Developer: Capcom Publisher: Capcom Release: 10/18/96 Genre: Action
Marvel Super Heroes in War of the Gems has to be one of my biggest gaming disappointments in 1996. I joined the 32-bit generation a few years late due to being broke and had to make do with my Super Nintendo. Marvel Super Heroes was one of the last big Capcom fighting games I got to play in an actual arcade before they started disappearing in my area. So the news that the game was coming to the SNES was cause for celebration on my end. Yes I realize it would more than likely have been subpar but I didn’t care. Instead we got……this. War of the Gems is not outright awful but as a late generation title is a disappointment.
The 6 Infinity Gems land on Earth and Adam Warlock recruits a group of Earth’s mightiest heroes to find them before some evil villain gains the power to rule the universe. Do not be fooled; even though it has the same name as the arcade game War of the Gems is a separate title. This is a beat ‘em up and loose adaptation of the Infinity War story from the comics. This particular story sees Adam Warlock’s evil counterpart the Magus use the Cosmic Cubes to create an army of doppelgangers of Earth’s heroes to get revenge on Adam Warlock and Thanos. The story was a flagrant attempt to recreate the hype of the Infinity Gauntlet a year prior but failed. However the premise could make for an interesting game with more time. Alas, this is a blatant attempt to wring a few more dollars out of the SNES audience.
If you are familiar with X-Men: Mutant Apocalypse than War of the Gems should be instantly familiar. This game is a reskin, from its structure down to its mechanics. The playable cast this time is Captain America, Iron Man, Wolverine, Spider-Man, and the Hulk. While it is not based on the arcade game each character does play similarly if not identical to the coin op in terms of move set with easier input commands. Rather than individual stages tailored toward each character you select missions from the map and can use any hero. This makes the game more free as you can mix and match even though it is obvious certain characters are better suited for particular levels.
The Infinity Gems in the title are a major component of gameplay. As you find each of the gems you can equip one before each level. The effects they grant vary. Some are simple like the Soul Gem which doubles your life bar. The Reality Gem reveals hidden items in the environment. Others are very helpful such as the power gem which increases attack power or the time gem that doubles movement speed. Playing around with the gems is extremely fun and leads to some broken combinations. Iron Man is already one of the most mobile characters with his double jump. With the space gem he can basically fly, a power that comes in handy on certain levels. The Hulk is the strongest but slowest. With the time gem he becomes a super speed bulldozer and can clear levels in a few minutes!
The gem system adds a layer of complexity to an otherwise lackluster brawler. Despite each character featuring a number of special techniques and combos there is precious little to use them on. The levels are largely devoid of enemies most of the time. What few enemies you will face are repetitive and have brain dead AI. This is especially disappointing as the premise of Infinity War gave Capcom every excuse to pack the game with evil versions of every hero in the Marvel Universe. Instead you will face the same five enemies for the entire game. Even the bosses do little to drum up any excitement with the gameplay.
Aside from the basic gameplay the level design or lack thereof is average. The large sprites leave little room for intricate level design. Most levels are a straight line to the exit with minimal platforming outside of two stages. In fact most of the levels are incredibly short. The asteroid belt and the Amazon can be both be completed in a few minutes, especially using the previously mentioned Hulk + time gem combo. Maybe it would not be so bad if the levels were not so empty; Mutant Apocalypse was better in this regard. The entire game gives off side project vibes, as though the goal was to spend as little money possible and it suffers for it.
In Closing
Marvel Super Heroes in War of the Gems is not a bad game but one that feels unnecessary. By late 1996 16-bit was on its last legs meaning this game flew under the radar. While it is decent I still found Mutant Apocalypse to be the better game. You could certainly do worse if you are looking for overlooked SNES games. That time is better spent with games like Sky Blazer or Hagane however.
