Marvel Ultimate Alliance 3: The Black Order

 Switch
User Score
7.3

Mixed or average reviews- based on 372 Ratings

User score distribution:
  1. Positive: 245 out of 372
  2. Mixed: 58 out of 372
  3. Negative: 69 out of 372
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  1. tenacious_K
    Oct 25, 2019
    6
    I was sooooo excited when I first heard this was getting released, but as more details about this were released (save for its Switch exclusivity) that excitement began to fade away. By the time I read that "The Black Order" was added to the title and learned this was going to be centered around Thanos finding the infinity stones I was officially worried, and unfortunately those fears wereI was sooooo excited when I first heard this was getting released, but as more details about this were released (save for its Switch exclusivity) that excitement began to fade away. By the time I read that "The Black Order" was added to the title and learned this was going to be centered around Thanos finding the infinity stones I was officially worried, and unfortunately those fears were founded. I want to start off by saying that I was a big fan of the first two entries of Ultimate Alliance, but I will try not to mention them too much as this is just a review of this game and not a comparison. So one of the main issues I had with this game from the moment I started it was its character designs, it's offsetting seeing character models which are clearly based off of the design from the movie standing next to character models based off the comics design. I understand that marvel products now have to appeal to fans of both the comics and the movies (I think that it's now safe to say that those are two different camps) but splitting the designs in half isn't the way to do it. Additionally the roaster feels weak, while in the first two installments there were characters from all over the franchise and several that no one but the most avid of comic readers would have heard of before, making the roaster all the more interesting. in this game unfortunately it feels like a list of the most popular characters from the movies and recent comics which just makes it feel weak and uninspired. Game play feels like a mindless beat-em-up, which is a good thing, but while the previous two installments allowed for a descent amount of customization of characters to adjust their play style and stats, this one only give each character four moves allowing you to pick out which move you want to level up and even more disappointing is the costumes. After working on a single character mission to earn a new costume I was left disappointed to find that it was just a pallet swap with no benefits. To sum this all up, this is a good portable game to play if you're board or just looking for something mindless to do to waste time, but… Expand
  2. Lawndart1981
    Aug 29, 2020
    7
    Fun button masher in the Marvel universe that can quickly feel like a forced grind just to progress. Checkpoints in the campaign are frequent and rifts are short enough to allow you to play on the go. The roster is huge and diverse but levelling a number of characters for end game content will require quite a time investment.
  3. Kasuimon
    Feb 2, 2020
    7
    I'm a big fan of the x men. My only reason for purchasing the game was because of them . So I started playing and notice a few things that were great and a few not so great. The story could have been better . It's based off the movie I get it . The characters were ok . I mean some were interesting seeing as I never played with them before . My ish with this game is that it was all overI'm a big fan of the x men. My only reason for purchasing the game was because of them . So I started playing and notice a few things that were great and a few not so great. The story could have been better . It's based off the movie I get it . The characters were ok . I mean some were interesting seeing as I never played with them before . My ish with this game is that it was all over the place . It was hard to enjoy my favorite character because the camera was jumping around . I wish I would have gotten a fee more x men scenes and cameos . I lost interest after beating the game. The other two I could go back and play over and over . For a recent game it was ok . I hope the next one is better… Expand
  4. Denvers
    Jun 18, 2020
    7
    Ultimate Alliance 3 is a fun team-building ARPG with minimal depth. The gameplay is fun enough that you want to keep going but is not addicting by any means. The story is, admitably, pretty poor and seems to drag on for far too long. You can only control 1 of your 4 party characters at a time, which is fine, but the AI is very poor which makes your deaths feel unwarented. Overall, it'sUltimate Alliance 3 is a fun team-building ARPG with minimal depth. The gameplay is fun enough that you want to keep going but is not addicting by any means. The story is, admitably, pretty poor and seems to drag on for far too long. You can only control 1 of your 4 party characters at a time, which is fine, but the AI is very poor which makes your deaths feel unwarented. Overall, it's certainly not a bad game, and if you like Marvel and ARPGs, its a fine game.… Expand
  5. 1nn3rSPACE
    Jul 22, 2019
    7
    A solid game, but on the weaker end for an Ultimate Alliance title. It's a straightforward and enjoyable game, but the gameplay loop could be more satisfying, and level balancing is in need of massive improvement, with issues pertaining to not sticking too closely to one core team for leveling due to only party members receiving any sum of experience, as well as leveling involving droppingA solid game, but on the weaker end for an Ultimate Alliance title. It's a straightforward and enjoyable game, but the gameplay loop could be more satisfying, and level balancing is in need of massive improvement, with issues pertaining to not sticking too closely to one core team for leveling due to only party members receiving any sum of experience, as well as leveling involving dropping in and out of co-op leading to disparities: when playing co-op with a friend, all players retain story progress, but only the host's party receiving shared XP, while guests only retain XP for whatever hero they're playing. This means that if four separate players are playing together, each player is only leveling one of their characters, leaving them dangerously underleveled if they try to continue their story progress solo.

