Marvel themed games or movies (think Star Wars for example) are not only well-rendered but add a hilarious element to the plot, which is particularly rewarding if you are a big fan of the game or movie. Lego Marvel Super Heroes features all the tried and tested comic book themes with a more comical element, converting the sometimes serious marvel universe into an action comedy.

But jokes aside, the game keeps you on your feet while allowing you to enjoy two of your best childhood pastimes - reading comic books and playing with lego.

Plot

Lego Marvel Super Heroes begins with Doctor Doom having destroyed the Silver Surfer’s surfboard. He then hires every available supervillain to go around collecting board’s cosmic brick components to create his (wait for it..!) Doom Ray of Doom. Obviously, news of the “Doom Ray” send shockwaves through the marvel superhero community.

The plot featured superhero teams including the Avengers, the X-Men and the Fantastic Four, and a variety of solo heroes, working to recover the cosmic bricks while fending off various villains who have their own agenda.

Gameplay

The best thing about the game is the way it makes fun of the cliches and cringe-worthy scenes that sometimes characterise Marvel comics (especially the last few movies). Its refreshing to experience a comic angle where cheeky writing has the characters bouncing jokes off each other. It’s also good to point out that the voice actors are incredibly good, and the dialogues are hilarious.

There are also a variety of background jokes including Nick Fury alluding to a scene in the Avengers a movie for 2012 by asking about lunch, and a nearby S.H.I.E.L.D quickly produces a takeout shawarma menu - this refers to a post-credit scenes where the Avengers are having a quaint dinner while most of NYC lies in ruins.

Another reference to Marvel’s over-the-top destruction is the funny scenes where Lego workers sweep up the damage after each level and Agent Coulson (now also the star of Marvel Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D) offering the heroes snacks and coffee. 

The game allows players to use a variety of superpowers and build supermachines to get them through to the next level. Moreover, the game has rather fast pace, allowing players to get right into the action and keep things going. It is also nice to know that players start the game by playing Iron Man and Hulk,, and the first mission is to blow up everything in NY’s Grand Central Station.

Of Course, the fund does not stop with Hulk or Iron Man, players can go into battle as Wolverine, clawing through hordes of enemies or you can fight battle as Jean Grey, simply throwing people around with advanced telekinetic powers. Ultimately, each major character has a unique gameplay mechanic,which is great because you don’t feel like you are playing the same hero with different skins. Also your choice of character ultimately determines your choice of decimating your enemies.

The campaign may be relatively short but like the Arkham series, the developers have created a great incentive system to replay parts of the campaign to unlock characters and content. It also helps that every part of the Marvel world has been rendered in Lego form, so you can explore various parts of the cities, landmarks and even places like the S.H.I.E.L.D Helicarrier.

Replaying the same campaign as a different hero is also very rewarding because of the different gameplay mechanism. There is also removes the incentive to master just one hero, which often happens in such games with a variety of heroes.

The game is not perfect and some features can drive you nuts: especially those one-liners you’ve that have become memes over the past year or so. Players have also reported drops in frame-rates and other bugs. Other subtle things such as background dialogues and even high-end combat is not entirely mind-blowing (unlike for example, Dragon Age or Arkham Origins) but keep in mind that’s not the point of the game either, so you are not dealing with lost expectations.

Despite the minor flaws, Lego Marvel Super Heroes combines your standard comic book themes, hilarious character interactions and a great mix of music and visuals, resulting in a genuinely enjoyable entertainment experience. This is certainly one of the most interesting ways to experience the Marvel Universe.

Reviewed by Navam Niles