Marvel: Avengers Alliance

Marvel: Avengers Alliance
Developer(s)	Offbeat Creations[1]
Publisher(s)	Playdom (2012–2014) Disney Interactive (2014–2016)
Distributor(s)	Disney Interactive Marvel Games
Director(s)	Bill Rosemann Chia Chin Lee Michael Rubinelli Robert Reichner
Producer(s)	Justin Woods (2012–2014) Tony Sherrill (2014–2016) Julia Fredrickson
Designer(s)	Josh Billeaudeau CJ Heine[2] Creighton Evans[3]
Artist(s)	Sam Wood Kelly Hamilton Leigh Kellogg Darran Hurlbut[4]
Writer(s)	Alex Irvine
Engine	Adobe Flash
Platform(s)	Facebook, iOS, Android, Windows, Playdom.com
Release date(s)	December 21, 2011 (beta)[5] March 1, 2012 (official)
Genre(s)	Role-playing game
Mode(s)	Single-player

Marvel: Avengers Alliance was a turn-based social network game developed by Offbeat Creations and published by Playdom on March 1, 2012. It was based on characters and storylines published by Marvel Comics, and written by Alex Irvine.^[6] The game was available as an Adobe Flash application via the social-networking website Facebook.^[7] It officially launched in Facebook at March 1, 2012. It was initially released as promotion for the 2012 Marvel Studios crossover film The Avengers. It was nominated for Best Social Game on the G4tv.com Video Game Awards 2012, and won.^[8]

It was made available on iOS devices on 13 June 2013, and an Android version was also available. On March 20, 2014, it was announced that the servers running on Playdom's official website would be discontinued; however, the game continued to be available via Facebook.^[9] Disney shut down the game on September 30, 2016.^[10]

Plot

The player is a new S.H.I.E.L.D. recruit, dispatched by Nick Fury and Maria Hill. As the game advances, more heroes join the conflict as playable characters.

In the first season, the game revolves around a galactic event called the "The Pulse" hitting Earth. This event released a strange compound called Iso-8. Several villains, villain organizations (consisting of A.I.M., the Brotherhood of Mutants, the Hand, HYDRA, and the Maggia), and extra-dimensional menaces try to take advantage of it leading to a villain alliance called "The Syndicate." It is divided into twelve chapters, each consisting of six missions. The sixth mission of every chapter requires a specific hero to unlock. The season ends with the destruction of the Syndicate, the resurrection of the Red Skull, and a civil war within HYDRA.

In the second season, S.H.I.E.L.D. travels to other parts of the world: San Francisco, Great Britain, Wakanda, and the Savage Land. The heroes investigate the Circle of Eight, a mysterious organization that is killing low-level villains and heroes for unknown reasons. The Circle of Eight is revealed to be led by the Serpent: Asgardian God of Fear, who is also assembling heroes to be his Worthy. Like the previous season, there were twelve chapters, each with six missions, except the last chapter, which had three missions. Completing all missions, deploys, heroic battles, and challenges in a chapter unlocks a new costume for a hero.

Production

Season 2 was expected to be released on the 18th of June, 2013 and will feature new heroes and villains. On the 18th, Playdom said there would be a hold on release on it.^[11] Season 2 was released on August 1, 2013.

The game was available as a Facebook game. Playdom tried to migrate from it, first by hosting the game on their own page as well, and then by making Marvel: Avengers Alliance 2 available only as a cell phone application. However, the Facebook community remained big.^[12]

End

Disney announced the end of the game on September 1, 2016. It was the end for both Marvel: Avengers Alliance and Marvel: Avengers Alliance 2, which had been released early in the year, in all platforms. The games would no longer be available for new downloads or accept online payments; but would still be available for players for a month. A final Special Operation was released, to close the plot of the game. The game completely ceased to be available on September 30, 2016.

Gameplay

Players take control of an agent of S.H.I.E.L.D.^[13] and can fully customize the agent by gaining experience, leveling up, and equipping their agents with various weapons and uniforms obtained within the game. They can also team up with up to two out of the current 166 available Marvel heroes in the game, each with their unique skills and abilities. While some heroes are locked and can only be recruited on some occasions, most of them are available for general recruitment, and can be bought with 'Command Points', one of the currency that appears in the game.

Gameplay itself consists of turn-based fights that pit the player's agent and heroes against one or more waves of three or less enemies, with each character having unique attacks. There are six character classes: blaster, bruiser, scrapper, infiltrator, tactician and generalist. The first five classes have a specific strength and a specific weakness to one of the other classes, in a Rock-paper-scissors style. Blasters have guaranteed critical hits against bruisers and ignore their defense stats. Bruisers increase their statistics when they attack or are attacked by scrappers. Scrappers have a second automatic attack (follow-up attack) against infiltrators. Infiltrators gain the ability to counter enemies' attacks after attacking or being attacked by tacticians. And tacticians gain an extra turn when they attack or are attacked by blasters. The generalist class has no special strengths or weaknesses against other classes. Some playable heroes can switch classes during the game, and a character class may be changed with alternate costumes. The player has access to uniforms of all the classes.

Collections

Collections are a feature used to recruit new characters to your team, most of whom were previously Villains. It was first unveiled as part of Special Operations - Cry Havok.

Collections can be completed by opening Lockboxes to collect Comic Book Covers. Collecting all eight unique Covers of the Collection will unlock the Hero.

Player Vs. Player (PVP)

For a limited time, Player Vs. Player (PVP) tournaments are available where the players fight to reach different tiers (Silver, Gold, Diamond, Vibranium and Adamantium). Players who placed at Adamantium tier at the end of the PvP season are awarded a new hero. PvP fighting can also be done during non-tournament times in practice mode only.

Special Operations (Spec Ops)

Special Operations are limited time challenges in which the player has to complete, at least, 25 tasks in order to obtain a new hero. Unique boss items can be acquired through battle, and special weapons or items are rewarded for every 5 tasks completed. The only exception has been the first Spec Ops mission, in which the player had to get 5 star mastery in all the missions.

Daily Missions

The daily mission is a 24-hour limited mission. These missions award elite rewards when completed and also include certain restrictions to be played. After the 24-hour window ends the mission is exchanged for a different one and any cumulative score you had is returned to zero.

Simulator

The S.H.I.E.L.D. Simulator is conformed by two parts: Challenges and Villain Archive. The Challenges are a set of difficult fights with special conditions and rules which, if completed, earn the player a reward. The Villain Archive provides a brief biography of each villain and also a free fight simulation against them.

Related games

Marvel: Avengers Alliance Tactics

A related game to Marvel: Avengers Alliance was called Marvel: Avengers Alliance Tactics, which Playdom made for Facebook. Launched in June 2014, Tactics took the gameplay mechanics built in the original and applied them to an isometric 3D map, with the player choosing four of their agents or heroes for each mission. The game was shut down on October 22, 2014.

Marvel: Avengers Alliance 2

A mobile-only sequel to Marvel: Avengers Alliance, Marvel: Avengers Alliance 2^[14] was released in The Philippines on July 27, 2015, and worldwide on March 30, 2016. It has new characters as well as being in 3D. On September 1, 2016, it was announced that Disney would be shutting down the game on September 30, 2016.^[15]

References

External links

• www.marvelavengersalliance2.com
• Marvel: Avengers Alliance at Facebook
• Marvel: Avengers Alliance at Playdom