Honestly, it is kind of wild that we are still talking about a game from 2017. Seven years is a lifetime in the gaming world. But here we are, and Lego Marvel Super Heroes 2 remains the peak of the mountain for many fans, even with newer titles like Lego Star Wars: The Skywalker Saga hogging the spotlight. It isn't just nostalgia talking. There is something fundamentally weird and ambitious about this specific sequel that Traveller's Tales hasn't quite replicated since.
Most people remember the first game for its perfect recreation of Manhattan. It was simple. It was clean. You flew from the Helicarrier down to Times Square and felt like an Avenger. Then the sequel dropped and basically said, "That's cool, but what if we mashed twenty different dimensions into one giant, chaotic salad?"
That salad is Chronopolis.
The Absolute Chaos of Chronopolis
If you’ve played any of the modern Lego games, you know the hub world is usually the star of the show. In Lego Marvel Super Heroes 2, Chronopolis is less of a city and more of a fever dream curated by Kang the Conqueror. You have New York City, sure, but it’s sitting right next to Medieval England, which is a stone's throw from Noir New York, which is somehow bordering Ancient Egypt and Sakaar.
It’s jarring. It’s loud. It works.
The genius of this design is how it solves the "flight fatigue" of the first game. In the original, flying across New York was fun for ten minutes, but it all looked the same after a while. In the sequel, you fly over a mountain and the entire lighting engine changes because you just entered the Hydra Empire. One minute you’re dodging taxis, the next you’re under the ocean in Lemuria.
Kurt Busiek, the legendary comic writer who co-wrote the game’s story, clearly had a blast here. You can feel his influence. It doesn't feel like a generic "bad guy wants to blow up the world" plot. It feels like a love letter to the weird, obscure corners of Marvel Comics that the MCU hadn't even touched back then.
Who Needs the X-Men Anyway?
Okay, let’s address the elephant in the room. The biggest complaint people had at launch—and still have today—is the total lack of X-Men and the Fantastic Four. At the time, Disney and Fox were having their corporate spat, and the "no mutants" rule was in full effect for Marvel games.
It sucked. No Wolverine. No Deadpool. No Doctor Doom.
But here is the thing: that restriction actually forced the developers to get creative. Without the crutch of Spider-Man and Wolverine carrying every scene, we got a deep dive into the Inhumans, the Guardians of the Galaxy, and the Spider-Verse long before Into the Spider-Verse was a household name. We got Gwenpool. We got Howard the Duck as a playable character with actual effort put into his kit.
The roster is massive. Over 200 characters. And while some are definitely "filler" (do we really need three versions of Captain America?), the inclusion of 2099 variants and Wild West versions of classic heroes keeps the character grid from feeling stale.
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Combat and the Boss Fight Problem
Let's be real for a second. Lego games aren't exactly Dark Souls. You press one button to punch, one to jump, and one to use a special ability. However, Lego Marvel Super Heroes 2 tried to spice things up with a revamped boss mechanic.
Instead of just hitting a boss three times until they lose a heart, many of the encounters in this game have actual phases. You might have to build a specific contraption while dodging an environmental hazard or switch between characters to trigger a multi-stage takedown. Is it revolutionary? No. But it stops the "braindead" feeling that plagued some of the earlier titles.
There’s also the "Character Customizer." It is arguably one of the best in the series. You aren't just swapping heads and capes. You can choose the color of your energy beams, the specific way your character flies, and even their passive traits. For kids (and grown-up nerds), this is where dozens of hours disappear. You aren't just playing a Marvel game; you're inserting your own hero into the Marvel Universe.
The Difficulty Spike (Yes, Really)
There is a weird myth that Lego games are for five-year-olds. While they are definitely accessible, Lego Marvel Super Heroes 2 has some of the most frustratingly obtuse puzzles in the franchise. Some of the "Gold Brick" challenges in the open world require a level of spatial reasoning that genuinely stumps adults.
Think about the race challenges. Controlling a Lego car or a flying character through tight rings while the camera decides to look at a nearby wall is a rite of passage. It's janky, but it’s a specific kind of "Lego jank" that fans have grown to tolerate, if not love.