    The roster is respectable but lacks some of the more unique picks of previous X-Men Legends and MUA games, with the vast bulk of characters being core MCU, Spider-Verse or core X-Men (which a few omissions, two of which will be added in as free DLC at a later date). Throughout the span of the 12-15 hr. campaign (20 hrs. at the most if you're being lax enough with it), characters unlock in small bursts pertaining to the story, as opposed to the first Ultimate Alliance where the majority of the roster is unlocked from the outset and only a small amount of side characters pertaining to the story require unlocking, so unfortunately between this and a lack of straightforward practice options, the game doesn't give much room for experimentation, and its stagger system unfortunately leaves it prone to relying too heavily on damage sponge enforcer enemies as a substitute for unique special enemies to test out strategies on.

    It seems like I'm being overly critical of the game, but these are issues that I do feel requires some addressing. That said, while it may be the weakest game of the franchise - even more so than MUA2 - it's still Ultimate Alliance at its core, Gauntlet-likes represent a subset of gaming that has been massively under-represented even as far back as the last Ultimate Alliance title, and as always, co-op is tremendously fun with friends, especially locally, although camera issues make it far more enjoyable with multiple copies for players. While the game is your standard superhero popcorn fare, it's charming in a way that will surely resound with fans of Marvel multimedia, and it does have a few less-obvious characters to represent like Ms. Marvel, Crystal, and Elsa Bloodstone, For those on the fence, it might be worth a simple rental or waiting for a deep sale, but even for people on the fence, if you can find a good deal, it's a good game that's easily worth checking out. It's not a perfect game, or a pinnacle of what it's trying to do, but it's not a bad game, and it's serviceable, but it's hardly 'just' serviceable: it's flawed, but fun.    … Expand
  6. iMustang
    Dec 31, 2019
    7
    Finished Marvel Ultimate Alliance 3 with Jordan. Overall this game provided a lot of enjoyment and fantastic humor value, but aside from seeing a lot of neat team ups and the conversations that follow, I can't say this game did a lot of things too spectacular for me. Gameplay is your basic Diablo roguelike but also based on a level system where it becomes difficult to near impossible toFinished Marvel Ultimate Alliance 3 with Jordan. Overall this game provided a lot of enjoyment and fantastic humor value, but aside from seeing a lot of neat team ups and the conversations that follow, I can't say this game did a lot of things too spectacular for me. Gameplay is your basic Diablo roguelike but also based on a level system where it becomes difficult to near impossible to keep every character matched with one another, essentially meaning you have to keep the same party the entire game or constantly switch to every new member that joins (or both). Assembling a team of favorites can also be difficult as many characters are locked behind side battles called Rifts, which are usually very difficult and require you to have high leveled characters to attempt. To make things worse, character progression is split into 3 separate menus, so leveling up your character's moves and stats becomes extremely convoluted. Some boss battles are fun, while others can take upwards of 20 minutes just doing the same thing on repeat. If I didn't have a partner to play with, which honestly added to the enjoyment factor for me, I might not have seen this game through to the end. That said, all my griping aside this is a fun multiplayer game, so if you have a player 2 it's a fun journey to go on with cool cutscenes and some fun battles. Just know going in this isn't a game with a lot of replay value, and even less motivating for completionists.… Expand
  7. Jsriha531
    Aug 7, 2019
    7
    If you liked the first two and are a huge marvel fan you probably already bought this, but if reviews have you on the fence go ahead and buy it. Your playable hero roster is large as you unlock heroes and will be even larger after the season pass. Roster is very deep with Elsa bloodstone and Crystal from the inhumans I've absolutely loved my time with it so far. It runs the gamut a greatIf you liked the first two and are a huge marvel fan you probably already bought this, but if reviews have you on the fence go ahead and buy it. Your playable hero roster is large as you unlock heroes and will be even larger after the season pass. Roster is very deep with Elsa bloodstone and Crystal from the inhumans I've absolutely loved my time with it so far. It runs the gamut a great deal of marvel villains and locations. It does have some glaring flaws that keep it from being a 9 or 10 like the camera, your inactive party members not leveling with you as the game progresses, and some boss fights bordering on frustration unless you go into infinity trials and grind. Also the ISO 8 system for gear can be a little daunting at first until you get used to it. Even with it's warts it's still a fun game to play either alone or couch co-op with a friend, especially if you're a marvel fan… Expand
  8. AndrewLouis
    Jul 19, 2019
    5
    This game is meh.
    Good points
    - Nice story, amazing dialogues. - A lot of characters, nice combos too. - The gameplay is fun, but sometimes you feel tired of playing and need to take a break. Bad points - PS3 Graphics - The gameplay is fun but sometimes is most repetitive and you will need to take a break or you will want to die. - 30 songs who repeat a lot... - Stages without    This game is meh.
    Good points
    - Nice story, amazing dialogues.
    - A lot of characters, nice combos too.
    - The gameplay is fun, but sometimes you feel tired of playing and need to take a break.

