Lego Marvel Super Heroes 2 ushers in the Guardians, ability to manipulate time

Nearly four years after the original title, Warner Bros. Interactive Entertainment is ready to release its sequel to Lego Marvel Super Heroes, Lego Marvel Super Heroes 2.

Building upon the same brand of comedy and gameplay found in the first game, the sequel picks up right where the story in the last title ended. Players will be able to take control of the Guardians of the Galaxy for the first time, but those who played Lego Marvel Super Heroes will already be familiar with the team’s introduction.

At the end of Lego Marvel Super Heroes, the Guardians land on Earth just as the Avengers finish taking on the evil Galactus. When Nick Fury points out that he appreciates the Guardians showing up even though their help isn’t needed, Star-Lord cryptically replies they’ve arrived for a different reason altogether.

This is where Lego Marvel Super Heroes 2 begins its journey, lead designer Arthur Parsons told journalists during a press preview event.

“Lego Marvel Super Heroes 2 was always meant to be about something else,” Parsons said. “We’re back with an original story set inside the world of some of my personal favorite comic runs, but with a much more diverse roster of characters.”

Warner Bros. Interactive Entertainment

Parsons said the opening level will be a bit of a callback for fans of the original game. It will start with the Guardians in space trying to make their way toward Earth and eventually lead back to the final moment from the first game. For those who haven’t played the original, knowledge of how the previous title ended isn’t necessary, but Parsons said the team included it as a little gift for those fans.

One of the biggest changes the sequel is bringing with it is the ability to manipulate time. The main theme that can be seen throughout the entire game is time. The main enemy players will have to destroy is the time-traveling Kang the Conqueror. Players will be able to call upon help from superheroes from various time periods in Marvel’s history. Most importantly, players will be able to manipulate time to their advantage in order to chase down Kang, but the new feature does come with one drawback.

“It's something that you can use as a player and something that will be used against you when you come face to face with Kang and other enemies,” Parsons said. “We really wanted this game to be all about time. Characters running out of time, characters coming from different time periods, things being manipulated in time, so we have a lot of time manipulation in the game.”

It’s not just the ability to manipulate time that’s new, either. People will be able to enter a four-player competitive superhero battle mode to take on friends, using the arsenal of characters and their various weapons as they wish.

Warner Bros. Interactive Entertainment

Much like the original game, new players introduced in Lego Marvel Super Heroes 2 will be customizable to an extent, with quirky character traits thrown in to make the individual heroes similar to their on-screen or comic book personas. For example, Star-Lord has a particular feature that allows him to stop everything mid-battle to press play on his Walkman that he’s never seen without. This move results in the entire Guardians of the Galaxy team dancing while chaos ensues around them.

“He's also got a really cool suit that lets him play his mixtape,” Parsons explained while showing off a demonstration of the move in action. “So it's really cool when you're in the middle of the battle [and] everyone just stops and dances.”

More information about Lego Marvel Super Heroes 2 is expected to be released at E3. Lego Marvel Super Heroes 2 will be released on Nov. 17 for the PlayStation 4, Xbox One and Windows PC. It will also be released on the Nintendo Switch this holiday season.