Technical Performance: The Good and the Ugly
If you are playing this on a modern PC or a PS5/Xbox Series X through backward compatibility, it's a dream. The load times—which were atrocious on the base PS4 and Xbox One—basically vanish.
On the Nintendo Switch? That’s a different story.
The Switch port is impressive because it’s the full game, but man, does it struggle in Chronopolis. Frame rates dip when things get busy, and the resolution takes a noticeable hit. If you have the choice, play it on a high-power console or PC. The lighting effects on the "Holographic" characters and the reflections in the Neon City area look surprisingly good for a game made of plastic blocks.
Voice Acting and the Strike
You might notice something "off" about the voices if you're coming straight from the first game or the MCU movies. During development, there was a major voice actor strike (SAG-AFTRA). This meant that many of the series' regulars couldn't return.
Instead of Nolan North or Troy Baker, we got a different cast. They did a fine job, honestly, but it adds to the slightly "offbeat" feeling of the game. It’s like an alternate-universe version of the Marvel world, which, considering the plot involves Kang and the Multiverse, actually fits the vibe perfectly.
Is the Season Pass Worth It?
Usually, I’d say no to DLC for old games. But the Lego Marvel Super Heroes 2 Season Pass is actually decent. It adds levels based on Black Panther, Infinity War, Ant-Man and the Wasp, and even the Runaways TV show.
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The Runaways inclusion is particularly cool because that’s a team that rarely gets any love in video games. If you can find the "Deluxe Edition" on sale—which happens almost every month on the PlayStation Store or Steam—it’s a no-brainer. You get the full experience for less than the price of a sandwich.
The "Skywalker Saga" Comparison
Since Lego Star Wars: The Skywalker Saga came out, the bar for Lego games has shifted. That game has a new camera angle and a deeper combat system.
But it lost something in the process.
The Skywalker Saga feels very "prestige." It's polished and massive. But Lego Marvel Super Heroes 2 feels like a toy box that someone dumped out on the floor. It has a chaotic energy that feels more "Lego" than the newer, more refined games. There is a sense of discovery in Chronopolis that the linear planets of Star Wars don't quite match.
Actionable Tips for New Players
If you're just starting out or jumping back in for a 100% completion run, don't just wander aimlessly. The game is too big for that.
- Prioritize the "Attract Studs" Red Brick. It’s a game-changer. It saves you from having to manually run over every single coin. You find it by completing the "Poison Ivy" (not that Poison Ivy, the Marvel equivalent challenges) missions in the Gwenpool levels.
- Unlock a "Heat" and "Ice" character early. You’ll spend half your time looking for things to melt or freeze. Using a custom character with both powers is a pro move.
- Don't ignore Gwenpool's missions. They are the secret sauce of the game. They're shorter, weirder, and narrated by Gwenpool herself, who breaks the fourth wall constantly. They also unlock the Pink Bricks (this game's version of Red Bricks).
- Fly, don't drive. The driving mechanics in Lego games have always been... questionable. Stick to characters like Iron Man, Thor, or Captain Marvel to get around Chronopolis quickly.
The Verdict on Marvel's Blocky Sequel
Lego Marvel Super Heroes 2 isn't perfect. It's messy. The map is a topographical nightmare. The lack of X-Men is a bummer.
But it’s also the most "comic book" a Lego game has ever felt. It doesn't rely on the movies to tell its story. It builds its own weird world and invites you to smash it apart. If you want a game that rewards you for knowing who "Forbush Man" is, this is the one.
Go find the Pink Bricks. Unlock Stan Lee (who is notoriously hard to find in this one). Explore the weirdness of a world where a Noir detective can punch a robot from the future in the middle of a medieval castle. That is the magic of this entry.
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To get the most out of your playtime, focus on clearing the main story first to unlock the full suite of character abilities. Once you have a character for every "puzzle type" (telekinesis, heat, tech, super strength), go back to Chronopolis and start clearing the map sector by sector. Trying to do it before you have the right characters is just going to lead to backtracking and headaches. Grab the Deluxe Edition during a sale, ignore the minor bugs, and just enjoy the sheer absurdity of the multiverse.