    Bad points
    - PS3 Graphics
    - The gameplay is fun but sometimes is most repetitive and you will need to take a break or you will want to die.
    - 30 songs who repeat a lot...
    - Stages without much details, linear as ****
    - Dumb I.A.
    - The story is cool but the end is so bad...    … Expand
  9. Yasir_Abbas
    Jul 19, 2019
    7
    That number loves to show up but I guess it's what was expected out of it.. Though some mentions about boring combat because all you do is punch and punch and punch, is exactly how the old one played.. You had all of 2 combo's you could sort of do but only 1 was really good, so instead of punching, you just combo'd the whole game. Powers never changed up anything other than to clear theThat number loves to show up but I guess it's what was expected out of it.. Though some mentions about boring combat because all you do is punch and punch and punch, is exactly how the old one played.. You had all of 2 combo's you could sort of do but only 1 was really good, so instead of punching, you just combo'd the whole game. Powers never changed up anything other than to clear the screen (sometimes)

    It sounds to me if you played the original 2, and liked them then this one follows right behind those in the way they played and the grind you had in them. +1    … Expand
  10. GrumpyReviewer
    Sep 13, 2019
    6
    A Marvel beat-em-up is always a fun game to play, either alone or with friends. This one has a nice roster of heroes, some cool, memorable moments and offers very simple gameplay mechanics. The graphics, sound and effects are well done (apart from the occasional camera hiccup) and, overall, it's a pretty decent game for any switch owner.

    That being said, I think MUA3 is a pretty boring    A Marvel beat-em-up is always a fun game to play, either alone or with friends. This one has a nice roster of heroes, some cool, memorable moments and offers very simple gameplay mechanics. The graphics, sound and effects are well done (apart from the occasional camera hiccup) and, overall, it's a pretty decent game for any switch owner.

    That being said, I think MUA3 is a pretty boring game... everything gets old, very fast. Half way through the game I just wanted to clear it and se the end of the story. It's very repetitive and basically you fight through endless corridors of enemies with a boss at the end. The settings change a little, but you have a feeling that you are never doing anything new.

