Game: Captain America and the Avengers
Genre: Action/Platformer
Year Released: 1991



Keeping it topical for Throwback Thursday once again this week, I decided to go with a video game based on the Avengers in honor of the awesome new Iron Man movie, which by now you’ve no doubt seen (but if you haven’t, stay through the credits). Several versions of Captain America and the Avengers were released in the early 90s for arcades, Genesis, SNES, Game Gear, and of course, the NES. Being much weaker, technically, than its 16-bit counterparts, the NES version of the game is very different, with only two playable characters instead of four. I half-expected the NES version to be watered-down and mediocre, but surprisingly, it was still a lot of fun.



Captain America and the Avengers is part platformer, part action game, and the level design and gameplay feels very similar to that of the original Contra. The player starts the game taking the role of Captain America, who has the ability to throw his shield at enemies in addition to some simple melee moves. After a few levels, Hawkeye can be unlocked as a playable character. Even though I love Captain America, I actually enjoyed playing as Hawkeye more. His bow and arrow just seem much more precise when attacking than Cap’s shield.



Although the level design is similar to Contra’s, there is less straight-up annihilating of opponents to clear a path and more trying to find your way through each level while some foes get in your way. Cap and Hawkeye start out in Florida, moving from town to town trying to save their friends Vision and Iron Man from the Mandarin while receiving instructions (both for gameplay and about the story) from the Wasp. Once Hawkeye is unlocked, the player can switch between him and Captain America as he or she pleases.

I was pleasantly surprised at how much fun it was to make my way through each level. Most games based on already-established franchises—especially those from the Nintendo generation—turned out to be nearly unplayable disasters, but Captain America and the Avengers is actually a coherent and enjoyable adventure. However, it doesn’t really do anything extraordinary. Yes, you can play as your favorite superheroes, but other than that, this game isn’t really anything special. Remove the Marvel license from the game, and it would still be fun, but not something you would want to spend time on if you had a superior game like Contra or Super Mario Bros. 3 on hand.



Though the controls for this game aren’t bad, I did have a few issues that made me not want to play as Captain America at all. First of all, he can only throw his shield if he’s standing on firm ground, not if he’s jumping or moving. Unlike Hawkeye, who can shoot arrows no matter what else he’s doing, Cap becomes essentially helpless if he gets shot at while jumping. He does have some simple punching and kicking abilities at his disposal, but using them is so awkward that it’s better just to run away and hope for the best. Luckily, things go a lot more smoothly when the player takes the role of Hawkeye.

Though this may not be the most memorable game of the early 90s, it’s definitely not a bad game by any means. Sure, it’s simple and even a little clunky at times, but considering that this was the stripped-down version of a more complex game, it’s a pretty solid achievement in 8-bit gaming. It’s also fun to see Marvel characters in action, especially in a game that’s worthy of the Marvel name. Like I said, it’s not the most addictive game you’ll ever play, but it offers enough of an enjoyable challenge to make it worth your time.

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