👾[TEST] Marvel Powers United VR: the Oculus Rift unveils its superpowers

Summary

General overview of Marvel Powers United VR
Marvel Powers United VR storyline: Infinity War without the story
Marvel Powers United VR gameplay: wake up your inner superhero
Marvel Powers United VR Lifespan: Infinity War
Marvel Powers United VR graphics and soundtrack: a masterful production
Marvel Powers United VR immersion: immerse yourself in a Marvel movie
Marvel Powers United VR comfort: as comfortable as superhero tights
Marvel Powers United VR facing the competition: fan service as the main asset
Conclusion du test de Marvel Powers United VR
- Good points
- Negative points

When July 2017 Comic-Con, Disney / Marvel and Oculus have made an announcement that was enough to capsize the hearts of fans of comics and movies in the MCU: a multiplayer game in virtual reality, giving players the role of Marvel superheroes in first person. . What make millions of enthusiasts want to take an interest in VR.

If we add to this that the game is developed by Sanzaru Games (l), with Epic Games' Unreal Engine, the stars seemed aligned for Marvel Powers United VR to be the best VR game since the first headsets launched in 2016.

And then, the enthusiasm gave way to doubt. Originally expected at the start of 2018, the game has finally been repeatedly postponed. Although no explanation was given, these cumulative delays could suggest that Oculus was not sure it could meet the expectations of fans. Will Marvel Powers United VR be the long-awaited bomb, or one more disappointment to add to the VR gaming charts?

One year after its announcement on July 26, 2018, Marvel Powers United VR is finally available on Oculus Rift. The time has come to verify if the game is really worthy of what one would expect from a prestigious partnership between Facebook / Oculus and Disney / Marvel.

General overview of Marvel Powers United VR

Game modes: 1 to 4 players
Availability : July 26, 2018
Price: 39,99€
Developer: Sanzaru
Editor : eye
Game genre: Action / Fighting / Shooter
Compatibility: Oculus Rift
Tested on: Oculus Rift

Marvel Powers United VR storyline: Infinity War without the story

[TEST] Marvel Powers United VR: the Oculus Rift unveils its superpowers

Marvel Powers United VR starts with an epic intro scene, worthy of a Marvel movie, where we can see the different characters deploy their powers. At the end of this prologue, the player has only one desire: to put on his tight-fitting superhero costume and dive into the heat of the action.

And that's exactly what the title offers. Rather than being encumbered with a complex story, the game takes the side of offer pure action and raw fun. This is hardly surprising, as it is primarily a multiplayer game. Long dialogue scenes or cutscenes would have slowed down the pace and created the annoyance of players who do not care about the narrative.

Thus, the synopsis fits on a pocket square: Thanos reunited several supervillains from different Marvel comics to destroy the world. The Avengers must unite to prevent them from achieving their ends.

We are therefore in a crossover in the tradition of the film , bringing together all the characters from the Marvel universe, minus the scenario. There is also no campaign mode, but only successions of missions that can be performed in any order. Despite everything, it's a pleasure to find Marvel heroes and iconic environments from movies and comics.

Marvel Powers United VR gameplay: wake up your inner superhero

In Marvel Powers United VR you will have the opportunity to play as your favorite Marvel superhero in first person view. When launching the game, you will be able to choose from 18 different characters. Of course, some are missing, including Iron Man. However, more heroes are expected to join the cast over time. Note that a first DLC has already been announced.

Like in the Marvel comics and movies, each character has their own superpowers. However, we quickly realize that the 18 superheroes are not really unique strictly speaking. We actually distinguish three classes: melee, distance and magic. For example, Dr. Strange, Iceman, Captain Marvel and Tornado are all four spellcasters and their gameplay is similar.

Thus, we regret that some characters cannot use their iconic skills. For example, Spider-Man can't swing through the air at the end of his web. Needless to say, many fans are likely to be disappointed.

maybe Sanzaru should have chosen to implement fewer characters from launch, but to make them more unique and faithful to the originals. However, it is still extremely pleasant to be able to play as your favorite character, even if it is a sanitized version of it.

Each character has three or four abilities, and a special attack can be activated after gaining enough points by dealing damage to enemies. The basic abilities are relatively similar, and you usually end up using the same technique over and over again. It is also unfortunate that no cooldown or cooldown prevents "spamming" the same skills to infinity. Special attacks mostly consist of increasing the damage of other abilities or creating a sphere of damage around the character.

Although it is possible to play solo with companions controlled by the AI, Marvel Powers United VR is first and foremost a multiplayer game. Despite the similarities between the different characters of the same class, it is interesting to get along with his comrades to choose heroes with complementary abilities to complete the missions.

For example, some characters are more defensive, while others can fly to deal damage over a greater distance. A versatile team will be better able to respond to all different situations. So there is a very interesting strategic aspect to consider.

[TEST] Marvel Powers United VR: the Oculus Rift unveils its superpowers

The game itself is presented as a clever mix between a shooter and Tower Defense. Players must protect an objective from waves of enemies. The missions take place in different environments (from movies and comics), but always unfold the same way.

The heroes must defend the relays against waves of enemies, then defend a generator while bringing in energy units (which appear in different places on the map). It is unfortunate that enemies seem harmless. Most of the time, we just send attacks in all directions to decimate the hordes of minions.

So there is you don't really need to manage your different skills tactically. Additionally, many characters have an automatic aiming system that automatically hits enemies as long as they are in line of sight.