    It's a fun game. Good, not great.    … Expand
  11. SaviourI
    Jul 31, 2019
    6
    Overall I cannot recommend this game. For the multiplayer alone, which should be the most fun part of the game, (co-op) it is miserable because of the jerky camera. It gives you the option to change the sensitivity of the camera, but I could never understand what this option did. It either kept the camera super zoomed out to where I couldn't see my character or too far zoomed in to whereOverall I cannot recommend this game. For the multiplayer alone, which should be the most fun part of the game, (co-op) it is miserable because of the jerky camera. It gives you the option to change the sensitivity of the camera, but I could never understand what this option did. It either kept the camera super zoomed out to where I couldn't see my character or too far zoomed in to where characters got cut out of the picture. Playing single player is decently fun, until you realize every character is almost exactly the same, and they have very few things that set them apart. I seriously wish I had bought the hardcopy version so I could take it back.… Expand
  12. Lone_Wolf_Sones
    Feb 3, 2020
    7
    As a long time Marvel fan and a fan of the defunct Marvel Heroes, I was looking for a Marvel ARPG to sink my teeth into again.

    Did Ultimate Alliance 3 satisfy that craving? Well...yes and no. It had an enjoyable story that I felt did justice to the characters. Also worth praising is the extensive roster of characters. There are quite a number of fan favorites here including the X-men.    As a long time Marvel fan and a fan of the defunct Marvel Heroes, I was looking for a Marvel ARPG to sink my teeth into again.

    Did Ultimate Alliance 3 satisfy that craving? Well...yes and no. It had an enjoyable story that I felt did justice to the characters. Also worth praising is the extensive roster of characters. There are quite a number of fan favorites here including the X-men. After the X-men were given the cold shoulder in Marvel vs. Capcom Infinite, it was indeed nice having them back in the mix.

    The locales in the game felt ripped right from the comics. Some of the alternate outfits took a while to come.

    So what happens after you finish the story? Well your left to farm the infinity trials and sadly these can begin to feel repetitive after a while. Leveling characters can feel tedious and like a chore.

    Playing online with some friends is the better way to play of course but this is sadly marred by a unstable framerate and latency issues.

    Then the season pass was announced. More characters from the X-men and Fantastic Four. As well as Marvel Knights including Morbius, Blade, Punisher and Moon Knight. Sadly the story content is not as robust or as extensive as I had hoped. So you are yet again using these new characters to do content you have already experienced.

    I really wish that Ultimate Alliance 3 had taken a few lessons from Diablo or Marvel Heroes. I wish that each character had multiple builds with different talent trees to invest skill points in rather than the fairly limited ones we got. Some inclusion of dungeons/raids, gear akin to Diablo 3's adventure mode would have helped too I think. I look at Marvel heroes' midtown madness and raids and how much fun they were and feel like they would have added a lot of variety to Ultimate Alliance 3.

    I still enjoy the game and even look forward to the Fantastic Four and DOOM. But I do think there are some things that could be improved should there be an Ultimate Alliance 4.    … Expand
  13. drewanenomor
    Sep 9, 2019
    5
    It is fun when it works, but the camera is terrible when playing local co-op
  14. RevolverCasemir
    Feb 23, 2020
    5
    It's bad. The gameplay is boring and outdated. No its not a button masher but close enough. A good amount of time you barely know what the hell is happening because of all the effects and numbers flashing.

    The camera is a common complaint, and yea its not great There's way too many unnecessary characters no one asked for. They take up slots for the characters people actually want.    It's bad. The gameplay is boring and outdated. No its not a button masher but close enough. A good amount of time you barely know what the hell is happening because of all the effects and numbers flashing.

    The camera is a common complaint, and yea its not great

    There's way too many unnecessary characters no one asked for. They take up slots for the characters people actually want.

    Don't know if Disney had a female character quota they needed to hit in this game but it seems they shoved a female heroes into scenarios where they really shouldn't be in, in order to check off a box at each level.

