Lego Marvel’s Avengers Review (Xbox One)

TT Games’ Lego series has delighted generations of gamers, both young and old, for quite a long time now. The studio has applied its now classic formula to a wide array of franchises, from Star Wars to Lord of the Rings, Jurassic Park, and many others.

However, in recent years probably one of the most appealing and successful installments was Lego Marvel Super Heroes, which took the full Marvel comics universe and provided a huge amount of fun.

Now, after going back to DC Comics with Lego Batman 3: Beyond Gotham, TT Games returns to Marvel, only this time it’s targeting the Marvel cinematic universe through Lego Marvel’s Avengers. Featuring heroes, villains, and events from the many different movies released by Marvel in recent years, the new game seems to be another winner.

Does it manage to recreate the success of Marvel Super Heroes or should its blocks be rearranged? Let’s find out.

Story

Lego Marvel’s Avengers, like its name suggests, focuses on the main Avengers movies, but also features events from some of the other films released by Marvel, albeit in a lesser degree. The story begins with Avengers 2, rather surprisingly, and then goes back in reverse chronological order through the other films.

While this won’t confuse fans who already know the movies by heart, newcomers or younger players need to pay attention if they want to make sense of what’s going on in the plot. Major plot moments, like the assault on Hydra’s base from Avengers 2 or the Battle for New York from the first installment are very well executed.

What’s more, TT Games manages to cram in some extra scenes or moments to augment the tongue-in-cheek factor and offer nods for comics and Lego fans in general. There are also some pretty surprising additions, like Kamala Khan from the latest run of Avengers comics. The studio already mentioned that it plans on bringing content from other Marvel titles like last year’s Ant-Man or the upcoming Captain America: Civil War, so things are going to get even better.

Overall, while newcomers might require a bit of time before they’re up to date with all the characters and events, the game still feels pretty good from a plot standpoint.

Hulkbuster Iron Man in Lego Marvel's Avengers

Gameplay and Multiplayer

In terms of gameplay, Lego Marvel’s Avengers doesn’t mess with the tried and true formula, retaining its core elements, but does add some pretty interesting aspects on top.

Players go through different stages in a pretty linear way controlling certain pre-defined characters, both heroes and villains, and even some secondary allies that appeared throughout the movies. Once you complete the stages, you can then go back to them in free play mode with any character you’ve already unlocked to find hidden rewards as well as other goodies.

One big addition that’s employed in a great way is the combo move mechanic. When controlling certain characters, you can trigger devastating maneuvers to turn the tides against enemies. Thor hitting his hammer Mjolnir against Captain America’s shield is just one of these scenarios, and I won’t spoil the others, as they’re quite cool. Unfortunately, while it feels great to trigger them, there are some scripted moments that don’t work unless your characters are standing in very specific spots. Considering you’ll mostly be fired upon by enemies, nailing the exact timing can get a bit frustrating.

Unfortunately, just like with previous installments, some stages work better than others, and it’s not always clear what exactly you need to do in certain cases. Things can get hectic fast so you might not always notice what you need to tear down and what needs to be built back up in order to let you continue through the level. Even so, many moments are quite impressive, such as the now iconic battle for New York City from Avengers 1, which feels adequately epic and exciting.

There are also sections that introduce some short but sweet mechanics, like an early Iron Man chapter in which you fly around the Hydra castle from Avengers 2, blasting away at foes in a similar way to Resogun.

Quite a few characters can fly around, such as Iron Man or Thor, but their actual flight mechanics aren’t explained all that well. You can mash a button to take flight and then another to gently lower your altitude until you reach the ground. Don’t go imagining that you’ll be able to fly over obstacles or enemies, as a lot of invisible walls govern the levels. As such, your actual freedom isn’t all that big and shatters a bit the concept that you’re controlling some very powerful characters.

You’ll still go around smashing enemies and items down to their Lego building blocks while employing the various special abilities of your characters. As such, veterans of the franchise should feel right at home. Newcomers will go through a few frustrating moments at the beginning, as the opening section doesn’t do that good of a job explaining some core elements.

Another downside for fans of the Marvel comics universe and those who went through Marvel Super Heroes is the fact that the character roster isn’t exactly as big as the one from the previous game. Sure, you get to control a lot of heroes or villains, but iconic ones like Wolverine, Spider-Man, or others are missing, due to the convoluted deals made by Marvel with Fox or Sony when it comes to movies.

Even so, the characters that return from Super Heroes have expanded powers or can use their abilities in new ways, such as the previously mentioned combo attacks. Of course, more powerful ones like Thor, Iron Man, or the Hulk feel more impressive than Hawkeye or Black Widow, but even they have interesting stages that show off their abilities and their contribution to the Avengers team.

Enemies are relatively varied, but you won’t have that many problems mowing down through their waves. From foot soldiers to the corrupted Iron Legion or the Chitauri, you won’t get tired of defeating the various foes the game throws at you. Some boss encounters are better executed than others but with a bit of teamwork, if you’re playing with another human, or with rapid swapping between playable characters, if you’re alone, you can triumph.

Controls aren’t that great when it comes to the mouse and keyboard scheme as the game certainly shows its console roots. Provided you have a controller, things are much better, and platforming sections turn from bad to decent.

Visuals and Sound

In terms of visuals, Lego Marvel’s Avengers manages to use the power of the Xbox One very well, offering a slightly more polished experience than Super Heroes, no doubt thanks to the now experienced staff at TT Games. The effects look great, and the framerate remains constant even in the biggest of battles. The only slight downside is related to the aliasing, which can get pretty noticeable especially in the cut scenes.

The soundtrack manages to bring in some of the most memorable orchestral scores from the movies, complementing the action on the screen, and even begins with the classic theme. Unfortunately, when it comes to the main heroes, like Iron Man, Thor, or Captain America, it also incorporates some sound bites from the films. These don’t always work that well and feel shoehorned in. Some of them are a bit too quiet while others sound rather bad like they were recorded by a microphone near a speaker. Other characters that are voiced specifically for the game, like Agent Coulson, are much better and provide a nicer experience.

Battle for New York in Lego Marvel's Avengers

The Good

The Bad

Conclusion