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Marvel Heroes Review for PC

Marvel Heroes Review for PC

Be Any Hero You Can Afford

Marvel Heroes, originally titled Marvel Universe, is the brand-new online RPG from Gazillian Entertainment that lets you control some of the most iconic Marvel superheroes of all time. While it is branded as an MMO, it feels a lot more like a classic Diablo style top-down RPG with a full single-player campaign that is enhanced when others come along for the ride. It’s also completely free to download and play, making most of its money off microtransactions. It’s a solid game that is a little rough around the edges that will likely be enjoyed unconditionally by Marvel fans, but everyone else’s enjoyment will likely hinge on whether or not they can put up with the game constantly attempting to get you to spend money.

The story of Marvel Heroes is a basic crossover comic book setup. Hydra is at it again, attacking the maximum-security supervillain prison, The Raft. As a result, all of the Marvel Universe’s greatest villains, from Venom to Juggernaut to… Living Laser? Who the heck is that? Anyway, they all escape and start running amok causing wanton destruction because, you know, that’s what supervillains do. It’s up to you as one of the Marvel Universes greatest heroes to capture all the villains and get to the bottom of Doom’s insidious plot.

Before the game begins, you are asked to select a Marvel Hero to play as, and, admittedly, you kind of get the B list. You won’t see Spider-Man or Iron Man or even cool obscure heroes like Dr. Strange here. Instead, you’ll have heroes like Hawkeye, Scarlett Witch, Daredevil, and The Thing to choose from. They aren’t complete unknowns, but they also aren’t the heroes that constantly appear in the game’s splash screens and advertisements like The Hulk, Captain America, and Wolverine. You can play as multiple heroes during the game, but to do so, you will have to crack open the old wallet. You can also unlock heroes through playing the game, but this happens rarely and it will be a while before you end up with the hero you actually want.

Heroes are divided into classes and ranges. Melee characters like to get up close and personal while ranged characters like to kite the enemy and stay in back. Tanks are better at taking damage while Brawlers are better at dealing damage, while controllers focus on interesting abilities that inflict status effects and blasters work on dealing lots of damage over AOE.

One of the game’s high points is its variety in hero design. While basic abilities like attacks and shots are shared between characters, a couple levels in any power will immediately differentiate them. Each character has three skill trees, each with multiple skills (both active and passive) that provide bonuses to other skills in the tree. So no two players will end up playing the same build, even if they choose the same hero. The game is also very generous with dropping a variety of interesting gear that adds extra effects to your abilities such as status effects, explosions, or extra attacks.

Marvel Heroes Screenshot

While it’s nice to tinker around with your equipment in order to develop the perfect set of hero abilities, this system also falls prey to microtransactions. Not only can you flat out buy items with real money which essentially lets you pay for power, equipping certain items “locks” them to a character. So, for example, an enemy might drop a bodysuit with amazingly good stats that can be equipped on any variety of heroes. While you might want to transfer this between characters as you use it, you can’t. Once you equip it to a hero, it can only be equipped to that hero from then on.

One part of Marvel Heroes’ gameplay that is very fun is the spirit system for using superhero powers. Essentially, your “MP” in this game regenerates incredibly fast, allowing you to almost always have access to your super powers. The only time you will be left without spirit is when you are mobbed by a group of enemies and use them all at once, but even then, a short breather will restore your spirit to full in no time. It really helps to make you feel like an awesome superhero who can use his powers at will, instead of conserving them for bosses only.

Marvel Heroes Screenshot

The controls in Marvel Heroes unfortunately leave something to be desired. It’s a point-and-click, top-down, isometric game, which means dodging enemy attacks is done by clicking away from the enemy. The normal keys for movement, WASD, are instead used as shortcuts for character powers, which is incredibly frustrating for anyone who is used to directly controlling their character. In fact, even ranged characters eventually get too frustrating to use with the point and click interface, and you’ll often find yourself just standing in place, blasting at the enemy as he takes chunks out of your health.

There are more than a few issues with the game’s online features. First of all, the game suffers some impressive lag at times, which can really screw up gameplay (especially if you are playing a ranged character). Attacks take a while to register, movement is slow and delayed, and enemy health bars take a while to update, making it hard to effectively manage a strategic fight.

Another problem is that anyone who is playing the same hero looks exactly the same. The only customization option you have is the ability to dress your hero up in different costumes. Unfortunately, these costumes aren’t available from the start. They have to be purchase with, you guessed it, microtransactions. Be prepared to see a lot of the same heroes swarming over the same missions in the same areas when you play online.

Graphically, the game is hit or miss. Before missions, you get awesome motion comic-style cutscenes made up of some very impressive comic book-style art. The environments of the game are also impressive, changing as you traverse through them. Actually being able to see Eddie Brock bond with the Venom symbiote in the intro level is pretty cool.

Marvel Heroes Screenshot

Unfortunately, the in-game graphics leave something to be desired. Characters move and attack awkwardly and character models are so tiny it’s hard to appreciate any detail in them. Text boxes are small and hard to read and they disappear quickly. On the flip side, boss dialogue is large and doesn’t disappear until you close it, but this make it overlap the action, and that can kill you in an intense boss fight! Characters also appear and disappear out of thin air, and transitions between areas are sudden and jolting. In truth, the game looks like it’s a generation late.

Still, Marvel Heroes is free, and for a free game it’s pretty fun. The missions, while simple, will keep you playing just to see what villains you run into. The voice acting is pretty good in cutscenes, though it can get repetitive in game. Superhero powers are cool and varied but boil down to standing in place while clicking on an enemy. The game gives you tons of options, but, unfortunately, those options are all locked behind a microtransaction pay wall.

The best way to describe Marvel Heroes is, truthfully, average. Everyone should give this game a shot, just because it’s free and a fun distraction. But chances are you won’t be compelled to spend extra money on it. I wouldn’t describe these heroes as “super,” just “fun.”

RATING OUT OF 5 RATING DESCRIPTION 3.7 Graphics
The environments are interesting, but the characters are too small to appreciate.E 2.5 Control
The game has an awkward point-and-click scheme that makes it hard to fight strategically. 3.5 Music / Sound FX / Voice Acting
The voice acting is actually quite good and is reminiscent of Marvel animated series. 3.7 Play Value
It’s an enjoyable game, though its insistence on getting you to indulge in microtransactions is annoying. 3.5 Overall Rating – Good
Not an average. See Rating legend below for a final score breakdown.

Review Rating Legend
0.1 – 1.9 = Avoid 2.5 – 2.9 = Average 3.5 – 3.9 = Good 4.5 – 4.9 = Must Buy
2.0 – 2.4 = Poor 3.0 – 3.4 = Fair 4.0 – 4.4 = Great 5.0 = The Best

Game Features:

  • Experience the entire game without paying any money. If you choose, you can shop in the in-game store for even more heroes and items.
  • Play as Iron Man, Thor, Wolverine, Hulk, Spider Man, Captain America, and many other famous heroes.
  • Make your hero unique with a range of spectacular powers and costumes. Discover enhancements to increase your hero’s power.
  • Visit famous locations from the Marvel Universe, from Avengers Tower to Mutant Town to the Savage Land.
  • Smash through hordes of Marvel enemies and face off against iconic supervillains
  • Join with your friends as you fight your way through the game.

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