Previews

Marvel Future Revolution preview - "A not-so-revolutionary revolution"

Marvel Future Revolution preview - "A not-so-revolutionary revolution"

Each time Iron Man drops down from the sky with a quippy line, it just doesn’t seem like anyone can resist his charm. In the sea of Marvel games on mobile today, Marvel Future Revolution does stand out in that it’s an open-world title set in the massive Marvel universe - a bantering Iron Man dropping down from the sky included.

The very first scene of the game, in fact, already begins with Tony Stark’s cheery voice in Star Lord’s ear, and it’s definitely a way to open the game with a bang. The long opening sequence lets you control all the main characters via quick time events while introducing you to the premise of the story, effectively immersing you into the gameplay without any ceremony.

The story of Marvel Future Revolution

Thanks to M.O.D.O.K.’s no good schemes, multiple Earths are now on a collision course, threatening to destroy all life as you know it. Your main playable characters - Iron Man, Captain America, Black Widow, Star-Lord, Storm, Doctor Strange, Captain Marvel, and Spider-Man - put up a good fight, but ultimately, it takes Vision sacrificing himself to save everyone by merging all realities into one.

Of course, the aftermath isn’t all sunshine and butterflies. You now have to battle alternate versions of supervillains as well, so you’ll need to recruit alternate versions of the superheroes to help fight the good fight - a convenient and brilliant excuse for all the weird-looking caped crimefighters in the game.

Marvel Future Revolution customization and combat

Speaking of crazy combinations, the reason why every superhero looks oddly put together is that there’s such a huge system for customization here. The game in fact boasts tons and tons of different costume combinations where you can let your imagination go wild.

My very own Storm, for instance, could sport a Queen of Wakanda tiara and Asgardian-inspired spandex, because hey, she’s from another dimension (I did end up sticking with my ‘90s Storm outfit because it just looks cooler).

Marvel Future Revolution - Storm

Aside from the physical appearance of your hero, you can also customize their skills and choose which ones you want to focus on. Every special move looks hella awesome when executed on the battlefield, and it’s such a thrill to see your hero leaping and striking and unleashing dazzling combos in a hack-and-slash manner. Units also have a special attack they can use when the meter gauge is filled, and the animations alone are a joy to watch.

Unfortunately, it doesn’t really feel like you need to time your combos properly, as simply spamming the attack button will likely win you the match, anyway. There’s not much strategizing involved here, even if some heroes are melee attackers and some are AOE dealers. It all boils down to which hero you think looks cool, and not really about the playstyle.

Marvel Future Revolution paywall

Now, given that this is a free-to-play open-world MMORPG, the question on everybody’s mind is how to scale that huge paywall. Thankfully, I didn’t really feel like the game is too pay-to-win, as you can choose which hero you want to play at any given point in time for free.

This is a huge deal in the midst of the too-many gacha games out there. You can also get by fairly well even without any purchases IRL - just pick a hero and play through the game without any ads or pesky in-app purchases popping up every now and then.

What will likely happen in the long run, however, is that F2P players will eventually fall behind when it comes to PVP since buying costume packs isn’t just for show. These cosmetics actually have different stat bonuses as well, so obviously, the player who pays for a better costume pack can have better stats as well. Personally, I don’t really feel like this is such a big deal, since I’m not that into PVP, anyway.

What’s the appeal?

The Omega Cards system is what caught my eye here - it’s a bunch of cards you can equip to give you stat bonuses and can be shared across all heroes in your squad. They take on the form of famous covers from comic books, so that’s a delight to see.

omega cards Marvel Future Revolution

By the way, one of the controversial aspects of this game is its auto-play system, which basically lets you watch the whole thing without even lifting a finger (except to claim rewards at the end of each mission). Just tap the auto-play button and your character will zip around the city completing missions and fighting bad guys for you.

Now, while this may seem boring and repetitive for some, I actually find it pretty convenient, since I don’t want to focus all of my time and energy on the game every single time. Whenever I have the luxury to sit down and play the game properly, I do.

But when it’s a quick lunch break and I need to leave it on for a bit while I grab a bite to eat, then the auto-play function does come in handy. It’s really a matter of choice, I believe, and I appreciate the fact that you at least have an option on how involved you want to be.

Marvel Future Revolution is coming to mobile officially on August 25th, 2021. There’s nothing too groundbreaking about it, to be honest, but if, like me, you’re simply looking for the enjoyment of roaming around a vast world with your favourite Marvel characters, then the game can be an absolute thrill.

I actually can’t believe something like this can be a free-to-play mobile game - although fair warning: the graphics can get pretty laggy every now and then, so be sure to check your specs before you get into the game.

Catherine Dellosa
Catherine Dellosa
Catherine plays video games for a living and writes because she’s in love with words. Her Young Adult contemporary novel, For The Win: The Not-So-Epic Quest Of A Non-Playable Character, is her third book published by Penguin Random House SEA - a poignant love letter to gamer geeks, mythological creatures, teenage heartbreak, and everything in between. She one day hopes to soar the skies as a superhero, but for now, she strongly believes in saving lives through her works in fiction. Check out her books at bit.ly/catherinedellosabooks, or follow her on FB/IG/Twitter at @thenoobwife.