Warner Bros. Games and TT Games have officially ported their critically acclaimed LEGO Marvel Super Heroes to the Nintendo Switch. I can’t help but feel the game was made for the handheld console system. Though the game was originally released in 2013, it looks and feels fresh on the Switch, instantly reviving this classic Lego game.

Story

In somewhat of a mashup of virtually all of Marvel’s key characters, LEGO Marvel Super Heroes brings us an open-world experience for playing our favorite comic characters. The well-known heroes unite to fight Loki, Doctor Doom, and other villains who are trying to build a super-weapon that’s powerful enough to destroy the planet.

The overall story is somewhat cliché of most Marvel movies and comics, which works fine for this Lego game. However, the game really shines as you work through the campaign’s various missions. Each individual campaign mission has a short story vibe, dialogue, and narratives that build into the overarching story’s progression. It helps the game really hold to a nice pace as you take bites out of the main story.

Gameplay

LEGO Marvel Super Heroes is an action-adventure game that allows for open-world exploration, campaign missions, as well as side quests and challenges that are littered throughout the map. Overall the game feels packed full of content. It also helps that the Nintendo Switch version comes with all previously released DLC.

In general, you’ll find yourself running across the cityscape map grabbing Lego coins (aka “studs”) and exploring, as well as completing countless side quests. There is always a feeling that you’ve got something to do, though at times you feel it can get a bit repetitious. Collecting coins and unlocking characters and vehicles eventually got old. I eventually found myself content and ready to move along and just finish the game. Thankfully the variety of playable characters allow you to take on enemies and try different attacks and special abilities.

If you decide to try and collect every unlockable character and vehicle, you may find the game eventually gets pretty grindy. That’s simply a choice you’ll have to make based on your playstyle. If you love chasing down collectibles, there’s plenty available. If it’s generally not your jam, you’ll find the monotonous pursuit of collectibles is ever-present in this game.

Replayability

This game eventually begins to feel repetitive, offering little reason to return other than to relive some fun moments and play your favorite characters. There is one exception, however, which is eventually you can go back and redo levels and utilize different character abilities that weren’t previously available. The significance of this is that during your initial playthrough, there are portions of levels that have interactable environments that require specific characters to use their abilities.

In many of these encounters, you may not have the necessary characters unlocked yet, so replaying the level creates a new experience. I don’t know that it justifies playing the entire game all over again, but it adds entertainment for those who don’t want to stop playing.

What It Could Have Done Better

I have to admit I was disappointed this game port didn’t have any new additions or added content with its Switch release. I think it was a missed opportunity where they could have added a unique bonus level or boss fight that wasn’t included in the original game. It might make up for the fact that it took way too long for this port to come to fruition.

Verdict

The game is a classic and plays incredibly well on the Nintendo Switch. If you’ve never had the chance to play the game, picking it up on the Switch is worthwhile. For those who’ve played it before and/or own it on another platform, there’s really no reason to pay for this version. Too bad they couldn’t find a way to insert a playable Lego Mario character into the game! Better yet, they should have included a city pipe that takes you underground to Mario’s world!

For a game that’s coming up on a decade since its original release, LEGO Marvel Super Heroes still shines. It is a real joy to take this game with you in handheld mode and see how well it fits on the small portable screen. It was a great game when it was first released and this Switch version proves it holds up well. My only complaint is that there’s nothing new or improved. It’s nothing more than a port, though incredibly well done.