    I bought the switch last week and bought a ton of games, this one included. Despite researching the game and knowing how mediocre it was, I went forward because i loved the art direction for the characters. But I should have listened this time, this game is just terrible and there are so many worth while games on switch now that you don't need to waste your time with this one

    Honestly i hope they re-use the character models and create a Marvel turn based RPG or a Strategy RPG. That way they can give the gameplay some depth.    … Expand
  15. Nevermber
    Nov 26, 2019
    5
    So monotonous that if the game doesn’t catch the player, you can get through, and even more so re-run it only by willpower, because the whole game is the same, only the skins of locations and enemies change.
  16. Omnislasher420
    Apr 28, 2020
    6
    I really wanted to like this game. The whole marvel roster on one game! Sounds amazing, this game just doesn’t deliver. It has a mediocre story and has an atrocious battle system. I wanted to like this but those held it back from greatness. A very mediocre experience.
  17. DoctorCalamari
    Jul 22, 2019
    5
    So, in short, Marvel Ultimate Alliance 3 is not too exceptional. It has a good story, uses its source material well, and has a great roster expanding soon with DLC, but its tedious gameplay, bland songs, low budget feel, meaningless skill points, and lack of anything it itself does really well that Marvel and even other Dungeon Crawlers haven't done better, makes it a game that unlikeSo, in short, Marvel Ultimate Alliance 3 is not too exceptional. It has a good story, uses its source material well, and has a great roster expanding soon with DLC, but its tedious gameplay, bland songs, low budget feel, meaningless skill points, and lack of anything it itself does really well that Marvel and even other Dungeon Crawlers haven't done better, makes it a game that unlike Dragon Quest Builders 2, isn't something I'm looking forward to replay in the future.… Expand
  18. Mats2468
    Jul 19, 2019
    6
    While the first game was amazing, with the gorgeous style graphics, cool power attacks etc and the very intresting levels. Everything from the first game was very good. Unfortunately, the third game cannot be compared. I just don't like the style and levelsa seem very boring, so uninspired. The story is also very weak something that we have seen a lot before, Avengers thing is somethingWhile the first game was amazing, with the gorgeous style graphics, cool power attacks etc and the very intresting levels. Everything from the first game was very good. Unfortunately, the third game cannot be compared. I just don't like the style and levelsa seem very boring, so uninspired. The story is also very weak something that we have seen a lot before, Avengers thing is something I do not prefer either.… Expand
  19. Its_nels
    Jul 20, 2019
    5
    Great game! Brings back nostalgia. A Marvel game you “MUST” own in your collection. Nintendo exclusive baby. lol
  20. VirgonoShaka
    Jan 18, 2021
    7
    Marvel Ultimate Alliance 3 is a fun game with a know formula that sticks the landing but just can't make it clean. While the combat, characters, game modes and abilities are fun and fulfill the expectations from this game series, it has some techinal issues that really let it down. For one, the camera can be your worst enemy some of the time, and can get really annoying in localMarvel Ultimate Alliance 3 is a fun game with a know formula that sticks the landing but just can't make it clean. While the combat, characters, game modes and abilities are fun and fulfill the expectations from this game series, it has some techinal issues that really let it down. For one, the camera can be your worst enemy some of the time, and can get really annoying in local multiplayer. Two, while the story is nothing superb but also not terrible, the amount of dialogue and replay value are a letdown compared with the original. I remember in the original how you could unlock Dr. Doom as a playable character and if you took him to the final boss fight, there was this conversation that was amazing where enemy Dr. Doom accused his doppleganger for working with the heroes. Moments like that are just not in this 3rd entry, and while the added DLC's with more characters and costumes are welcome, still doesn't feel quite enough considering how long it's been since the first game showed that kind os stuff. Fun game still, and much better that Square´s "live service" but I wish that they put just a little bit more effort in a fututer MUA 4 and really give us one for the ages. For now, this can be a fun alliance to join.… Expand
  21. Bakoluk
    Aug 31, 2021
    6
    Graphics 6/10
    Playability 6/10
    Entertainment 7/10
    Overall 6/10
    Just average...
  22. giannis2001
    Jul 15, 2021
    6
    It's quantity over quality. It's not that bad but it's not good neither. The combat is pretty simplistic but there is a lot of variety in it and a lot of characters. The story is bad though, I started skipping it from a point.
    I wouldn't recommend it overall, except if you find it in a very good price drop.
  23. ResetButton
    Oct 24, 2021
    6
    It's ok. Gets repetitive and tedious pretty quickly. The leveling/upgrade system is needlessly complicated. The gameplay is simple, but never feels satisfying. You never learn new abilities. Your attack/defense stats just go up via grinding. There aren't any wow moments. There aren't impressive looking combos/synergy attacks.
  24. Swaid
    Sep 1, 2021
    7
    While a fine game, its limited development shows with how the grind in the game becomes and the state of the DLC, which largely looks to be re-used assets from the main game's story mission with the addition of new characters (that you still have to unlock after purchasing) and new modes that just recycle locations and enemies from the main game. The story is nothing to write home aboutWhile a fine game, its limited development shows with how the grind in the game becomes and the state of the DLC, which largely looks to be re-used assets from the main game's story mission with the addition of new characters (that you still have to unlock after purchasing) and new modes that just recycle locations and enemies from the main game. The story is nothing to write home about and the game itself plays like a decent enough brawler, but you'll quickly find a lot of characters re-use similar special abilities but with different skins: this is done for the games synergy system I suspect but given other characters in the DLC display unique abilities, I suspect time constraints or laziness. If anything, I want this game to succeed so that Marvel Ultimate Alliance 4 can do away with all these issues and be a master piece.… Expand
  25. DolphinReviews
    Oct 2, 2022
    6
    A decent switch exclusive, although it doesn’t really make sense why it is an exclusive. Great expansive character roster with heroes from both MCU and comics. Rather than following the Infinity War and Endgame storyline, it has its own unique one. Entertaining cutscenes with passable dialogue. At times it can feel a bit like mindless button mashing. The costumes, although a welcomedA decent switch exclusive, although it doesn’t really make sense why it is an exclusive. Great expansive character roster with heroes from both MCU and comics. Rather than following the Infinity War and Endgame storyline, it has its own unique one. Entertaining cutscenes with passable dialogue. At times it can feel a bit like mindless button mashing. The costumes, although a welcomed inclusion, are almost pointless as by the time you are able to be a high enough level to beat the challenges, you have almost completed the main story. A free update adding Colossus and Cyclops as playable characters. It’s an enjoyable but mediocre experience. If you like Marvel or beat-em-ups I would recommend it.… Expand
  26. Ulriken
    Jun 23, 2023
    7
    It's a very fun brawler, with a lot of replayability and the number of teams you can build is insane. The story flows great, with lots of checkpoints you can use to take a breather, equip and upgrade your characters or engage in a rift. It's grindy when everything is wrapping up at the end game, but it definitely makes up for some intense hours of fun. Some camera angles can be quiteIt's a very fun brawler, with a lot of replayability and the number of teams you can build is insane. The story flows great, with lots of checkpoints you can use to take a breather, equip and upgrade your characters or engage in a rift. It's grindy when everything is wrapping up at the end game, but it definitely makes up for some intense hours of fun. Some camera angles can be quite annoying, especially playing on a handheld.… Expand

