Capcom in the 90’s was known for making amazing games based on Marvel Comics, with the most well known being the crossover fighting games. However, the publisher did not abandon their arcade brawler roots that were seen in games like Final Fight and Knights of the Round. Marvel Superheroes in War of The Gems was a 1996 game for the SNES that adapted the Marvel Comics storylines Infinity Gauntlet and Infinity War and had a surprisingly deep combat system. While it had a similar name and storyline to Marvel Super Heroes, this was not a 1 v 1 fighting game but a brawler instead. You could choose from Spider-Man, Captain America, The Hulk, Iron Man and Wolverine and go through a variety of levels mixed with platforming and Beat em Up action.
Each character played differently and the game utilized Street Fighter II style command inputs to pull off special moves unique to them. You would have to choose the right character for the stage though, because not every character worked well on every stage. For instance, The Hulk is not the best at platforming but does massive amounts of damage and is useful against certain bosses and enemies. Spider-Man is of course fast and nimble and as such has his own strengths in certain areas.
The plot of the game saw you tracking down the infinity gems in possible locations, which leads to one of the best features of the game. After finding a gem, you could then use said gem to utilize different abilities, such as more powerful attacks, finding more items and getting more health. It really does add a lot to the experience and enables you to make each playthrough different.
Of course there was a plot twist involved, as the game doesn’t adapt the comic storylines exactly and instead creates its own version. I found this to be an extremely fun game and one of Capcom’s best beat em ups. I will also note that the storyline is ironically more relevant than ever for Marvel today. The playable characters and villains, as well as the items will be used in Marvel Ultimate Alliance 3 for Switch this year, making this game a sort of predecessor title. I recommend tracking this title down if you can, because it is a truly excellent experience.