Want to beat up villains all over the world as your favorite superhero? Marvel Super Heroes: War of the Gems was made by Capcom for SNES in 1996, featuring: Spierman, Wolverine, Iron Man, Captain America, and the Hulk. In this side-scrolling, 2D platformer the player chooses one of the aforementioned heroes, and must battle through various levels around the world. Each character has unique abilities and special attacks to aid them in battle. Some characters are even limited to specific paths within some levels as a result of their specific strengths (or weaknesses!). Mild customization options are present in the form of gems, allowing the player to enhance a specific ability (e.g. increased health, faster movement speed, etc.). There is a password system by which you can continue where you left off.

Graphics: 7
War of the Gems' graphics are decent. At the very least, they are compatible with most games of the SNES around that time. Certain
areas of the game where graphics are improved are during special attack sequences executed by the player.

Sound: 7
The music of War of the Gems is enjoyable across just about every level. The fighting music is a great track, as well. Select tracks seem to be used multiple times, though (e.g. the opening music is used later during an actual level). Otherwise, the soundtrack is a fine selection for the game.

Addictiveness: 5
I would not describe War of the Gems as an addictive game. Perhaps, there exists the drive to beat a level that gives the player particular trouble, or to find every item on occasion. However, the game is one that can generally be picked up and put back down with ease.

Story: 6
In the universe, there exists 6 special gems (Soul, Time, Space, Reality, Mind, Power). Whoever acquires all 6 gems essentially becomes all powerful/omnipotent like a God, and can wield terrible destruction. Adam Warlock calls upon our heroes to scour the world in search of these gems before they can fall into the hands of evil. Our heroes will traverse all kinds of terrain to find these mystical gems, including the Amazon rainforest, the Egyptian pyramids, and the Boston Aquarium and will have to take on their evil clones!

Depth: 7
The level design offers some nice options, particularly in the levels where spiderman/wolverine can climb over certain obstacles and get to
complete the level via a different path. However, I felt that most of the levels were a little too short. In terms of secrets or item collection, there isn't a great deal War of Gems has to offer. Most items are simply in plain sight. One of the best items is one that lets characters use their special attack; basically, it's a move that automatically hits all enemies or does a lot of damage to a boss character. Heroes also have their own abilities (e.g. Iron Man's jet boots, Capt. America's shield throw, Wolverine's claw uppercut, etc.) which make for pretty good replay value. Even though there are a number of gems with special abilities to equip, I feel that only 2-3 are actually useful.

Difficulty: 8
Admittedly, on my first play through, War of the Gems took me for a ride. When you die during a level, you lose that character unless you use a revive on him, which is a rare item to come by. When all 5 heroes die, it's game over. Certain levels tend to be very well suited for a
specific hero, so using any of the lesser adapted characters can increase the difficulty further. Though I feel the game is fairly difficult, it isn't ridiculously so. Adept use of each hero's move set is more than enough to make it through War of the Gems, including the final boss. Just don't forget to use items and gem power!

Overall: 6.6
In the end, War of the Gems is a great game to pick up, whether you're trying it out for the very first time, or just want a fun, enjoyable game that can be beaten within an hour. Each hero plays out differently than the others due to their unique move sets and abilities, so you have a
diverse set of characters to choose from. One thing War of the Gems could have benefited from are perhaps longer levels, and a more
varied cast of enemies, as regular enemies throughout a level are very much the same across just about every level (except Dr. Doom's
castle). The bosses keep things fresh as they're different enough from each other, including the ones who are just evil clones of all
of your heroes. This is certainly one of Capcom's lesser known titles, but definitely worth a play, regardless if you're a Marvel Comics fan or not.