**What an amazing game.**
ZVitor has been working on this project for more than 15 years, and it really shows. The amount of care, passion, and love poured into this game is incredible.
Let me tell a bit of my story with *Marvel Infinity War* over the past few years while I review it.
I'm usually a fan of beat 'em ups with deep combat systems, long juggles, stylish combos, and lots of player expression (well... at least most of the time). Because of that, although I always enjoyed *Marvel Infinity War*, I could never play it for much longer than 40 minutes to an hour before getting bored.
The Definitive Edition still has some simple and satisfying juggling opportunities. They're nowhere near the depth of combo-heavy beat 'em ups, but they're fun, fit the game's balance well, and complement the enemy health, numbers, and attack patterns.
Recently, I started reading the entire Phoenix Saga (yes, I know—I should have done that years ago), so I decided to give the game another chance and finally fulfill my Jean Grey/Phoenix power fantasy.
That's when the game finally clicked for me.
*Marvel Infinity War* isn't trying to be a combo-heavy beat 'em up where you endlessly juggle enemies. It's trying to make you feel like you're actually controlling your favorite Marvel hero.
Think of it as *Marvel Ultimate Alliance* in beat 'em up form (the menus and world map song make that inspiration pretty obvious!), and it succeeds remarkably well. At its core it's a classic beat 'em up, but each hero has enough unique powers and abilities to truly feel different. While I wouldn't complain if everyone had a few extra moves, what's here is more than enough to keep the gameplay engaging throughout the adventure.
Take Jean Grey, for example. She can control enemies' minds, perform telekinetic attacks that throw objects down onto enemies, launch foes into the air with telekinesis, unleash a powerful mind-control super move, fly, attack while airborne, and perform a diving kick. The first stage even works as a training area, letting you become familiar with each character's abilities.
Most heroes share a similar core moveset, while some can double jump, others can only jump normally, and some can fly. As you play, your character levels up, restoring health and apparently increasing certain stats, although I didn't test exactly how the progression system works.
One feature I absolutely loved is the unlockable costumes. If I remember correctly, they become available around level 5. When I returned to the ship during one of the world map sections (more on that in a moment), I noticed some costumes glowing. Out of curiosity, I selected one before starting the next mission.
Jean Grey was gone.
Now I was playing as Phoenix.
Not only was her appearance different, but her entire moveset had changed. She traded her mind-control abilities for much stronger telekinetic powers and devastating fire attacks. That was an awesome surprise.
Speaking of the world map...
One of the most fascinating things about this game is that it's essentially an "open-world" beat 'em up.
In OpenBOR. Yes, seriously.
You pilot a spaceship across the galaxy and choose where to go at your own pace. While traveling, random events may occur: bosses flying around, battles taking place, and other encounters that make the world feel alive.
Some stages contain Infinity Stones. Defeat the boss, claim the Stone.
At first I thought they were just collectibles.
Nope. They're actual gameplay mechanics.
Each Infinity Stone grants a different bonus to your team. One increases your energy, another boosts movement speed, and so on. It's a simple feature, but it adds another nice layer of customization.
While exploring the world map, you can also recruit NPC companions. Playing as Jean Grey, I could choose between several X-Men allies, only Cyclops, or simply go solo. It's a small detail that makes perfect sense within Marvel's universe.
I'm still not the biggest fan of the single-lane/platforming sections or the shoot 'em up stage, but I do appreciate the variety they add. They fit the overall adventure well, and many classic beat 'em ups experimented with similar gameplay changes in the past.
Another welcome addition is the three save slots, allowing you to preserve multiple playthroughs and different character progress.
Overall, it's an easy and perfect **5/5** for me.
The amount of content is simply mind-blowing. The semi-open-world structure, the unlockable characters and costumes, the Infinity Stones, the progression system, the huge roster... it's honestly hard to believe all of this was built in OpenBOR.
It's also a testament to what DC and the OpenBOR developers have achieved over the years, providing talented creators like ZVitor with the tools needed to build projects of this scale.
Gameplay-wise, if you approach it as a classic beat 'em up enhanced with superhero abilities instead of expecting an ultra-combo-focused fighter, you'll probably have a fantastic time. In many ways, this feels like the *Marvel Ultimate Alliance* beat 'em up we may never officially get.
With more than 100 playable characters, countless unlockables, tons of replay value, and an incredible amount of fan service, this is one of the most ambitious OpenBOR projects ever created.
When I first played it years ago, I rarely lasted more than an hour before taking a break.
My latest session?
Almost four hours straight.
This game truly grew on me.
If you're a Marvel fan, this free fan-made game is an absolute must-play.
Go download it already!
