Video games should be fun. Superheroes should be fun. Video games where you play as superheroes should be the most fun. I can report that LEGO Marvel Super Heroes delivers. There is just something special about swinging through the city as Spider-Man or soaring between skyscrapers as Iron Man. Obviously, punching everyone around as The Incredible Hulk or The Thing is wonderful.
By my math, there are 138 playable characters from Abomination to Wolverine, with most everybody between. I honestly only recognize a little over half of the names on the list. To give you a good idea of how crazy this list is, you can unlock Thanos, a Sentinel, Iron Fist, Howard the Duck, Daredevil, Galactus, Captain America, Captain Britain, Ms. (Captain) Marvel, The Statue of Liberty, Stan Lee, and Aunt May.
Seriously. Aunt May.
All the characters in the world wouldn’t be enough if the game couldn’t stand on its own merits. The levels are inventive and span the Marvel canon. You fight minifigs in the X Mansion, Stark Tower, The Daily Planet, Latveria, and the Helicarrier. Each of the levels feels unique and has some fun, little puzzles.
It is clear from the outset that this is a labor of love. The attention to detail in this adorable version of the Marvel Universe is obvious. There are little touches that make the game, like the photography side-missions for Peter Parker, not Spider-Man. This brings me to the biggest part of the game, New York City. The city is huge, and there is something to do on every block. There are collectables to collect, new characters to unlock, and extra levels to find. Deadpool narrates these levels, and they are as silly as possible.
This isn’t just a fun game; it is also accessible. The levels focus more on letting you feel like you are a superhero than punishing mistakes. This is important since LEGO Marvel Super Heroes is supposed to appeal to grownups and young kids at the same time. They succeeded like old-school Pixar. I can recommend this game to everyone who wants some good, light-hearted fun.
