Developer: Netmarble Games
Publisher: Netmarble Games
Released: April 30, 2015
Marvel Future Fight is a free to play mobile game that is available on both Android and Apple devices. Future Fight is a third person action game where you assemble a team of up to 3 heroes and take on levels where you fight lesser enemies that eventually lead to a boss at the end of each stage. The game features over 50 characters from the Marvel Universe which can be unlocked in a variety of ways.
Similarly to Marvel: Contest of Champions (a game I have previously reviewed) the heroes are divided into 4 separate classes: Combat, Blast, Speed and Universal. Combat types are effective against Speed, Speed is effective against Blast, and Blast is effective against Combat. Universal heroes are effective against all types and are not at a disadvantage against any class type. These basic guidelines keep the player aware of what class hero they are using and if they should switch to a different hero for a particular enemy type or boss. Here is the in game description of these advantages:
Publisher: Netmarble Games
Released: April 30, 2015
Marvel Future Fight is a free to play mobile game that is available on both Android and Apple devices. Future Fight is a third person action game where you assemble a team of up to 3 heroes and take on levels where you fight lesser enemies that eventually lead to a boss at the end of each stage. The game features over 50 characters from the Marvel Universe which can be unlocked in a variety of ways.
Similarly to Marvel: Contest of Champions (a game I have previously reviewed) the heroes are divided into 4 separate classes: Combat, Blast, Speed and Universal. Combat types are effective against Speed, Speed is effective against Blast, and Blast is effective against Combat. Universal heroes are effective against all types and are not at a disadvantage against any class type. These basic guidelines keep the player aware of what class hero they are using and if they should switch to a different hero for a particular enemy type or boss. Here is the in game description of these advantages:
The level structure is divided into Normal, Elite, Daily, Special, Bonus and Villain Siege sections. Normal levels must be completed to unlock corresponding Elite missions. Special, Bonus and Villain Siege missions are unlocked by the player leveling up (similar to the Summoner level ups in Contest of Champions). Bonus missions are unlocked as the player achieves certain amounts of stars which accumulate from all other missions. Bonus missions can be completed once a day, and each bonus mission provides a large amount of gold which is used for upgrading heroes and gear. Normal missions have a campaign-like structure where the player uses their heroes to fight a plethora of Marvel villains (and heroes) in order to find out the truth behind the dimension shifting that is taking place.
As with most mobile games, the narrative takes a backseat to the gameplay. Gameplay involves basic attacks which can be combined with character specific special attacks that have varying cooldown times. Additional attacks are unlocked as your heroes are ranked up.
Upgrading heroes in Future Fight consists of several different avenues. Heroes are leveled up by being on your team when you complete a mission. A hero does not need to be used during a mission to gain exp for the mission. This means that you can use a higher level character to run through missions and quickly level up your lesser heroes. Heroes can also be ranked up, from 1 to 6 stars. Ranking up heroes requires a certain amount of biometrics, the number of biometrics is dependent on which rank you are trying to achieve. Biometrics can be obtained by opening dimension chests (1 free chest daily), or by completing Elite quest missions. Each Elite mission contains biometrics for a different hero. Elite missions can be completed 3 times per day which gives potential for 3 biometrics for (almost) every hero, every day. Biometrics are not guaranteed upon mission completion however. The daily mission limit helps to augment the replay value of this game. Limiting how much progress players can make daily increases the probability that they will return the next day, and prevents players from quickly running through the game, unlocking all the heroes and then deleting the game from their phone or tablet because they have conquered it. I believe this is a smart decision by the team at Netmarble games to help them maintain a player base. I think it also helps level the playing field between players. Some people have more time to play games than others, and limiting the amount of daily missions that a player can embark on lets players move at their own pace and not feel left behind. On top of the mission limitations, an energy system is also employed. Each mission that the player starts consumes a certain amount of energy, which takes time to recharge. The players energy capacity increases as their S.H.I.E.L.D. level increases. If the players energy is depleted, they will not be able to start another mission until their energy has sufficiently recharged. A lot of mobile games are using this technique in today’s market, and although it may seem a bit restraining, it works in the respect that it forces the player to use their energy wisely each day or be forced to wait for the energy to recharge.
