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. 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
  2. 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
  3. GoodGamePlus
    Sep 17, 2022
    10
    I'm glad that this series is still active. How about bring back X-MEN Legends?
  4. Steyraus
    Jun 9, 2022
    2
    This was one of the games I actually bought my Switch for, but what a disappointment...It's boring, the bis fights are iritating, the combat stale and even the leveling is unsatisfying..I really like UA 1 and 2 and loved the Xmen Legends games, I still play them today and the are was more fun than UA3..
    Team Ninja just ain't it anymore, Nioh is an unbalanced kick in the nuts and UA3 is    This was one of the games I actually bought my Switch for, but what a disappointment...It's boring, the bis fights are iritating, the combat stale and even the leveling is unsatisfying..I really like UA 1 and 2 and loved the Xmen Legends games, I still play them today and the are was more fun than UA3..
    Team Ninja just ain't it anymore, Nioh is an unbalanced kick in the nuts and UA3 is just boring it's hard to believe ther made the DOA and zni ja Gaiden games, those are some of my favourite s.    … Expand
  5. edu7resende
    Jun 7, 2022
    8
    Pros:
    - Lots of Marvel characters to choose
    - Synergy combos are fun
    - Lots of challenges to upgrade the characters after the story.

    Neutral:
    - The story is not so great but it's not bad either

    Cons:
    - ISO8 stones management is very confuse
    - Camera is bad
  6. 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.
  7. alan2pc
    Sep 3, 2021
    8
    The large roster of heroes, cutscenes, graphics, story and overall fanservice was very enjoyable, and lengthy. However, there were very few moments where I felt I had really learned something and got better at gameplay, which was lacking. You’re mostly using staggering moves followed by powerful attack moves on bosses, room clearing moves on others, and synergizing your attacks as muchThe large roster of heroes, cutscenes, graphics, story and overall fanservice was very enjoyable, and lengthy. However, there were very few moments where I felt I had really learned something and got better at gameplay, which was lacking. You’re mostly using staggering moves followed by powerful attack moves on bosses, room clearing moves on others, and synergizing your attacks as much as possible with your teammates. Disappointingly, you have to constantly change characters during the fight because computer controlled players don’t use their special attacks often. Defense is mostly absent, and I very rarely had to learn a boss’s attack and developed any kind of strategy. So, it’s mostly button mashing mayhem. When I switch characters I often lose track of where my guy is on the screen and the camera is unreliable. Players abilities are grinded up in exercises outside the main story, which is tedious and your best off sticking with the same group as much as possible to level up quickly and get through the story. I ended up leaving some heroes behind without hardly touching them and sticking to just a handful of guys. Hulk, Spider-Man, iron man, captain America, venom, miss marvel and more all left behind. Storm and black panther, who aren’t favorites of mine, fit well with my group and were leveled up additions half way through, so they got more play than I had anticipated. That said, I did have some(not many) battles I lost, but always won on the second if not third try which kept the story going. The moves for some players I used were fun, as well, (hello Thor, Starlord, Ghost Rider) and I’m sure there were more I missed out on. My team at the end was Storm, BP, Deadpool, and Wolverine. They were able to do the job even on the harder difficulty and slightly below the recommended leveling. I would recommend this game, despite its misses in gameplay, to marvel movie fans and button mashers, both of which I am. Heck, maybe even families and friends could enjoy some button mashing mayhem together. 7.5/10… Expand
  8. TuxDC
    Sep 3, 2021
    10
    Pure fun. Play as a large roster of heroes with surprising sophisticated systems of leveling. There is a lot of button mashing with synergy attacks but you really feel as powerful as the super hero team. Plot and character fights are enjoyable and it does a good job keeping it varied.
  9. 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
  10. Bakoluk
    Aug 31, 2021
    6
    Graphics 6/10
    Playability 6/10
    Entertainment 7/10
    Overall 6/10
    Just average...
  11. blue-ninja
    Aug 17, 2021
    9
    Best Marvel Games i played it, Cool char & great story, recommended it

