If you enjoyed the film, you might enjoy the app. Here’s our no-holds barred review of Marvel’s latest movie tie-in.
Graphics. It’s no secret that this game has been billed as Marvel’s graphical tour de force. And it truly is – the visuals are quite simply stunning throughout. Though the game environments rarely move from grubby generic downtown cityscapes, the characters themselves – dozens of memorable super-villains – are lovingly recreated. A solid 8/10 from me. I’ve taken off a few points as the visual niceties may result in slowdown on older Android devices. Avengers Initiative is really best on an Android tablet to get a bit more power behind the game.
Gameplay. It’s not going to win many awards for variety here. Avengers Initiative is a standard finger-swiping beat-em-up with a few extra combos to unlock along the way. Nothing groundbreaking and little to keep one engaged with the plot – baddies are out there: smash ‘em. But it’s slick and feels polished, if narrow in scope. Definitely one for the casual crowd, though at £4.99 it may be priced just beyond this market. The game has enough leveling options to keep me vaguely engaged. 4/10 for gameplay – but I wouldn’t expect much more from a movie tie-in.
Replay value. As with a number of tablet games, this one is just casual enough to keep me playing on short train trips and the like. Would I go out of my way to buy Avengers Initiative? Probably not. There are more varied and entertaining HnS and beat-em-up games – like Infinity Blade, for example. Would I keep it on my tablet long enough to really get into it? At that price, it’s a painful delete. But weighing in at a hefty 1,100MB, it might be one I’d have to sacrifice for the sake of storage space, should it fail to stand the test of time. A measly 3/10 here, as I just can’t see myself as a repeat customer.
Conclusions. Well, it’s OK. If you’re after something to wow friends and show off your tablet with, then look no further. If you want a game that you’ll enjoy for a long time, offering exciting, spellbound hours – something that is great fun to return to again and again – this game is probably not for you. Bear in mind, though, that Marvel has sworn blind that they will release downloadable content to extend and enhance the game’s storyline. Given my experience so far, I wouldn’t expect anything spectacular. Still, it’s fun if you can afford to splash around some cash.