Awards & Rankings

14
#14 Most Discussed Switch Game of 2019
3
#3 Most Shared Switch Game of 2019

Critic Reviews

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Metascore
73

Mixed or average reviews - based on 82 Critic Reviews

Critic score distribution:
  1. Positive: 44 out of 82
  2. Mixed: 37 out of 82
  3. Negative: 1 out of 82
  1. Nintendo Force Magazine
    Apr 28, 2020
    70
    There's a lot holding this one back from being as fun as the MCU – but it is a fun game if you follow its parameters. [Issue #41 – September 2019, p. 70]
  2. Game World Navigator Magazine
    Oct 11, 2019
    72
    Level design never rises above corridors and boxy rooms, and graphics are almost the same as they were ten years ago. On the other hand, there are a lot of various enemies to beat and secrets to find, so in the end, MUA3 still makes for a memorable adventure. [Issue#240, p.48]
  3. Nintendojo
    Sep 30, 2019
    75
    As a whole, Ultimate Alliance 3 is an immensely enjoyable game that really reminded me how much I love Marvel’s wealth of characters. The roster is huge, the combat is gratifying, and it all looks slick running on Switch either docked or in handheld mode. There are some blemishes in terms of player progression, a bland soundtrack, and the unwieldy camera, but it’s nothing that should stop anyone from going out and giving Marvel Ultimate Alliance 3: The Black Order a download.
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