Marvel’s Avengers – War for Wakanda Review: A Middling Return

Marvel’s Avengers – War for Wakanda gives fans a meaty new content update, free of charge to those that already own the base game. Marvel’s Avengers – War for Wakanda takes palace after the events of the main game’s story and sees Black Panther attempting to protect his kingdom from the likes of Crossbones and Ulysses Klaue as they plan to steal Vibranium from the country. This isn’t just some covert op on their part, either. Klaue is raining hell on Wakanda, testing the patience and even potentially the morals of T’Challa himself.

Although the Avengers are present to lend a hand, this is very much Black Panther’s story. It’s about him and the lengths he’ll go to protect his people, leading to a lot of rather intense situations as Klaue walks some lines. Christopher Judge gracefully plays Black Panther in these moments of intensity, as he channels rage, cunning, and also uncertainty. It’s hard to imagine anyone other than Chadwick Boseman in the role, but Judge loses himself in the part and makes it his own. He doesn’t sound like Kratos with an accent; Judge is a vocal chameleon in this role and it’s possible most people won’t know it’s him without being told.

Similarly, Wakanda is neither a generic jungle biome or a copy of the MCU version of the country. It’s fantastical and rich, making players want to explore it and see its many secrets.  The Marvel’s Avengers version of Wakanda is awe-inspiring and is something filled with detail. Crystal Dynamics has gone to great lengths to not only build upon the basic history of these characters that many know and love, but also utilize the rich mythology that has been seen in the comics. Although some of that has been seen in the films, it’s never been done quite like this. It mixes the modern, advanced era of Wakanda with its ancient roots in a really exciting way to inform the world and characters.

It’s a fantastic place to tell this story and hopefully, this isn’t the last time it’s used for noteworthy content. That said, Crystal Dynamics will need to improve the quality of its missions if it does choose to return here. Although War for Wakanda is important to Marvel’s Avengers and its ongoing story, it’s told in a way that can sometimes be a drag. As someone who played solo, there’s one mission near the start where the Avengers are tasked with defending three points in a small arena and it’s infuriating. Not only is it really difficult to do this solo as the AI aren’t terribly helpful, but it’s also just not fun.

The story of Marvel’s Avengers – War for Wakanda makes up for it as Crystal Dynamics’ writing team has repeatedly proven itself, but it is continuing a mind-numbing gameplay experience to prop it up. Black Panther is fun to play as with his cat-like prowess, but there is notable repetition that is doubly hindered by the fact that things like takedown moves are unlocked via things like microtransactions.

War for Wakanda also suffers from a lack of meaningful post-game content as well, sticking to the same routine and vapid grind that was there before. It’s not hard to imagine players departing after they finish the story and just waiting for a future character like Spider-Man to be added to Marvel’s Avengers before coming back. Although there’s some improvements made to the UI and a few other quality of life improvements, Marvel’s Avengers – War for Wakanda is ultimately worth playing through for the brief story and Black Panther himself, but not much else. It succeeds at what it has always succeeded at and falls victim to the fundamental issues that have been there since launch, something that may leave a bitter taste in the mouths of lapsed players.

Marvel’s Avengers – War for Wakanda DLC is available now on PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, Xbox One, Xbox Series X/S, PC, and Google Stadia.

About The Author

Cade Onder
(926 Articles Published)

Cade Onder is a 20-year old video game, movie, and chicken tender enthusiast. He has been writing about games since he was 14 and is always trying to learn more about the gaming industry. You can follow him on Twitter @Cade_Onder for bad jokes, bad takes, and pictures of chicken tenders.

More From Cade Onder