Today, Crystal Dynamics revealed more details about its upcoming game, Marvel’s Avengers with the first War Table livestream. The developers shared new information about the game’s story, gameplay, customization, & co-op. This is the first War Table livestream that Crystal Dynamics will have leading up to the launch of the game in a few months. The next livestream will preview a new playable hero, information about the beta and the launch of the game.
Since the first reveal of gameplay shown off during E3 2019, we got small glimpse at what the story of Marvel’s Avengers will be about. After the fallout of the attack on A-day which ended with the apparent death of Captain America, the Avengers have been disbanded. Years later, Kamala Khan uncovers the truth about what actually happened and goes on a mission to bring the Avengers back together.
The new story trailer reveals that the Avengers were deemed a danger to society after the attack on A-day created Inhumans. AIM, a tech organization takes the lead on finding a cure and bringing the world back to a state of peace. AIM is led by Dr. George Tarleton, who holds a grudge as he was a victim of A-day. Using AIM and convincing the world to be afraid of superpowered beings such as the Inhumans and Avengers, he eventually becomes M.O.D.O.K., a villain many comic book fans will be familiar with. “When choosing a villain, we knew we needed someone who had the muscle and mental capacity to become an Avengers level threat. We also wanted a new face for modern Avengers fans.” With using AIM and the ability to control machines with his mind, Tarleton and AIM become one of the most sophisticated threats the Avengers have ever faced. Kamala Khan learns that AIM and Tarleton may have set the Avengers up and the story focuses on her journey to reassemble the Avengers.
The single-player campaign plays out in hero missions where players will play as specific characters. Crystal Dynamics revealed a new mission focused on Thor as he rejoins the team against AIM and M.O.D.O.K. In addition to the single-player campaign, players will also have missions called War Zones. These missions can be played solo or as many as four people in co-op. They are grounded in story and will have players interact with other characters in the Marvel universe as they take the fight to AIM. As you pick your missions, you’ll fly on the Quinn jet where players can matchmake, choose which characters to play and fight with, and pick a loadout. War zone mission and locations will range from tight, dense interiors to wide-open areas designed for exploration and team traversal.
Crystal Dynamics also briefly talked about how combat works. Players will be stringing together combos with a mix of light and heavy attacks or hold for signature attacks. Every Marvel’s Avengers character has a skill tree where players can spec out their heroes to play how they want them to. There is a mix of melee, ranged, aerial, and ground combat skills to choose from. There are also heroic moves. Each hero has three special moves that they can perform: assault, ultimate, and support. Assault heroic moves charge the fastest and can be used during combos. Support heroic moves are designed for co-op and were designed to enhance team play. Ultimates take the longest to charge but they have more screen-clearing power and some will have residual effects. Furthermore, gear also changes how characters will function. Gear comes in different rarities and comes with different perks that provide different modifiers. For instance, equipping gamma gear grants a bonus damage modifier. Players can also customize how their heroes look with outfits drawn from throughout the history of Marvel Comics.
Marvel’s Avengers releases for PlayStation 4, Xbox One, Google Stadia, and PC on September 4, 2020. The game will also be a launch title for PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X.