Is it worth playing Marvel Ultimate Alliance 3 The Black Order in 2025?

Marvel Ultimate Alliance 3 The Black Order may not be the direct sequel the gaming community wanted, but it is still a game worth revisiting in 2025. While previous installments are much more mature and available on every other platform, this entry draws back the cosmic curtain of the Marvel universe.

Originally announced during The 2018 Game Awards, Koei Tecmo's Team Ninja developed this project exclusively for the Nintendo Switch, which raised a few eyebrows among the player base. Despite being limited to one platform, the game is a spiritual successor to older entries with necessary improvements.

Disclaimer: The writer has shared their personal and subjective opinions about the game.

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Marvel Ultimate Alliance 3 The Black Order honors the past while embracing the present

This installment is heavily inspired by other modern adaptations (Image via Team Ninja)

The first two Ultimate Alliance games have set the standard for the RPG genre and featured several fan-favorite Marvel heroes. The Black Order is no different; however, Team Ninja went with a much more colorful approach for the character design, a timely story, and a refined combat system.

The story follows the Guardians of the Galaxy in space as they encounter one of the six Infinity Stones and come across Thanos' Black Order. This kickstarted a universal road trip featuring the different characters of the Marvel franchise, like the street-level vigilantes, the Avengers, mutants, Inhumans, sorcerers, and many more.

Marvel Ultimate Alliance 3 The Black Order seems to be in a separate continuity despite being titled as the third major entry to the Ultimate Alliance series. Major events, such as the Secret War on Latveria and the Superhero Registration Act, are completely ignored, which is not a big deal since these games can stand alone.

Team Ninja was inspired by how the Marvel Cinematic Universe handled multiple heroes in one massive story. The Infinity Saga spanned a decade and introduced various factions, but the developer went above and beyond by giving each side their moment to shine. Players will find themselves in iconic locations like the Avengers Tower, the Raft, and more without feeling gratuitous.

Each biome in Marvel Ultimate Alliance 3 The Black Order serves a purpose in the overarching story. With the six Infinity Stones scattered across the cosmos, each villain of a specific faction manages to secure one for themselves. Players can assemble heroes from fan-favorite teams like the X-Men, Avengers, Guardians of the Galaxy, and the Fantastic Four as part of a paid expansion.

The roster is expansive, and each hero has a unique ability and playstyle. Players can swap out team members and infuse them with perks from rare resources like ISO-8 to give them an edge in the fight.

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The combat works well with friends

Similar to older entries, Marvel Ultimate Alliance 3 The Black Order players can team up with their friends through online multiplayer or local co-op by using an extra pair of Joy-Cons or a Pro controller. The game's chaotic combat encourages the player to strategize and select the right hero to bring before charging onto the battlefield without the right roster.

Teamwork makes the dream work in Marvel Ultimate Alliance 3 The Black Order (Image via Nintendo)

The gameplay isn't necessarily hard, but it can be challenging in a few sections. Players must build up the stagger bar on brutes and bigger bosses before they can do serious damage and chip away their health bar.

Each hero can perform a series of light and heavy attacks to build up power for more demanding moves. Akin to the huddle system in Marvel's Guardians of the Galaxy, players can order every member to use their ultimate attacks to lay waste to enemies in Marvel Ultimate Alliance 3 The Black Order.

Team Ninja also introduced a synergy system that can destroy environmental obstacles and hurt specific enemies.

Some heroes can fuse their abilities with others. A good example is using Star-Lord's whirlwind attack and letting other heroes with elemental powers like Storm or Thor mix it with lightning for a good area-of-effect attack. Star-Lord is probably one of the best characters to use since he is one of the first playable heroes in the game that can be leveled up rather quickly.

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Conclusion

Marvel Ultimate Alliance 3 The Black Order is the perfect game for a Switch user and Marvel fan (Image via Team Ninja)

Marvel Ultimate Alliance 3 The Black Order is an exceptional road trip adventure that takes players to every corner of the Marvel brand. The story is easy to follow despite the fast pace, moving set pieces, and number of characters.

Team Ninja saw the opportunity to give fans something familiar while telling an original story. The Ultimate Alliance franchise has been ignored for far too long, and this spiritual successor is a game worth replaying, especially with the added story expansions.