Marvel Battle Lines
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The parents' guide to what's in this app.
What parents need to know
Parents need to know that Marvel Battle Lines is a free-to-play action/card game for iOS and Android devices. Players collect virtual cards featuring characters and items from the Marvel Comics stable, building decks to use in battle. The game's mechanics are easy to pick up and play, while also encouraging strategy when it comes to building decks and using cards. While it's possible to make good progress in the game without spending any actual money, there's still a strong push to convince players to buy blind card packs, in-game currency, and individual cards. The word "damn" pops up in dialogue a couple of times, but a bigger concern for parents might be the rare offensive nicknames chosen by other players, which may occasionally slip past the publisher's filters.
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What's it about?
MARVEL BATTLE LINES puts the powers and abilities of the Marvel Comics heroes and villains in the palm of your hand. The adventure begins when a superpowered face-off in an orbiting S.H.I.E.L.D. space station results in the shattering of a Cosmic Cube. Shards of the extremely powerful artifact wind up scattering throughout the globe ... including one that lands in a very special civilian's hands: yours. You quickly discover you have the ability to use the remaining shards to tap into the powers and abilities of others in the Marvel Universe, summoning them when needed. Now it's your job to collect what you can of the remaining cosmic shards and build your own superpowered teams capable of driving back the forces of evil. The fate of the world, and of the entire Marvel Universe, lies with you. Are you up to the challenge?
Is it any good?
What do you get when you mix the timeless gameplay of tic-tac-toe, a collectible card game, and the massive stable of characters from the Marvel Universe? The answer is Marvel Battle Lines, an action-packed, free-to-play mobile offering that's incredibly fun. Players build decks of 12 cards each and battle on a 3x4 grid. Each turn, players can use any action cards and then either summon a character or move an existing character. Moving into another opposing character initiates a quick combat, comparing attacks and hit points. The ultimate goal is to create a "battle line" by filling in a row of your characters horizontally, vertically, or diagonally. Doing so triggers a massive team attack that whittles away the opponent's life.
The basics of the game are easy to learn, but like many collectible card games, it's the strategy involved that keeps things interesting. It's a lot of fun just trying out different card combinations, and comic fans get the added bonus of coming up with uniquely themed decks. Maybe you want to play S.H.I.E.L.D. agents, or maybe you want to see how crazy a team-up between Doctor Octopus and Ghost Rider might work. Whatever you can imagine, Marvel Battle Lines has you covered. The game's also one of the best-looking Marvel mobile games around, with the cards sporting some amazing artwork. Plus, each card comes with some stats and trivia on each character, giving even more reason to try to constantly add to your virtual collection. And the whole thing comes wrapped in a surprisingly fun story, written by fantasy/sci-fi author Alex Irvine. Marvel Battle Lines is a complete comic book experience with the superpower to entertain.
Talk to your kids about ...
Families can talk about superheroes. If you could have any superpower, what would it be and how would you use it? Would you be a superhero or a supervillain?
What has more benefits: paying for content, or grinding (playing the game) to earn the same content? What are some ways to manage budgeting for virtual purchases to make sure they don't get out of hand?
App details
- Devices: iPhone, iPod Touch, iPad, Android
- Pricing structure: Free
- Release date: October 24, 2018
- Category: Card Games
- Topics: Magic and Fantasy, Superheroes, Adventures, Misfits and Underdogs, Monsters, Ghosts, and Vampires, Robots, Space and Aliens
- Size: 460.00 MB
- Publisher: NEXON Corp
- Version: 2.0.0
- Minimum software requirements: Requires iOS 9.0 or higher; Android 5.0 and up
- Last updated: December 4, 2019
Our editors recommend
For kids who love comic books
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