If you’ve experienced previous games in the Lego franchise, the chances are that playing Lego Marvel Super Heroes: Universe in Peril is going to be a bit of a shock to the system. Gone are the long levels of old, what we are instead provided with is a series of short mission-based blasts as you explore the Marvel universe, unlocking further superheroes in the process.
With plenty of characters to play as and unlock, Lego Marvel Super Heroes: Universe in Peril definitely provides a fun experience in finding out exactly who’s included, the form factor of the levels however is something that is likely to leave fans divided. Whereas in the past a key part of the fun of the Lego game experience has come from exploration and the intrigue of finding out the various items you’re to build to help progress your way through the game, much of this process of exploration has now been taken away as a result of the short level length, and there’s really not much to do at all in terms of building items. Occasionally you will be required to build something, this is something that happens far less frequently than in previous games in the Lego game franchise, however, and it’s disappointing to lose out on much of this area of the game. For those that do a lot of their handheld gaming on the go, the new level format should definitely be of appeal as the short level length is perfect for filling short expanses of time, if you’re more for a longer level length though then this could be an area of disappointment in comparison to other Lego games that you may have played in the past.
There’s definitely a fantastic pick-up-and-play value about Lego Marvel Super Heroes: Universe in Peril; you don’t need to be an advanced level of gamer to get to grips with the controls and there’s no real learning curve with mastering them. There’s no jump functionality which seems a bit strange, with characters such as Iron Man you can though, and with Spider-Man you can use use your web to swing your way through each level. Finding out what each different character can do is always fun and this is definitely a major appeal of the game, the individual levels can feel a bit repetitive, however, and slow loading times when loading up each level can certainly be extremely frustrating.
Keeping the cut scenes from the home console release, the video quality is extremely poor in this handheld release and this is therefore extremely disappointing. Whilst the content of the cut scenes is strong, the fact that the quality of them is awful really detracts from the overall experience, souring an otherwise impressive area of the game. The video quality of the cut scenes is something that really should have been taken into consideration when this game was released, it’s difficult to ignore just how poor they look, and although you always want to watch them to the end to find out how the story of the game is progressing, the extremely low quality makes it incredibly tempting to skip them and avoid the frustration of just how bad they look, especially on the 3DS XL’s larger screen.
Graphically the game is solid, it’s obviously not as crisp and beautiful looking as you’ll find on the home console version, for a handheld release it definitely looks pretty decent though, and if you’ve played and enjoyed the look of previous games in the franchise for handheld then you should appreciate the aesthetic sheen of this title.
This is a game that has many areas for criticism, and compared to its home console counterpart it really does have many drawbacks. The poor quality cut scenes, the lack of free roaming, the inability to jump, and the extremely slow load speeds certainly all are extremely disappointing aspects of the title, they make playing Lego Marvel Super Heroes: Universe in Peril Review an extremely frustrating experience at times and you definitely feel a little cheated when you consider the various different plus points of the home console release over the handheld title. All things considered though, it’s not quite so easy to take out your home console of choice on public transport and get gaming, and in a handheld gaming title you may well be looking for a different kind of gaming experience that’s catered for with the short level length and mission-based gameplay. This game is not as fully featured as it is on the home consoles, but it does still come with a strong selection of Marvel heroes and a good number of levels to get stuck into. They may not be long levels, if you’re interested in completing each level’s tasks and exploring them with various different Marvel heroes this definitely expands the longevity of the title, however, and for Marvel fans this could definitely be a fun game to help fill the time when you’re out and about.
Lego Marvel Super Heroes: Universe in Peril will not be for everyone due to the short level length and lack of free roaming, for some the level length will be a plus point rather than a criticism, however, and for killing short periods of time this game could definitely do a good job of filling a small gap in your schedule. It’s far from being the greatest handheld title ever released, for those that love their Lego games and are fanatical about their Marvel super heroes it certainly has a fair amount of content to keep you entertained though and it’s a game that does have a few cool features up its sleeve even if it does also feature annoying points and disappoint in certain areas. Lego Marvel Super Heroes: Universe in Peril is certainly not a must-have title, but it’s also not a must-avoid.
UK based film graduate with a huge passion for music, sports and video games.
