Aside from a quickly-squashed leak, it hasn’t been possible to see the E3 2019 gameplay demo for Crystal Dynamics’ upcoming Marvels’ Avengers game. That would be the intro level that E3 attendees said was somewhat more encouraging than the game’s maligned E3 trailer.
Today, because the marketing plan demanded it, we can finally all watch the level in action. The 18-minute segment shows off what it’s like to control Thor, the Incredible Hulk, Captain America, Iron Man and Black Widow. It doesn’t show how the game will actually play out once it gets going, because this opening level is all tutorial.
People who are expecting the Avengers to sound like their Marvel Cinematic Universe versions are going to be disappointed or weirded out. And anyone looking for glimpses of the game’s online gameplay or even just a glimpse of how the game is structured and flows won’t find that in the demo. But at least we’re catching up to what select E3 attendees saw at a theater demo in June.
Crystal Dynamics is a highly regarded studio that has made numerous critically acclaimed and commercially successful Tomb Raider games. Odds are they have some smart ideas and an interesting project on their hands, but such is the manner in which big-budget games are rolled out that we’ll only find out about it officially one drip at a time: an E3 trailer and behind-closed-doors demo, a Comic-Con panel, a Gamescom demo unveiling and so on.
A post like this inevitably serves that cause as well, for better or worse, but at least now people can see more of the game and judge it a little better for themselves. There will be more dripfeed for this game up through its May 2020 launch. Hopefully one of those finally clarifies what this game actually is and helps its audience better understand what its developers are no doubt working very hard to make.