The missions are spiced up by fights against supervillains acting as bosses. Unfortunately, again, boss encounters are a bit too repetitive. We usually just stay at a distance to shoot them while avoiding their area attacks. The difficulty is therefore not really high.

After collecting enough Cosmic Fragments throughout the missions, you will have the opportunity to face Thanos, the big bad of the Marvel Cinematic Universe. This fight is a little different from other boss fights, but the strategy remains similar. We stay at a distance, and we send damage.

In summary, the gameplay of Marvel Powers United VR suffers from an undeniable repetitiveness, and a lack of difficulty. Perhaps also from a lack of originality. However, superhero fans will really enjoy playing their favorite characters in VR.

Marvel Powers United VR Lifespan: Infinity War

[TEST] Marvel Powers United VR: the Oculus Rift unveils its superpowers

With its many characters, discovering Marvel Powers United VR will keep you busy. After trying all the heroes, however, a feeling of repetition can be felt.

Over the course of the missions, you will unlock new costumes and poses for different characters. On the other hand, apart from these cosmetic improvements, all content is available from the start. You will therefore not have the opportunity to strengthen your favorite hero or get new ones, for example.

In fact, the only reason to keep playing this game over and over again is improve your score. Depending on the number of enemies killed and the combos used, you will indeed get more points. Some users will be satisfied with this "arcade game" side, others will experience a feeling of weariness.

On the other hand, like all multiplayer games, Marvel Powers United VR sees its lifespan extended by the feeling of fun when playing with friends. In short, it is therefore an accessible game, in which you can quickly get started with a group of comrades for a quick game. Let's just hope that future DLCs add interest and content.

Marvel Powers United VR graphics and soundtrack: a masterful production

[TEST] Marvel Powers United VR: the Oculus Rift unveils its superpowers

Behind Marvel Powers United VR is Disney / Marvel and Facebook / Oculus. Needless to say, the developers had a colossal budget, and this is reflected in the graphics quality of the game. with the Unreal Engine, the title is visually pleasing with its colorful atmosphere and sumptuous light effects. It really feels like you're in the middle of a battle scene from a Marvel movie.

Particular care has also been taken to costume details of different characters. It's a real pleasure to admire your outfit while looking down, and this adds interest to the different costumes that you unlock throughout the game.

Regarding the soundtrack, music mingles with the sounds of shooting, interface sounds and character lines. The result is a little chaotic, but adds to the intensity of the game. On the other hand, the lines launched by the characters every three seconds quickly become annoying.

Marvel Powers United VR immersion: immerse yourself in a Marvel movie

[TEST] Marvel Powers United VR: the Oculus Rift unveils its superpowers

As a game in first person view, Marvel Powers United VR allows you to really play the different characters. It is a real treat for superhero fans. It is also very pleasant to see your comrades flocking around you during boss fights. We really have the feeling of being immersed in a blockbuster.

This feeling of immersion is reinforced by the feeling of power that gives the game. Using his devastating powers against hordes of harmless enemies, the player actually feels like a superhero. The difficulty suffers, but the pleasure is increased tenfold.

On the other hand, the feeling of immersion is attenuated by the gameplay similarity between the characters and the absence of certain iconic abilities detailed previously. We could also have wished that the background of the heroes was more highlighted, because that's also what makes them so endearing.

Marvel Powers United VR comfort: as comfortable as superhero tights

[TEST] Marvel Powers United VR: the Oculus Rift unveils its superpowers

It should be noted that Marvel Powers United VR is the first game produced by Oculus Studios that uses free movement rather than teleportation, as well as charge mechanics. Often, VR game developers avoid these motion systems because they can cause nausea in some of the players.

However, the experience turns out to be perfectly comfortable. Even after several consecutive hours, you will not feel any Motion Sickness. On this point, it is therefore a masterful success on the part of Sanzaru Games. You can feel all the work done to provide a smooth and enjoyable game. Anyway, in the event of a comfort problem, it is still possible to activate a vignetting system.

Marvel Powers United VR facing the competition: fan service as the main asset

[TEST] Marvel Powers United VR: the Oculus Rift unveils its superpowers

Marvel Powers United VR isn't the first VR superhero video game. In the past, we had already been treated to Batman on PSVR or even a Spider-Man game on Oculus Rift. However, these were only small games of short duration. This new title is therefore the first real superhero game in VR.

We can also compare this game to other FPS in virtual reality, and in particular with Robo Recall which was developed with the same graphics engine and also offers a gameplay system based on scoring. Robo Recall was already excellent, but Marvel PU VR stands out for its superhero cast adored by the general public.

Il is obviously a major asset. This is also the reason why Sanzaru went all out by offering a large number of different characters from launch.

Conclusion du test de Marvel Powers United VR

[TEST] Marvel Powers United VR: the Oculus Rift unveils its superpowers

In conclusion, Marvel Powers United VR is a very good game which takes up and aggregates what has been done best in virtual reality until now, all skilfully mixed in a cult world. Marvel fans will be delighted to be able to play their favorite characters alongside their friends, and use their powers to defeat the villains.

However, this is not the long awaited slap. The interest of the game is tarnished by a lack of difficulty, and by a repetitiveness of the gameplay. The lack of diversity in missions and character game mechanics is disappointing. We can only hope that future DLCs will add more depth.

Regardless, the beauty of the graphics and the ability to play as 18 different Marvel superheroes should be more than enough to ensure the success and profitability of this game. So, Marvel Powers United VR should easily climb into the top best-selling VR games and stimulate the growth of the market as a whole.