Game Review 1

Marvel Strike Force: A Fun Game If You Don’t Take It Too Serious

A well-made strategic RPG with wide and varied roster of characters.

4.3
Our grade:
4.3

Marvel Strike Force is the perfect game if you love the Marvel Universe and want to keep yourself entertained in your spare time.

Marvel Strike Force: Essentials

On March 28, 2018, FoxNext created and launched the turn-based role-playing game, Marvel Strike Force. After 4+ years, the game is still one of the most significant turn-based RPGs (Gachas) available on Google Play, with over 10 million downloads and an average rating of 4.3.

The game’s objective is to gather Marvel Universe heroes and employ them in various game modes. There they will be put together in 5-man teams to battle multiple foes. New players will only have access to a limited number of early Heroes and Villains. Still, with each passing day, they will get closer to unlocking new, stronger Heroes that will enable them to unlock any character compilations to find the best match. 

There are 150 plus different Heroes and Minions in Marvel Strike Force. Some people believe that the rate at which new characters are released is too quick, and that new Heroes are typically far better than older Heroes. However, FoxNext tries to keep the balance in the game with each new update by changing the stats of existing Heroes and Minions or adding new ones. Although, for the average new player, it may, in fact, be challenging to decide which characters to acquire first and prioritize.

Gameplay

Marvel Strike Force has relatively straightforward and engaging gameplay. All you need to do to earn yourself the delight of victory in the game is to unlock specific Heroes, combine them using strategic thinking, and then carefully choose which skills to employ and in what order. It’s a straightforward idea where you don’t need quick reflexes and have plenty of time to consider the best course of action.

The whole gaming experience allows you to become aware of the game mechanics after a short while, reasoning in both Marvel and Gacha fans being drawn to the prospect of gathering renowned Marvel Heroes and using them in battle with good chances of joyous victories.

Game Atmosphere

When discussing the gaming environment, we should note that any novice player usually finds the game very addictive. Moreover, in the early phases after starting a new account, every game component feels like a different gaming experience, keeping players busy all the time. Furthermore, the demands of collecting Heroes in five methods, ongoing competition, and the desire for advancement require daily logins from the players. Finally, the game dynamics build psychological momentum within the players, who eventually start craving more doable material and hunting for additional things to do within the game.

The endgame, though, makes you feel utterly in the other way. You will want more of that “something new” after endless repetition of the same duties and once you have the majority of the heroes on offer. To be completely honest, this is a massive game mechanics problem because many older players confess to only playing MSF because their Alliance depends on them. That, in turn, questions whether experienced players act robotically, without any joy or excitement, and with only one decision on their mind: to keep or not to keep playing the game indefinitely.

A couple of years ago, the community already wrote an open letter to FoxNext in response to this issue. The most influential Alliance leaders developed a list of demands that needed to be met to continue spending money on the game. They also urged all players for support. They requested:

  • more often updated new content (New Campaigns, Raids);
  • lower costs for end-game gear ingredients;
  • a slower rollout of new Heroes; and 
  • a cessation of stealth-nerfing existing Raids (FoxNext changes the difficulty of Raids, without notification, if they see that it is doable by a certain percent of Alliances).

In fact, the community was literally referring to boycotts happening if the game developers refuse to fix Marvel Strike Force. 

FoxNext your frustration game design philosophy has evolved into a predatory, abusive, and repulsive dynamic that has sucked all the oxygen from the room. We can no longer breathe in this environment. What we are prepared to do and have already started. Community support for a boycott.

– A quote from the end of the letter sent to FoxNext by the leader of the Legion of Cabal

As you can see, the community was outraged at that time in early 2020, and to get to the full extent of that outrage, you can read the open letter to FoxNext from January 2020 in full.

It was an unheard event corresponding to the onset of the global crisis. As a result, FoxNext was tasked with revitalizing the game and satisfying both existing gamers and new players, for in the long run it was – and still is – simply not an option to include new features that make the game unusable for new players. Luckily, the game still lives to date to be one of the highest-grossing of all times, which means FoxNext understood what it needed to do to keep everyone happy and peaceful.

Artwork

Regarding graphics and special effects, one must admit that Marvel Strike Force is one of the most impressive-looking mobile games. But models are more than just attractive and accurate.

When particular abilities are used, characters interact with one another. For example, each Hero has unique animations for their kill and for each skill. Given that there are presently more than 150 characters in the game and each Hero and Minion has three active skills, FoxNext did a great job of giving us an incredible visual experience.

Marvel Strike Force’s animations, unlike those in some other games, are neither grating nor painful to the eyes, making you want to play at the slowest possible speed and savor the visual effects. In other words, FoxNext created a new aesthetic for gaming graphics on mobile devices.

Tech Compatibility

Prepare for war with allies and sworn enemies in MARVEL Strike Force, an action-packed, gorgeous free-to-play game for your phone or tablet. In terms of the latter, as of February 2022, players get to enjoy the game on both iOS and Android, with the minimum requirements being:

  • For Android users: any devices running on Android 5.0 and up can run the game; and
  • For iOS users: iPhones, iPads, and iPod Touch require iOS 11.0 or later after the latest update.

The game comes in more than 15 languages supported and runs smoothly on devices with at least 2GB of RAM. Even if you do not meet the minimum requirements, you may still find a way to play the game. However, an in-game notice will appear if you’re using a device that isn’t supported or doesn’t adhere to the technical requirements to play MARVEL Strike Force.

Marvel Strike Force: F2P or P2P

It is time to raise the question whether Marvel Strike Force is a game that requires paying to succeed. 

It is true that certain offers are exorbitantly priced and that some pointless items need hefty payments. Still, although many players will disagree, it is also true that you can advance without making any payments or by investing solely in Power Cores. With perseverance, regular players who log in daily can accomplish anything they set out to do.

In contrast to other mobile games, Marvel Strike Force allows players to dominate in PvP even if they haven’t made any in-game purchases. As a result, you can put together META teams without any issues with the appropriate approach and good planning. Still, it also requires your full attention and action.

It is crucial to note that several players who had recently made significant investments in the game have expressed dissatisfaction over the possibility of competition from non-paying users. After that, FoxNext changed its approach. The game developers created some META Heroes (like Black Bolt and Hela) that were first only available for purchase and became accessible to other players only after a particular time.

Ultimately, the game is free-to-play (F2P) with a slight advantage for gamers who want to advance by paying. Nevertheless, the gap between the two fractions is still narrow, and hopes are that FoxNext won’t go too far and will work to maintain the game that way.

Review Summary

Marvel Strike Force is one of the best Hero collecting games available. You will be completely drawn into it, and once you begin playing, you won’t even realize that it has been months since your initial login. While all technological features are among the best in the mobile game market, the pay-to-win element is acceptable.

Marvel Strike Force is the perfect game if you love the Marvel Universe and want to keep yourself entertained in your spare time.

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1 Comment

  • Reply
    Phil Hoort
    Nov 29, 2022 3:39 am

    I would not recommend picking up this game if you haven’t started. It’s fun to gather and combat Marvel characters. However, the frequent advertising that crops up on every screen and the fact that you can’t obtain the more sophisticated characters without paying makes it one of the most annoying games I’ve ever played.

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