‘Marvel’s Avengers: War For Wakanda’ DLC review: A thrilling Black Panther gameplay of Klaw and kingdoms

Marvel’s Avengers by Square Enix and Crystal Dynamics was an impressive game with excellent voice acting and cinematic action sequences. However, live service elements that felt half-baked and tacked on actually stopped it from being a perfect game. Roughly a year later, there has been a lot of content that Avengers has released in the form of Hawkeye and Kate Bishop as well as Future Imperfect but the most-awaited one so far has been Black Panther.

(Subscribe to our Today's Cache newsletter for a quick snapshot of top 5 tech stories. Click here to subscribe for free.)

Years ago, a giant Vibranium meteor crashed into what we now call Wakanda. Cognisant of the value of this powerful space metal, the tribes united and built a technologically-advanced city and shielded themselves from the rest of the world. Protected by the Black Panther, a warrior imbued with the power of the Vibranium, Wakanda remains an undiscovered legend. Our story in the DLC (downloadable content) starts with Ulysees Klaue and his band of mercenaries, laying siege to Wakanda in order to pillage the country of Vibranium. It is upto Black Panther and the rest of the Avengers to defeat this foe.

Read More | ‘Marvel’s Avengers’ full game review: Ms Marvel to the rescue

As things heat up for T’Challa and the rest of Wakanda, the Avengers show up to lend a hand. The mission builds up to some epic battles against the familiar Klaw form we have seen in the comic books and Crossbones. (This is in the trailer, so no spoilers there.)

As a Black Panther fan, the loss of Chadwick Boseman hit hard. I had very low expectations for the game’s voice acting, but I was in for a pleasant surprise . Black Panther in Marvel’s Avengers is voiced by Christopher Judge aka God Of War’s Kratos. This, for me, makes the game as he brings that signature gravel to the Wakandan accent and adds a lot of depth to T’Challa/Black Panther. Meanwhile, Shuri is played by Westworld alum Erica Luttrell and Okoye is played by Star Wars Jedi: Fallen Order alum Debra Wilson.

A parkour feel to battle

And, boy, is the gameplay fun. Black Panther’s moveset is powerful with surprising heft and speed, obviously not geared towards Hulk-like jumping in and pummelling foes. Instead, you must focus on gaining kinetic energy through well-timed parries and find the right time to unleash. It may take a frustratingly long time to get used to the play style, but once you do, there is no going back. Look forward to a range of special moves, such as throwing knives and homing beads as well as higher-powered moves such as summoning a mystical panther to take down multiple enemies. Do beware, that even on an easy level of play, the enemies are tough.

A screenshot from ‘Marvels Avengers’ DLC ‘Black Panther: War For Wakanda’, with Plack Panther, Thor, Iron Man and Captain America fighting Klaw

Traversal is another aspect that Black Panther does well. The level design reflects this verticality as you jump across lush Wakandan jungles to underground caverns in platforming sections that feel familiar to most Tomb Raider games. I would have loved and hoped for some Arkham Asylum-style stealth though.

The mission structure is pretty much on rails with very simple puzzles, and wraps up in just a couple of hours, leaving you wanting more. You can also take your Black Panther skills into the training and war table missions.

Through an interesting story and fun mechanics, War For Wakanda highlights what we loved about the Avengers in the first place. Plus, the DLC roadmap for the game is a busy one: Guardians Of The Galaxy comes out on October 26 and a DLC for Spider-Man is yet to be slated.

The writer is a tech and gaming enthusiast who hopes to one day finish his sci-fi novel