In addition to leveling up and ranking up heroes, players can also spend resources to gain masteries for their heroes. Masteries are obtained by using different class-specific Norn stones and gold to gain a mastery level for a hero. Norn stones are also obtained through Elite missions, in conjunction with hero biometrics. Norn stones of strength is used for mastery of combat heroes, Norn stone of brilliance for speed heroes, norn stone of energy for blast heroes and norn stone of omnipotence for universal heroes. Heroes who gain masteries replace one of their gold stars with a red one. This means that a 1 red star hero is more powerful than a 1 gold star hero. There are 6 mastery levels to go along with the 6 ranks, this means that the most powerful heroes will have 6 red stars.
Each hero also has four pieces of gear which can be enhanced by using gear up kits which are random loot drops in all missions. Each piece of gear can be maxed out at +15. Each hero’s powers can also be leveled up simply by spending the right amount of gold. Each character has 5 moves which can all reach level 50 if the hero itself is level 50. One star characters start with two available special moves and unlock additional moves as they rank up.
Future Fight does something a bit out of the ordinary in that it includes a very helpful level up guide which is available to the player as soon as they start playing the game. This is extremely useful for new players to get a feel of how the game works and how to progress forward with their hero roster. It is a great feature and one that I think more games should incorporate.
As with most mobile games, the narrative takes a backseat to the gameplay. Gameplay involves basic attacks which can be combined with character specific special attacks that have varying cooldown times. Additional attacks are unlocked as your heroes are ranked up.
Upgrading heroes in Future Fight consists of several different avenues. Heroes are leveled up by being on your team when you complete a mission. A hero does not need to be used during a mission to gain exp for the mission. This means that you can use a higher level character to run through missions and quickly level up your lesser heroes. Heroes can also be ranked up, from 1 to 6 stars. Ranking up heroes requires a certain amount of biometrics, the number of biometrics is dependent on which rank you are trying to achieve. Biometrics can be obtained by opening dimension chests (1 free chest daily), or by completing Elite quest missions. Each Elite mission contains biometrics for a different hero. Elite missions can be completed 3 times per day which gives potential for 3 biometrics for (almost) every hero, every day. Biometrics are not guaranteed upon mission completion however. The daily mission limit helps to augment the replay value of this game. Limiting how much progress players can make daily increases the probability that they will return the next day, and prevents players from quickly running through the game, unlocking all the heroes and then deleting the game from their phone or tablet because they have conquered it. I believe this is a smart decision by the team at Netmarble games to help them maintain a player base. I think it also helps level the playing field between players. Some people have more time to play games than others, and limiting the amount of daily missions that a player can embark on lets players move at their own pace and not feel left behind. On top of the mission limitations, an energy system is also employed. Each mission that the player starts consumes a certain amount of energy, which takes time to recharge. The players energy capacity increases as their S.H.I.E.L.D. level increases. If the players energy is depleted, they will not be able to start another mission until their energy has sufficiently recharged. A lot of mobile games are using this technique in today’s market, and although it may seem a bit restraining, it works in the respect that it forces the player to use their energy wisely each day or be forced to wait for the energy to recharge.
In addition to leveling up and ranking up heroes, players can also spend resources to gain masteries for their heroes. Masteries are obtained by using different class-specific Norn stones and gold to gain a mastery level for a hero. Norn stones are also obtained through Elite missions, in conjunction with hero biometrics. Norn stones of strength is used for mastery of combat heroes, Norn stone of brilliance for speed heroes, norn stone of energy for blast heroes and norn stone of omnipotence for universal heroes. Heroes who gain masteries replace one of their gold stars with a red one. This means that a 1 red star hero is more powerful than a 1 gold star hero. There are 6 mastery levels to go along with the 6 ranks, this means that the most powerful heroes will have 6 red stars.
Each hero also has four pieces of gear which can be enhanced by using gear up kits which are random loot drops in all missions. Each piece of gear can be maxed out at +15. Each hero’s powers can also be leveled up simply by spending the right amount of gold. Each character has 5 moves which can all reach level 50 if the hero itself is level 50. One star characters start with two available special moves and unlock additional moves as they rank up.
