LEGO Marvel's Avengers

Editor's Notes

Digital PC version reviewed for Xbox One.

Introduction

Traveller’s Tales is a division of WB Games and works exclusively on 'Lego' branded games, almost always paired with a second license from film or comics ('Batman', 'The Hobbit', etc.). They have worked with the Marvel property before, most recently with 2013’s 'Lego Marvel Super Heroes'.

The Game Itself: Our Reviewer's Take

'Lego Marvel’s Avengers' is based almost exclusively on Marvel’s Cinematic Universe. It cribs scenes mostly from 'The Avengers' and 'Avengers: Age of Ultron', but also has levels from 'Captain America: The First Avenger', 'Captain America: The Winter Soldier', 'Iron Man 3', and 'Thor: The Dark World'. The scenes have been "Legofied" in their kid-friendly way, with lots of toy violence, simple puzzle-solving, and running jokes. The Lego Nick Fury has a love of strawberry shakes, for instance, which he partakes of even when fighting the likes of Loki.

There are hundreds of characters, and each one has special abilities that can be used to solve puzzles, destroy the environment, and hunt for hidden collectibles. Iron Man has an energy beam that can cut through gold bricks, Black Widow can turn invisible, Hulk smashes, etc.

They must be unlocked, of course - the first playthrough of the campaign gives out a few heroes per mission, and it’s only in the free play mode afterwards where unlocked heroes can be swapped in and out on the fly. I noticed that the puzzles in 'Lego Marvel’s Avengers' are simpler than in previous 'Lego' outings. Where before I had sometimes struggled with finding the solution hiding in the environment, waiting for the correct ability to be activated, now they seem to just be sitting in plain sight. I take no solace in the fact that this is a kid’s game and these puzzles can be routinely solved by 8-year-olds.

With just a few exceptions, this game differs very little from any 'Lego' title that has come before it. Combat is austere, without much variation in the enemies. In many places they tend to stream out in unlimited numbers, which is annoying when I’m trying to solve a puzzle. Heroes can use one-button finishing moves and initiate combo attacks with other heroes. These are kind of cool but ultimately unhelpful, as most enemies can be dispatched with a single tap of the X button. The boss fights are less about fighting and more about using abilities smartly. Like the other puzzles, the solution is usually out in plain sight.

The storyline comes directly from the movies, but it’s disjointed and in a confusing order. Only devoted fans of the Marvel Cinematic Universe are going to understand what’s going on. Still, many iconic set pieces from the films have been faithfully recreated, like the helicarrier and the fight between the Avengers and Baron Strucker’s forces. In between some of the missions, a kind of open world hub will become available, complete with side missions provided by Agent Coulson. Vehicles can be driven, citizens can be helped, and collectibles can be collected, like Black Panther’s pack of cats. TT Games has experimented with this kind of configuration before, such as in 'Lego Jurassic World'. It offers a bit more freedom outside of the rote missions and some capacity for exploration. Even though the missions are chock full of hidden stuff, the maps are relatively small.

Mini-games abound, from a quick and common scanning interface to on-rails driving segments. Some missions have more than two characters or put the heroes in a separate activity, like Iron Man flying around and blowing up Ultron clones while Cap is fighting bad guys on the ground. Some are gimmicky but others are pretty fun. Despite the odd scene order, this does feel like an authentic 'Avengers' experience, albeit in toy form. It captures the great humor from the series and adds some slapstick of its own, which is good for some laughs, especially for younger players. Unfortunately, there's not much in the way of new video game content.