    My favourite char male: Cap, Dr Strange, Spidey & Cyclops
    My favourite char female : Scarlet Witch, Phoenix, and Captain Marvel
  12. Chriscalton
    Jul 26, 2021
    0
    I loved the first two games. I even loved the old X-men games for the original Xbox they modeled MUA after. I’m a Marvel fanboy. But this game blows, almost as much as the PS4 Avengers game. I quit playing on the Doc Oc fight, when I was done to only Wolverine and it was going to take an hour to beat him. I tossed down the controller and tried to let him finish me off. Instead, Wolverine’sI loved the first two games. I even loved the old X-men games for the original Xbox they modeled MUA after. I’m a Marvel fanboy. But this game blows, almost as much as the PS4 Avengers game. I quit playing on the Doc Oc fight, when I was done to only Wolverine and it was going to take an hour to beat him. I tossed down the controller and tried to let him finish me off. Instead, Wolverine’s health regenerated faster than he could chip away at it. I couldn’t die, but it would have taken an hour to win the fight. Even though I beat Sandman on the first try, I had the same feeling. Go shoot him with a gun for ten minutes (where you can’t dodge his attacks so he just knocks you away constantly), then hit him for four seconds while he stunned, and then back to ten minutes of shooting the gun. Wash, rinse, and repeat about a dozen times. Snore. I never imaged Team Ninja would design such a dog **** combat system, but I guess everybody just phones in their work when they know Marvel fans are just going to buy anything with the logo on it (myself included, in this case, sadly). Marvel needs to get their **** together with video games, because they’ve dumped a ton of money on well-markets garbage heaps. Very disappointed.… Expand
  13. 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.
  14. Mckenzieawesome
    Mar 29, 2021
    4
    Trust me I'm a marvel fan and I still think this game isn't that good. First of all, it gets boring after a while second it's really really grindy also the characters aren't the best
  15. 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
  16. Keemthedon
    Sep 12, 2020
    10
    This is the Marvel cinematic universe in video game form all the heroes look like they're supposed to and play like it too. Multiplayer is super fun although some missions are easier when solo
  17. 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.
  18. Hij45g
    Aug 19, 2020
    10
    This is best game of the series the art style looks so good considering it's a switch exclusive the games combat is really good
  19. 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
  20. 1965szj
    May 7, 2020
    1
    MUA 3 feels like a free-to-play title. Inexcusably bad camera controls. Graphics are atrocious. Server latency is awful. It's probably too late, but don't support this garbage.
  21. 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.
  22. YoSahop
    Jul 21, 2019
    10
    This game is something is. The addiction level of this game is real. Unlocking new characters make you feel so good and in shock. “Oh snaps, I got (insert character) unlocked.” Playing with them is great. Playing this game on easy is cheating yourself. Playing it in the highest difficulty provided for maximum carnage. The puzzles are fun to play. There’s a side action fighting sequenceThis game is something is. The addiction level of this game is real. Unlocking new characters make you feel so good and in shock. “Oh snaps, I got (insert character) unlocked.” Playing with them is great. Playing this game on easy is cheating yourself. Playing it in the highest difficulty provided for maximum carnage. The puzzles are fun to play. There’s a side action fighting sequence that’s so fun to play. They really have the comics layout on point. The boss fights. Boy do they live up to the unique level of fun.… Expand
  23. MilkyB123
    Mar 18, 2020
    3
    Honestly this game disappointed me so much I just made an account to express why you should avoid this game.

    The game made me smile at first as I realised I was playing a new UA game, but that smile soon turned to a deadpan moan as I realised how little actual game is there. The story plays like a badly written Infinity War fanfic, the ISO menu will totally drain your enthusiasm to    Honestly this game disappointed me so much I just made an account to express why you should avoid this game.

    The game made me smile at first as I realised I was playing a new UA game, but that smile soon turned to a deadpan moan as I realised how little actual game is there. The story plays like a badly written Infinity War fanfic, the ISO menu will totally drain your enthusiasm to progress your gems as it is genuinely a clusterf*** to navigate with unnoticeable effect on gameplay buffs. If you enjoy alternate costumes you are out of luck for anything added in the base game as its all just pallet swaps.

    Some boss battles will have you fighting for ages before you realise you are meant to lose anyway, artificially prolong what little gameplay there actually is. The camera is the hardest boss you'll fight in the game as it likes to angle itself in corners so you can't see wtf is happening to your heroes.

    Basic enemies will stun lock you while your attacks do nothing. I've seen a tissue box do more damage than the punches thrown by the avengers in this game.

