| Quick Verdict: While it isn’t a perfect game, Marvel Mystic Mayhem is the newest on a short list of worthwhile mobile games that fall under being both a licensed property and a gacha game. At the current rate, it feels like it could perform long-term and still not make you feel like you need to spend a dime. Plus, it’s full of great Marvel characters and tons of content. |
| Game: | Marvel Mystic Mayhem |
| Developer(s): | Netease Games, Marvel Games |
| Publisher: | Netease Games, Marvel Games |
| Review Score: | 8 |
| Cozy Score: | 10 |
| Price: | Free to play, has monetization |
| Pros: | Nearly constant leveling up and progression, simpler monetization that isn’t in your face, lots of modes to keep you busy, unique takes on iconic characters, plenty of ways to keep feeling accomplished daily, story and lore are great for a mobile game, never feels like you need to spend money |
| Cons: | Big challenges sometimes feel like you’re stuck focusing on the challenge and nothing else, could use more team dynamic tutorials for newbies, needs better navigation labels |
| Platforms: | Android and iOS |
| Genres: | Strategy, gacha |
It takes something special for me to review a mobile game. I play a lot of licensed mobile gacha games and, if I’m perfectly honest, a lot of them aren’t that great. However, Marvel and Netease’s new mobile strategy game, Marvel Mystic Mayhem, might have actually gotten the formula right for once.
Marvel Mystic Mayhem is the newest in a long and storied history of Marvel-focused mobile games. This time, the villain Nightmare is causing problems for the superheroes, throwing anything cosmic and otherworldly that he can find their way. The story itself really isn’t important to enjoy the game, but in the scheme of mobile game storytelling, it’s still pretty solid.
As mentioned, I play a lot of licensed mobile gacha games. I look at certain criteria for each to consider if it’s able to handle long-term support, makes me feel welcome without needing to spend money, and (dare I say it) if it’s actually fun to play. So, let’s break down some details about Marvel Mystic Mayhem and see if it holds up under scrutiny.
What is Marvel Mystic Mayhem, and can it keep supporting play for the long term?
In Marvel Mystic Mayhem, you’re tasked with acquiring and leveling up various (and sometimes variant versions of) characters from across Marvel Comics. Each character comes with their own powers, abilities, stats, and uses, making strategy a necessity to progress. But, that’s alright, because there are a lot of great options to work with.
Leveling them up isn’t enough to give them maximum power, though. You also need to level up their individual talents (which are their actual powers and abilities). You can also equip items called Artifacts and card-like enhancements called Highlights, which are powerful ways to strengthen your heroes. Those can be unequipped and moved around to other characters, nearly on the fly.
While I’m still just below level 40 at writing (after around eight days of playtime), the level cap in Marvel Mystic Mayhem is level 70. The highest “minimum” challenge I can find currently is at level 65. If this is looking to be a longer-term game, it’ll likely eventually raise that level cap.
You earn rewards after every level up. Hitting level 30 is the first time you might see your first real stop in progression for a short term. But, the challenge involved, the Trial of Vishanti, is just helping you grow your team to be able to get over the next major hurdles. So, while it’ll feel like a standstill for a couple of days, you’ll actually continue to backlog experience and levels while you’re stuck at 30. Once I beat it, I was treated to automatically leveling up to level 33. The same goes for 40 and so on.
Do you need to spend real money to progress in Marvel Mystic Mayhem?
Anytime I play a mobile gacha game, licensed or not, I have to ask myself if this game can sustain itself as something I want on my phone without the feeling or need to spend any money. I’m not against spending a little bit of money on a free-to-play game here or there, but I’m definitely no whale.
I was spoiled early on in my mobile gaming days with a similar game, Star Wars: Galaxy of Heroes. I played that until its maximum level of 85 and had maxed-out, top-notch characters for years. I was part of a good guild (RIP Nerfherders) and I only fizzled after several years of play and moving onto other games. During my entire run, I spent a total of $10 a single time in Galaxy of Heroes to catch up to some guild members for a specific raid, but never really felt the need to spend anything at all. I judge other mobile games against this decade-old, but still thriving, game.
I can honestly say that Marvel Mystic Mayhem, despite its challenges and obstacles, has yet to make me feel like I need to spend money to progress. I’m sure once I start getting closer to maximum level and high-end challenges, the temptation could be there. But, that’s still a ways off.
What can you buy, though? Since Marvel Mystic Mayhem runs on a live service model, the battle pass, named DreamPass, can offer some goodies for progression. But, the rewards are relatively underwhelming, focusing mostly on helping you level up. Nothing that a little extra time with the game wouldn’t also give you. That’s technically a good thing.
There are other ways to spend your real cash, if you’re itching to, through bundles, special offers, and paid Dreamstones. But, there’s nothing offered that you can’t also find potentially naturally through gameplay. I’ve spent a total of 99 cents due to an offer that gave me an upgrade for the Asgardian warrior Angela (whom I had already unlocked previously), some materials, and a special avatar frame. I mostly just wanted the frame.
The real call for anything is the reason we’re here. It’s a gacha game, so you can earn (or purchase) Shadow Keys and Great Keys to take to the Dreamweaver gacha machines.
Shadow Keys unlock pulls for the Legends Assemble gacha page. This seems to be the base gacha that will likely stay the same forever. It holds all of the base game heroes and villains that you can unlock. You can pull either characters or base game Highlights that you can use with your heroes.
Great Keys are used for event gachas. At the time of writing, there is a Forge the Future event centered around Iron Man and For Liberty that can possibly merit you Captain America. Great Key pulls also include the possibility of all of the base game characters, alongside specific boosted possibilities.
All in all, you earn Keys through playing the game and can use the non-paid currency Dreamgems (and the paid Dreamstones) to buy more Keys.
Cozy and Cons
After eight days in, I can honestly say that Marvel Mystic Mayhem is shaping up to be one of my next cozy-certified strategy games. Losing a battle doesn’t penalize or punish you. Progression comes with time, as long as you’re doing the bare minimum to keep it moving. And, most importantly, earning characters and upgrades gives me all of the dopamine.
Needless to say, Marvel Mystic Mayhem isn’t perfect. While there are guides in the game and a robust tutorial at the beginning to help, I do sometimes feel like if I’m stuck on a challenge, I have to focus on that challenge to get over that specific hump before anything else.
In addition, while those initial tutorials are pretty easy to understand, I wish there were more on-screen help or hints for building teams later on in the game. The “thumbs up” that you see is a good reminder, but sometimes, the better way to go isn’t the obvious or intended one to push forward.
Another small qualm I have is that there are no real descriptions to help you navigate the Dreamscape. I can honestly say there are a ton of modes to help you gain specific resources, giving you a wide variety of places to work with. But, they all are vaguely named (such as Momento, Nightfall, Crimson Campaign, etc) and can be hard to figure out which is which without the need to click and go entirely into it first.
Final Verdict
I adore this game after only playing for a week or so. Marvel Mystic Mayhem is now on my permanent daily playlist, right alongside Pokémon TCG Pocket.
It’s a capable action strategy game with consistent progression, great characters and character designs, and tons of content to work with for more than just a couple of days. I can definitely say I’m impressed.
Marvel Mystic Mayhem is available on Android and iOS devices.
If you’re looking for other great mobile games that I’ve reviewed, you need to check out Pokémon TCG Pocket and Animal Crossing: Pocket Camp.
