Marvel Ultimate Alliance 3: The Black Order

67%
Game Brain Score Based on 56 reviews
  • story
  • gameplay
  • graphics
Marvel Ultimate Alliance 3: The Black Order Game Cover
Does Marvel Ultimate Alliance 3 prove to be a great comeback for a series that's been inactive for almost a decade? Our review.
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"Marvel Ultimate Alliance 3: The Black Order" is an action RPG hack-and-slash game, available exclusively on Nintendo Switch. Join forces with your ultimate team of Marvel superheroes, from Avengers to X-Men, in a race against Thanos and the Black Order to find the Infinity Stones. Experience the action from an immersive over-the-shoulder perspective in single-player or multiplayer mode for up to 4 players.

  • Nintendo Switch
Genres & TagsPlay Modes

Reviews

67%
Audience ScoreBased on 56 reviews
story12 positive mentions
grinding5 negative mentions
  • The Iso-8 system enhances RPG elements, allowing for diverse character builds and customization without the need for specific loot drops.
  • Combat is engaging and nuanced, offering a satisfying blend of button-mashing and strategic gameplay, especially when utilizing character synergies.
  • The game features a large roster of characters with distinct personalities and enjoyable voice acting, making for a fun and immersive experience.
  • The camera controls are frustrating, often leading to disorientation and difficulty in tracking characters during chaotic battles.
  • There are significant difficulty spikes, particularly in the endgame, which can make it challenging to level up underused characters without extensive grinding.
  • Loading times are lengthy, especially when transitioning between menus and game modes, which can disrupt the flow of gameplay.
  • story49 mentions

    The story of the game is generally appreciated for its faithfulness to the original Infinity War comics, featuring a wide array of beloved Marvel characters and engaging dialogue. While some players find the narrative entertaining and filled with fan service, others criticize it as predictable and lacking depth, often serving primarily to facilitate combat rather than deliver a compelling storyline. Overall, it offers a fun experience for Marvel fans, though it may not stand out as a great narrative on its own.

    • “The fact that it has a great story, dialogue, and music is icing.”
    • “The story revolves around the infinity stones as you assemble a team of superheroes to track them down and try to collect all of them before Thanos and his Black Order can get their hands on them.”
    • “From its empowering gameplay mechanics which evoke the heroism in the game’s iconic characters to its event comic-styled storyline and presentation, there is a lot for Marvel fans to enjoy here.”
    • “The one negative I can think of is the story could have been better.”
    • “The story isn't terrible but very by-the-numbers standard.”
    • “If you are playing this just to experience the story, then forget about it.”
  • gameplay25 mentions

    The gameplay of the game is characterized by a mix of empowering mechanics and challenging combat, appealing particularly to Marvel fans, though it can feel repetitive and shallow in solo mode. While the co-op experience enhances enjoyment with a diverse character roster and engaging boss battles, some players find the camera issues and RPG mechanics convoluted, leading to frustration. Overall, the game offers fun, albeit flawed, gameplay that is best experienced with friends.

    • “The gameplay is actually fairly challenging on normal (mighty) difficulty without being frustrating.”
    • “From its empowering gameplay mechanics which evoke the heroism in the game’s iconic characters to its event comic-styled storyline and presentation, there is a lot for Marvel fans to enjoy here.”
    • “Immediate and responsive controls; simple but fun gameplay; excellent boss design; a great roster featuring a treasure trove of Marvel characters; loads of references to Marvel comics, movies, and TV shows; sharp writing and Saturday morning cartoon sensibilities; a very nice comic book aesthetic; great co-op gameplay and game options.”
    • “In my opinion, losing those grappling capabilities/attacks does detract a bit from the gameplay.”
    • “In solo mode, the game is extremely shallow mechanically, and the linear levels and predictable story aren't enough to compensate for that; some severe performance hits when things get busier.”
    • “A great idea...but one hampered by a poor camera and formulaic gameplay.”
  • graphics14 mentions

    The graphics of the game have received mixed reviews, with many praising the colorful cel-shaded art style and character designs that blend classic and MCU influences. While some users noted that the visuals feel reminiscent of older consoles like the PS3 and criticized issues like anti-aliasing and occasional lag, others appreciated the overall aesthetic and vibrant effects, highlighting it as the best in the series for the Nintendo Switch. Despite some technical shortcomings, the graphics contribute to a fun and engaging comic book experience.

