LEGO Marvel Superheroes 2 Review

LEGO Superheroes 2 adds more characters, references, and story to the previous entry while remaining to stand still is most other regards. Plenty of fun with friends or hunting down that last objective, but when left to your own devices, you might find yo


Published: October 20, 2018 1:25 PM /

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Superheroes today are everywhere, from comics and lunchboxes to almost every possible kind of media. With the continued success of Marvel and the MCU, fans have grown more accustomed to all kinds of team-ups and cross promotion. LEGO Marvel Superheroes 2 continues that legacy, giving Marvel fans their favorite team-ups, Easter eggs galore, comedic moments, and enough extra lore we all feel like Reed Richards.

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Wouldn't be the first time Spidey has been pulled from his world into a strange new one...

In LEGO Marvel Superheroes 2, the world of heroes is once again in danger—this time the threat is Kang the Conqueror. This evil ruler from the future has returned to not only wreak havoc on the world and universe, but also on different time periods. Through this adventure, you'll play as not only well-known heroes like Captain America, Spider-Man, and Daredevil but many that will leave you scratching your head like "The Rawhide Kid."

As part of his plan, Kang brought together different landscapes like New York, Asgard, and the Old West forming a bizarre overworld. This fusion of locations and times serve not only as a way for Kang to prove his power but also works against him as the heroes begin recruiting. The Heroes' plan is to locate the fragments of the "Nexus of all Things" to put the world back together and defeat Kang. In addition to the Frankenstein's monster of an overworld, players get to travel to locations like Kun-Lun. For those who have been paying attention to all the Marvel movies and TV shows, you'll see plenty of familiar locations.

In terms of gameplay, Traveler's Tales has once again brought back the tried and true formula of LEGO games since the release of LEGO Star Wars over a decade ago. While the game is mostly linear, every now and then you'll get the choice of which to complete. These missions all need to get completed, so aside from the order, there's no impact on the story.

During each of the missions, players are able to swap between their team members, not only for combat but to use their abilities to progress towards the goal. This system does well to praise those who know Iron Man is smart enough to hack a computer—though some abilities like Wolverine being able to dig underground takes a bit more of a mental leap—trial and error is your friend for those situations.

Combat consists of simple combos breaking enemies and the environment as you go, but you'll need all your hero skills to progress. The combat's simplicity can get repetitive with little reason to do much more than mash the attack button or find a high spot to shoot a continuous laser beam. You might notice a switch that Captain America can use, but first you need Thor's lightning to open a gate to access it. Some puzzles get a bit more challenging by leaving important parts hidden in the world around the player, which promotes the "break everything" mentality that comes with LEGO.

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Find all kinds of new and weird characters to learn about!

For those with someone to play games with, one of LEGO Marvel Superheroes 2's greatest strengths is that it's a game to share with someone. It doesn't matter if a second player knows what they're doing or just want to run around and smash things, it's something you can easily do with a friend or family member. The roster of characters available, even if some are reskinned, is a great way to introduce all kinds of characters that fans haven't heard of yet. You learn the kind of powers they have but also characters have information on their personality and appearances.

As with previous LEGO games, there's more than enough for you to collect on your journey through LEGO Marvel Superheroes 2. With characters, mini-kits, gold bricks, and pink bricks, you'll end up searching the world top to bottom to gain access to as much as you can. Items like Pink Bricks give access to "cheats"; they don't change the game too much, but can you can get currency multipliers and other hints towards 100% completion. It's a way to reward the hard effort that a player might have put into the game with an easier road to completion while keeping aid completely optional.

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Head to the Old West world to see all kinds of medieval-themed heroes and villains.

The look of the game does an incredible job not only taking you to well-known locations but uses LEGO to create structures that are just as recognizable as their real-life counterparts. Something as generic as "Jungle Level" can easily be identified as Wakanda through the architecture and environment. It's this kind of attention to detail and ability to take real-life objects and turn them into LEGO that is constantly impressive to see.

Multiplayer is one of the real strong points of LEGO Marvel Superheroes 2. From the beginning of the game, a second player is able to hop into the action by pressing start. From here you and your friend are able to take over each of the different playable characters and work towards a common goal. Though a dynamic split screen, you'll also be able to share the screen when together and as you move apart the screen will divide. This gives players the benefit of getting the whole screen while exploring with a friend, but also the freedom to go and hunt down some secrets without having to drag your pal along.

LEGO Marvel Superheroes 2 Review | Final Thoughts

LEGO Marvel Superheroes 2 has managed to uphold the expectation of the niche that LEGO games have created for themselves. Cheery and comedic writing worthy of a few chuckles, easy and intuitive gameplay, and plenty to explore and collect make it a great game to sit back and relax with. However, if you're not into all of the hundreds of sidequests and objectives, then the story experience alone might not be able to keep your interest.


TechRaptor reviewed LEGO Marvel Superheroes 2 on PlayStation 4 with a copy provided to us by the publisher. It is also available on Xbox One, Nintendo Switch, PC, and Mac.

Review Summary

6.0
LEGO Superheroes 2 adds more characters, references, and story to the previous entry while remaining to stand still is most other regards. Plenty of fun with friends or hunting down that last objective, but when left to your own devices, you might find yourself deviating. (Review Policy)

Pros

  • Manages to continue the LEGO formula...
  • Lots of collectibles to invest time in...
  • Enjoyable multiplayer

Cons

  • ...but after 21 games a shakeup would be nice
  • ...can be daunting

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