Marvel’s Avengers was one of the most hyped and long-awaited game reveals at E3 2019. And at Square Enix’s E3 press conference, we finally got a look at Crystal Dynamics’ Marvel’s Avengers which is a co-op action game with an original storyline featuring the Hulk, Captain America, Black Widow, Thor and Iron Man. Marvel Games’ Vice President and creative director Bill Rosemann stated that Marvel’s Avengers has “an all-new original story showcasing authentic Marvel heroism and humanity. It’s about losing what matters to you most and fighting to get it back.”
We also got a to see a cinematic trailer that showed off a battle taking place in San Francisco but somehow everything goes wrong and results in mass casualties and the Avengers are blamed for the tragedy. But the Avengers reassemble after five years. According to Crystal Dynamics, the game has ‘an all-star cast’ that includes Laura Bailey, Nolan North and Troy Baker, some of the most preeminent voice actors in the videogame industry.
According to Marvel, the game will have a “completely original story”. The game focuses on story and the game’s main story missions are designed for only one player. This is mostly because the story focuses on one Avenger at a time. IGN confirmed this detail with Crystal Dynamics, adding that these missions are scripted in the same way Tomb Raider or Uncharted is. But the side missions can be played with any superhero and also online with friends or solo.
The game will also have an online co-op component letting you team up with three friends to fend off increasing threats, though it wasn’t shown off during the event. The title is set up to follow the ‘games-as-a-service’ model. Marvel also stated that it will “introduce a universe gamers can play in for years to come.” The studio also promised that exciting new content will be released on a regular basis and the roster of characters will grow over time. Every new superhero and every new region will be delivered at no additional cost.
GAMEPLAY:
The most important thing that was shown at the event was the gameplay, though no one was allowed to play the game at E3 2019. Square Enix and Crystal Dynamics were allowing attendees to stop by and see an in-depth hands-off demo. The way the game works is that each hero will be controlled individually and the control switches automatically between segments. For example, in a fighting scene, you might play as the incredible Hulk while in a flying sequence you might play as Iron Man.
Each character has their own set of special abilities the combat include quick-time events, dodging and combo attacks. In the demo that was shown, we saw the Avengers fighting to save civilians on the Golden Gate Bridge in San Francisco from terrorists led by Taskmaster. Crystal Dynamics has yet to reveal the multiplayer component, but we’re hoping we’ll hear more about that in the future.
MICROTRANSACTIONS:
The game will have microtransactions, just like many other AAA games. Crystal Dynamics lead Shaun Escayg confirmed this to IGN at E3 2019. He said, “There will be custom outfits that you can purchase in microtransactions.” But these will just be cosmetics and will have no effect on gameplay. The game, however, won’t have any random lootboxes or pay-to-win mechanics.
RELEASE:
Marvel’s Avengers will launch on PC, PS4, Xbox One and Google Stadia on May 15, 2020, though Square Enix says it has entered a partnership with PlayStation for early beta access and bonus surprises in the PS4 version. No specifics have been shared about what the exclusive content will be or if it will eventually come to other platforms.
Find out more about Marvel’s Avengers and other gaming news here.