    The DLC has made me feel like i've wasted my money. with each DLC just being rehashed content of what was originally there. Call it "Danger Room" call it "Gauntlet" call it "Infinity Rift" it is all the exact same thing and it's near criminal for the asking price. No new story, just more boss rushes with a new coat of paint.

    The effort gone into this game is laughable and just feels like a ported mobile game. Just because it's Marvel doesn't mean it gets a free pass.    … Expand
  24. 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
  25. jin44jim
    Feb 18, 2020
    0
    I played MUA 1 and 2 and love them but this game is trash. It caters to esports tryhards too much by adding unnecessary mechanics like synergys and stagger bars that make the game repetitive and not casual for the avg gamer. I do like a challenge but when it comes boss fights, the stagger bar just makes the game repetitive and unfun. The boss stands there zapping you while you hit him orI played MUA 1 and 2 and love them but this game is trash. It caters to esports tryhards too much by adding unnecessary mechanics like synergys and stagger bars that make the game repetitive and not casual for the avg gamer. I do like a challenge but when it comes boss fights, the stagger bar just makes the game repetitive and unfun. The boss stands there zapping you while you hit him or her over and over again and do no damage until the stagger bars breaks then after 3 good hits in, his stagger meter is filed back up repeating the same thing over and over for 30 minutes. They also added unblockable attacks and 1 hit KOs that can't be dodged or blocked (which is spammed over and over in the boss fight) for the boss's of the game. I always took this game for the casual player but looks like even MUA is getting sucked into the Esport, statistic stat, repetitive, rpg, cash grab. This is not league of legends I just want to relax and play a **** game not nerd out over it. I uninstalled the game and wont be buying the next one. I really don't see the point in making a game based off superheroes (for kids and casual gamers) so **** hard. If tryhards want to tryhard go to fortnight,COD, or League of legends.… Expand
  26. StarkWhite95
    Feb 15, 2020
    8
    I'm surprised by how much I enjoy this game. It's one of those games that isn't revolutionary and nothing is particularly special about it, but it's just a fun, stress-relieving game. Also, just because it has a cartoon art style doesn't mean it's a mobile game. This is totally a triple A game.
  27. Oldskoolberk
    Feb 5, 2020
    9
    This is a modern day beat em up game. If you like this kind of genre you will LOVE this game.

    A wide variety of characters to use from the Marvel Universe (though I am disappointed that a few are not unlockable characters such as Ant Man) and different teams you cam make create different combination assaults. I liked the story mode as while it did go with Endgame (okay, parallel) to    This is a modern day beat em up game. If you like this kind of genre you will LOVE this game.

    A wide variety of characters to use from the Marvel Universe (though I am disappointed that a few are not unlockable characters such as Ant Man) and different teams you cam make create different combination assaults. I liked the story mode as while it did go with Endgame (okay, parallel) to an extent there are some fun add-ons.

    Lastly graphics are excellent and really did an excellent job of capturing the Marvel Universe. Great game.    … Expand
  28. 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
  29. 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
  30. User2334
    Jan 31, 2020
    2
    I’m a big fan of Marvel Ultimate Alliance series and I found this game truly disappointing. Camera angles makes this game unplayable in coop mode which I specifically got it for this reason. Also there is a problem with the game difficulty. There is no such a thing as normal, it’s either too easy or too hard. All the bosses are same, they don’t have any unique pattern that require you toI’m a big fan of Marvel Ultimate Alliance series and I found this game truly disappointing. Camera angles makes this game unplayable in coop mode which I specifically got it for this reason. Also there is a problem with the game difficulty. There is no such a thing as normal, it’s either too easy or too hard. All the bosses are same, they don’t have any unique pattern that require you to come up with a new strategy each time you face them, it’s just boring button smashing all the time. Another problem is the graphics. I mean this game costs $90 CAD here including tax and we all saw switch can run games like Witcher 3, Doom, Alien Isolation so I don’t know what caused developers to make this game look like a mobile game. I would give this game 6/10 if it costed around 15-20 CAD but for 90 CAD it deserves 2/10 max. and that’s because it has decent cutscenes, even though the game shows you different characters in each cutscene, not the characters you picked which ruins the immersion. I regretted my purchase. I don’t recommend this game to anyone.… Expand
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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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