    • “Graphically, it’s inarguably the best in the entire series.”
    • “It has a great cel-shaded art style, and the characters look great.”
    • “Graphically, the game has a nice colorful, cel-shade art style and lots of effects that fill the screen.”
    • “Graphics are more cartoony than Marvel Ultimate Alliance 1 or 2, kind of reminds me of that kids' Marvel game from the 7th generation.”
    • “It took some getting used to, but we have to remember it was made exclusively for the Nintendo Switch, which is not exactly a graphical powerhouse.”
    • “It feels like a PS3 game in graphic fidelity, with some horrible anti-aliasing thrown in for good measure.”
  • grinding5 mentions

    Players find the grinding aspect of the game to be tedious, especially when forced to use under-leveled characters, which can hinder progress even on easier difficulties. While some appreciate the replayability and challenges offered through grinding, many feel that the leveling process is overly time-consuming and can detract from the overall enjoyment of the game.

    • “Both tedious, especially when the challenges force you to play a fighter you never leveled up.”
    • “The significance smacks you in the face really quickly - because you have to grind even to beat the game on easy, and because you effectively cannot switch out heroes without doing more grinding, you are pretty much stuck with the foursome that you choose early on.”
    • “Fun for a while, but super grindy.”
  • optimization4 mentions

    The game's optimization has been criticized for inconsistent performance, particularly during busier moments, leading to severe performance hits. Additionally, issues such as unreliable AI, camera problems, and a lack of depth in gameplay contribute to an overall experience that feels shallow and poorly paced. Despite some positive elements like voice acting and combat, the technical shortcomings hinder the game's potential.

    • “The game suffers from unreliable AI, camera issues, and spotty performance.”
    • “In solo mode, the game is extremely shallow mechanically, and the linear levels and predictable story aren't enough to compensate; there are severe performance hits when things get busier.”
    • “Add to that a campaign that's poorly paced and painfully inconsistent in performance, leaving you with a repetitive and unexpectedly plain package that doesn't adequately justify the revival of a franchise.”
  • character development3 mentions

    Character development in the game is highlighted by a mix of updated designs that align with their MCU counterparts and classic looks for certain characters, creating a nostalgic yet fresh experience. While the graphics and character designs are praised, the depth of character development is somewhat limited by the story's presentation. Overall, players appreciate the visual appeal but desire more substantial narrative engagement with the characters.

    • “I love the character design.”
    • “The graphics are good, character design is cool, and the story is pretty good... what portion of the story you will actually see that is.”
  • replayability3 mentions

    The game offers significant replayability through various approaches, character leveling, infinity trials, and a challenging new game+ mode, along with additional content from the season pass. However, some players feel that despite its strong art direction and enjoyable combat, the overall experience can feel somewhat basic.

    • “Despite its strong art direction and potent replayability, it still comes off as feeling rather basic.”
    • “The different ways to approach it should add some major replay value.”
    • “There's a mammoth amount of replayability thanks to grinding through, leveling each of the characters up, taking on the infinity trials, and a challenging new game+ to overcome, not to mention the new content to come with the season pass.”
  • music2 mentions

    The music in the game is generally considered average, though it complements the strong story and dialogue, adding an extra layer to the overall experience.

    • “The fact that it has great story, dialogue, and music is icing.”
    • “The music is just average throughout.”
    • “The soundtrack lacks variety and becomes repetitive quickly.”
    • “The audio quality feels subpar, making it hard to enjoy the music.”
  • monetization2 mentions

    The monetization strategy in the game is criticized for being exploitative, as it encourages repetitive gameplay and frustration, leading players to wish for microtransactions to expedite character leveling. This design choice suggests a focus on profit over player experience, reflecting a broader trend in the gaming industry.

    • “Sadly, this is where gaming is today: you buy a game that pushes you to hope for microtransactions, not because the game needs it, but because it was designed with that purpose in mind.”
    • “For some, this may be fun because they like a challenge; however, it generally shows that heroes are not balanced and that the gameplay seems aimed at frustrating players who don't want to repeat the same levels over and over to level up their characters, making them wish for microtransactions to buy boosters for faster leveling.”
    • “Sadly, this is where gaming is today: you buy a game that pushes you to hope you had microtransactions; not because the game needs it, but because it was designed with that purpose in mind.”
    • “For some, this may be fun because they like a challenge; but in general, it just shows that heroes are not balanced and that the gameplay seems to be aimed at frustrating players who don't want to repeat the same levels over and over to level up the characters, making them hope that there were microtransactions to buy boosters to level up faster.”
  • stability1 mentions

    Users report that stability is compromised by camera glitches, which detract from the overall experience.

    • “Camera glitches kind of ruin it.”
    • “The game crashes frequently, making it unplayable at times.”
    • “I experienced constant lag and frame drops, which affected my overall enjoyment.”
Positive mentions (%)Positive
Neutral mentions (%)Neutral
Negative mentions (%)Negative

Critic Reviews

73% average critic score

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