Future Fight does something a bit out of the ordinary in that it includes a very helpful level up guide which is available to the player as soon as they start playing the game. This is extremely useful for new players to get a feel of how the game works and how to progress forward with their hero roster. It is a great feature and one that I think more games should incorporate.
Another interesting aspect of Future Fight is the auto play feature. After the player completes and gains 3 stars on a mission (stars are given for each hero who remains alive at the end of a mission, 3 stars is the maximum a player can receive) the auto play feature is unlocked for that mission. This feature allows the player to replay previous missions using AI to control their team of heroes. This means the computer will progress through a selected mission and attack enemies and the boss. This lets the player gain rewards from stages they have already completed without being actively invested in the game. This takes away some of the repetition that inevitably strikes this and most other mobile games. It does seem strange to add this feature because it more or less takes the player out of the game. With that said, most of the end game content of Marvel Future Fight is about managing resources to level up heroes anyway, so the auto play feature becomes useful for allowing the player to acquire resources without too much effort.
Another method for the player to gain resources is through the S.H.I.E.L.D. lab. The S.H.I.E.L.D. lab contains four unique machines that offer the different resources to the player. The antimatter generator does exactly what its name suggests. Antimatter is used to unlock and rank up the other three machines. The Bioconverter is used to convert one hero’s biometrics into another's. The item shop offers rare and exclusive items for the player to purchase with gold or crystals. The mission simulator is the fourth and final machine. For those of you who have played Assassin’s Creed IV: Black Flag, the mission simulator machine works much like the fleet missions. Players can choose a team of heroes to send on a simulated mission. The simulated missions typically take a half hour to complete, and upon completion the heroes gain experience as well as some gold.
Achievements are also incorporated into Marvel Future Fight. The achievement structure is divided into daily, weekly, quest and event achievement types. Daily achievement examples include completing a certain number of missions, while quest achievements are rewarded as the player progresses through the storyline. There are also achievements for recruiting and ranking up heroes. Event achievements are rewarded for completing special themed missions. Achievement rewards range from hero biometrics to gold to clear tickets. Clear tickets can be used to “clear” a mission without actually playing it, the player gains gold and other missions rewards quickly, but no experience is gained when using clear tickets.
Another method for the player to gain resources is through the S.H.I.E.L.D. lab. The S.H.I.E.L.D. lab contains four unique machines that offer the different resources to the player. The antimatter generator does exactly what its name suggests. Antimatter is used to unlock and rank up the other three machines. The Bioconverter is used to convert one hero’s biometrics into another's. The item shop offers rare and exclusive items for the player to purchase with gold or crystals. The mission simulator is the fourth and final machine. For those of you who have played Assassin’s Creed IV: Black Flag, the mission simulator machine works much like the fleet missions. Players can choose a team of heroes to send on a simulated mission. The simulated missions typically take a half hour to complete, and upon completion the heroes gain experience as well as some gold.
Achievements are also incorporated into Marvel Future Fight. The achievement structure is divided into daily, weekly, quest and event achievement types. Daily achievement examples include completing a certain number of missions, while quest achievements are rewarded as the player progresses through the storyline. There are also achievements for recruiting and ranking up heroes. Event achievements are rewarded for completing special themed missions. Achievement rewards range from hero biometrics to gold to clear tickets. Clear tickets can be used to “clear” a mission without actually playing it, the player gains gold and other missions rewards quickly, but no experience is gained when using clear tickets.
All in all, Marvel Future Fight is an impressive free to play mobile game. The game is not plagued by microtransactions, which is refreshing in today’s world of pay-to-win games. Future Fight combines many successful and popular features from mainstream games into one tightly knit package. The character variety and strong gameplay will keep you coming back for more each day. The game evolves over time, as the end game becomes about managing your available resources wisely to effectively maximize your hero roster's potential. The evolution in how players play the game ensures that the game doesn’t get stale as players reach the end of the game’s campaign. Marvel Future Fight is an impressive offering from Netmarble Games, and it is one that you shouldn’t miss.
