Infinite repetition.
One of the most shocking announcements last year was the return of Marvel Ultimate Alliance. After being tossed around in license limbo, remastered, and eventually delisted, the series seemed gone forever. Then out of nowhere Nintendo announces it exclusively for the Switch. If that wasn’t enough it was being developed by Team Ninja. None of those facts seem real, yet here we are and the world of Marvel Ultimate Alliance has returned. Featuring all of the characters one would expect to see this simple brawler rekindles the series without really advancing it very much.
With Marvel’s movie universe thriving more than any other series in history it is no surprise that this game follows a lot of the same thread lines of those movies. The Infinity Stones are in play and everyone is out to get them, including the mighty Thanos. A lot of the familiar characters such as the Guardians of the Galaxy and of course the Avengers are here, but Team Ninja has managed to also include characters missing from the MCU due to licensing issues, such as the X-Men and Deadpool. It is cool to see them altogether, but the cut scenes and narrative really feel like nothing more than a distraction.
MSRP: $59.99
Platforms: Switch
Price I’d Pay: $39.99
Marvel Ultimate Alliance 3 is the definition of a mindless game. It is a button masher through and through. There is little strategy to be had, and most of the time I found myself not able to play it for more than 45 minutes when flying solo. It is just the same motion over and over. It also doesn’t help that the difficulty makes it impossible to enjoy alone without dropping it down to easy. It is not a matter of challenge, but instead of the new stun meter and getting locked into animations and not being able to attack enemies.
Another downside is that the game moves so fast and adds so many characters it is impossible to switch up. The levels jump so fast that people I used early on are useless after 30 minutes since they are so low-level. This means it is best to stick to a standard team of four, or simply grind up everyone’s level by replaying levels or do what I did, and use the Infinity Gauntlet to repeat missions, gaining levels and earning XP boosters. It is a drag at times and not that fun, but the roster is so good I couldn’t help but want to use them all.
Combat consists of a standard and heavy attacks with all special moves being executed by holding the left trigger and using a face button. Each character also has a super special attack that can be combined with other characters for a massive screen-filling spectacle that is incredibly confusing to watch. There are so many numbers and flashes on the screen and the frame rate tanks making it a mess every time I use it, but boy does it clear the screen quick. It is big, it is dumb, and most of all it is mindless.
The aforementioned stun meter feels more like a mechanic to prolong the game than an interesting addition. Basically it just keeps me from doing more damage to enemies that are denoted as “harder” foes. Once down they take much more damage. The biggest problem is that while the stun meter is full they can attack through mine and break my animations, but I couldn’t break theirs. It evolved into me hitting them once and dodging out of the way and I still took damage. It isn’t fun, so I threw it down to easy and mashed my way through. I still died regularly on easy if my characters were low level. It just feels like a lot of the game is designed to make it feel larger and longer than it truly is.
The 12 hour campaign feels much longer due to these weird design choices. The game is much more enjoyable when played with friends. This also comes with caveats though. Local play is fine, but once I got online it succumbs to both poor design and of course the dreaded Nintendo functionality, or lack thereof. Getting into a game with friends is a mess, and then once we do, they are designated to one character and cannot switch…ever. They need to leave my game and come back to choose a different hero. Sure this can be patched, but whoever thought this was a good idea out of the gate clearly didn’t think it through.
Being a Switch exclusive shows. The game looks good, with colorful characters and plenty of action onscreen. The Switch has a hard time keeping up with said action though. I noticed in handheld mode my system felt like it was going to ignite. The frame rate tanks regularly. It feels like a game that the system simply cannot handle. It must be everything onscreen, as the actual visual fidelity seems pretty simplified.
Even with all these issues though I kept playing on. There is a lot to be said about the sheer amount of characters and being able to team them up together. Playing with friends is also much more enjoyable than flying solo, when it works properly. The upcoming DLC is exciting, the return of a mindless beat ‘em up feels good, and I just love a solid comic book title. I don’t think the price of admission is worth it in the end, but when this hits $30-$40 I definitely recommend it. There is plenty here for Marvel and non-Marvel fans to enjoy.
Review copy of game provided by publisher.
