The gameplay is similar to Lego's long-running series of franchise video games, with a focus on puzzle-solving interspersed with action. Players have to solve puzzles spread across the game environment to progress through levels. The game features New York City as the main large open-world hub, but also, for the first time, includes seven other movie significant areas players can travel to, including Asgard, Malibu, South Africa, The Helicarrier, the Bartons' farm, Washington D.C., and Sokovia.[5] These hubs also feature hundreds of side quests and bonus levels such as rescuing citizens in trouble and races. The main story takes up a fairly small fraction of the game's total "completion". While the game's story is predominantly focused on the first two Avengers films, there are single levels based on Captain America: The First Avenger, Iron Man 3, Thor: The Dark World, and Captain America: The Winter Soldier.
Free PlayStation timed exclusive downloadable content was announced. This included a character pack and a level based on the heist for the Yellowjacket suit from Ant-Man, which was released on April 6, 2016, and a Captain America: Civil War character pack that was released at launch. A season pass was also available during launch, which gave players exclusive access to the "Explorers Pack", story levels and over 40 additional playable characters. These story levels were based on the Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. television series as well as levels focused on the comic versions of Black Panther, the Masters of Evil, Captain Marvel, and Doctor Strange.[15] A Spider-Man character pack was also released on May 24, 2016, which saw the Civil War version of the character as a playable character.[16]
Lego Marvel's Avengers received "mixed or average reviews" on all platforms, according to review aggregator website Metacritic.[19][21]Game Informer's Andrew Reiner gave the game 7.75 out of 10.[23]IGN awarded it a score of 6.7 out of 10, saying "LEGO Marvel's Avengers is great fun, but unfortunately restricted by sticking to the Marvel Cinematic Universe".[25]Destructoid awarded it a score of 6 out of 10, saying "it's a fun mindless romp through a couple of interesting setpieces, but not a whole lot more than that when it comes down to it".[22]PlayStation LifeStyle awarded it 7.5 out of 10, saying "some technical hiccups and the occasional unclear objective can hamper your progress, but these can all be overcome in a game that exudes a fun-loving attitude throughout".[27]GameSpot awarded it a score of 7.0 out of 10, saying "if you've played a Lego game in recent years then you'll know what to expect: another familiar and fun adventure that you can enjoy with your kids".[24]Hardcore Gamer awarded it a score of 3 out of 5, saying "while a decent action-adventure title, Avengers does little to innovate or set itself apart from a vast library of superior Lego games".[28]PC Gamer awarded it a score of 52%, calling it "a half-hearted recreation of some fun movies, with almost nothing to offer over its predecessor".[26]