Below is a list of the Heroes that are currently obtainable in Marvel Future Fight, with their class designation in parentheses:
Venom (Combat)
Hulk (Combat)
Red Hulk (Combat)
She-Hulk (Combat)
Captain America (Combat)
Blade (Combat)
Luke Cage (Combat)
Groot (Combat)
Iron Fist (Combat)
Hulkbuster (Combat)
Punisher (Combat)
Black Panther (Combat)
Kingpin (Combat)
Bullseye (Combat)
Nebula (Combat)
Doc Ock (Combat)
Drax (Combat)
Giant-Man (Combat)
Deathlok (Combat)
Sif (Combat)
Warwolf (Combat)
Jessica Jones (Combat)
Carnage (Combat)
Ms. Marvel (Kamala Khan) (Combat)
Star Lord (Blast)
Vision (Blast)
M.O.D.O.K (Blast)
Yellowjacket (Blast)
Red Skull (Blast)
Malekith (Blast)
Wasp (Blast)
Rocket Racoon (Blast)
Iron Man (Blast)
War Machine (Blast)
Sister Grimm (Blast)
Daisy Johnson (Blast)
Phil Coulson (Blast)
Lincoln Campbell (Blast)
Lash (Blast)
Daredevil (Speed)
Yondu (Speed)
Gamora (Speed)
Elektra (Speed)
Ant-Man (Speed)
Black Cat (Speed)
Spider-Man (Speed)
Hawkeye (Speed)
Green Goblin (Speed)
Winter Soldier (Speed)
Black Widow (Speed)
Mockingbird (Speed)
Falcon (Speed)
Sharon Carter (Speed)
Elsa Bloodstone (Speed)
Spider-Man (Miles Morales) (Speed)
Spider-Gwen (Speed)
Silk (Speed)
Thor (Universal)
Singularity (Universal)
Ghost Rider (Universal)
Ultron (Universal)
Angela (Universal)
Black Bolt (Universal)
Ronan (Universal)
Loki (Universal)
Destroyer (Universal)
Captain Marvel (Universal)
Thor (Jane Foster) (Universal)
Below is a list of the Heroes that are currently obtainable in Marvel Future Fight, with their class designation in parentheses:
Venom (Combat)
Hulk (Combat)
Red Hulk (Combat)
She-Hulk (Combat)
Captain America (Combat)
Blade (Combat)
Luke Cage (Combat)
Groot (Combat)
Iron Fist (Combat)
Hulkbuster (Combat)
Punisher (Combat)
Black Panther (Combat)
Kingpin (Combat)
Bullseye (Combat)
Nebula (Combat)
Doc Ock (Combat)
Drax (Combat)
Giant-Man (Combat)
Deathlok (Combat)
Sif (Combat)
Warwolf (Combat)
Jessica Jones (Combat)
Carnage (Combat)
Ms. Marvel (Kamala Khan) (Combat)
Star Lord (Blast)
Vision (Blast)
M.O.D.O.K (Blast)
Yellowjacket (Blast)
Red Skull (Blast)
Malekith (Blast)
Wasp (Blast)
Rocket Racoon (Blast)
Iron Man (Blast)
War Machine (Blast)
Sister Grimm (Blast)
Daisy Johnson (Blast)
Phil Coulson (Blast)
Lincoln Campbell (Blast)
Lash (Blast)
Daredevil (Speed)
Yondu (Speed)
Gamora (Speed)
Elektra (Speed)
Ant-Man (Speed)
Black Cat (Speed)
Spider-Man (Speed)
Hawkeye (Speed)
Green Goblin (Speed)
Winter Soldier (Speed)
Black Widow (Speed)
Mockingbird (Speed)
Falcon (Speed)
Sharon Carter (Speed)
Elsa Bloodstone (Speed)
Spider-Man (Miles Morales) (Speed)
Spider-Gwen (Speed)
Silk (Speed)
Thor (Universal)
Singularity (Universal)
Ghost Rider (Universal)
Ultron (Universal)
Angela (Universal)
Black Bolt (Universal)
Ronan (Universal)
Loki (Universal)
Destroyer (Universal)
Captain Marvel (Universal)
Thor (Jane Foster) (Universal)