattack system that still allows you to keep everything under control more easily. It is not excluded that this aspect will not be improved in subsequent updates but at the moment it is not possible not to turn up your nose. However, to keep the attention alive in the long term are the rewards obtainable thanks to the Challenge cards: tasks that we will have to fulfill with all the heroes in order to progress, accumulating Challenge points to unlock various rewards such as resources to upgrade equipment, alternative costumes, new finishers and more. However, these will be rewards that will have no influence in terms of gameplay but which will still encourage you to progress, continuing to play even in the medium / long term.
All around the world
As we had already pointed out in the Beta analysis, Marvel's Avengers accuses various problems from a technical point of view: several times we found ourselves faced with missing dialogues of audio files, completely incomprehensible if not accompanied by subtitles, annoying camera management, especially in tight spaces indoors, and menus that could be better studied in terms of accessibility. Numerous times we have found ourselves having to dismantle now useless equipment, one by one, due to the limited capacity of the spare slots and without the possibility of performing multiple selection. All this does not preclude the intrinsic value of the gaming experience that is still partially affected, as with some extra care these problems could have been solved with simplicity. Surely Crystal Dynamics will intervene with patches, trying to overcome these annoying oversights.
Graphically we are faced with a title of value: both the heroes, the NPCs and the settings enjoy a valuable cleanliness and quality, becoming real works to be admired. Seeing Thor, Hulk & Co. in action is a pleasure, except for some slightly limp animation, especially those concerning the explosions of the robots and the KO of some enemies, which more than once have remained standing or stuck in a Wall. The audio sector is also cared for, with music that goes well with the setting and a discreet dubbing.
Marvel's Avengers has a strong soul, made such by the excellent transposition of the heroes of the House of Ideas and by a fun gameplay that knows how to entertain. The problems that afflict the title are mostly of a technical nature and that undermine, in large part, the gaming experience. However, being a GAAS we feel optimistic about everything that will come: between updates, new missions and new heroes, the title will certainly enjoy new life, obviously without excluding the resolution of most of the problems currently present. The launch could certainly have been better, in light of the expectations we all had created, but Crystal Dynamics and Square Enix have time on their side and with the right interventions could significantly improve what we have today, further messing up the cards for turn them totally in their favor.
► Marvel's Avengers is an Adventure-Action type game developed by Crystal Dynamics Eidos Montréal and published by Square Enix for PC, PlayStation 4, Xbox One, PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X and Google Stadia, the video game was released on 04/09/2020
