Square Enix showed off Marvel’s Avengers on its E3 2019 stage , but the footage only offered a brief glimpse of actual gameplay. IGN attended a behind-closed-doors extended gameplay demo where we got a much better look via 25 minutes of honest-to-goodness Marvel’s Avengers gameplay.

Thor Gameplay in Marvel’s Avengers

Marvel's Avengers: See Real Costumes From The Game on The Floor of E3 26 IMAGES

Iron Man Gameplay in Marvel’s Avengers

Hulk Gameplay in Marvel’s Avengers

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Captain America Gameplay in Marvel’s Avengers

Black Widow Gameplay in Marvel’s Avengers

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Overall Thoughts on Marvel’s Avengers Gameplay

The demo started in the same way as the E3 footage: with an attack on the Golden Gate Bridge during the A-Day celebration. While we weren’t told if this was the opening of the game, we can assume it’s the beginning, or at least early on. It felt very much like a tutorial area as a little time was spent controlling each hero. Gameplay automatically switched from one Avenger to the next as the events of the story dictated. Here’s a description of what it’s like to play as each Avenger.You first take control of Thor, landing on the bridge to start fighting off the armed goons. His combat style is reminiscent of Kratos from God of War on PS4: Thor can bash foes with Mjolnir, throw the hammer to pin enemies down, indulge in some hand-to-hand combat, and then summon the hammer back mid-combo to keep bringing the pain and the lightning.A brief pause in the action gives Thor time to rescue a civilian trapped under a bus, and as he’s lifting the vehicle he says something to the effect of, “Fear not, because I am mighty.”At one point some shielded enemies arrive and Thor unleashes a super move in the form of a massive shockwave blast to knock them all down. The cherry on top comes when Thor supercharges himself – just like in Ragnarok – and laid waste to enemies as lightning coursed through his body and struck from the sky.Thor looks like a true powerhouse with a wide array of abilities that make satisfying use of Mjolnir and his immense strength.(It’s worth noting that it wasn’t shown whether this version of Thor can fly or not.)Iron Man, on the other hand, can fly. At least, sort of.Gameplay transitioned to Iron Man and you’re immediately put on rails as you chase some jetpack-powered enemies through the air. Not the most thrilling way to take control of the high-flying Avenger.Iron Man then lands to engage in some hand-to-hand combat on the ground by rocketing around throwing punches and kicks. He seamlessly takes off into the air and hovers as he fires repulsor beams at a gunner who had set up shop atop a bus, then stays in flight to pick off the remaining ground enemies. His big show-off move is unleashing a massive unibeam from his chest.While all the bells and whistles and lasers and rockets were there, Iron Man’s gameplay appeared to be the most restricted of the bunch.At this point, massive sonic canons emerge out of enemy trucks and blast Iron Man out of the sky. To deal with the heavy firepower, Bruce Banner jumps out of a jet and lands as the Hulk. Hulk’s gameplay was less about combos and more about crudely smacking away enemies like they are nothing more than action figures. He can even pick up enemies and use them as melee weapons or just chuck them like a projectile.Hulk’s movement, on the other hand, is all about momentum. As the bridge begins to collapse, Hulk is forced to jump from one impromptu platform to another, occasionally wall-running to build up speed and launch himself further into the air – culminating with landing on a group of enemies with a resounding smash. Hulk’s section had the most pure sense of fun, and was the most surprising as it turned the Jade Giant into a thicc green Prince of Persia.View the trailer for Marvel's Avengers from E3 2019 below:The setting then switches to the Helicarrier, where Captain America is attacked by more goons. His combat looks a bit like the system from the Batman Arkham games and Marvel’s Spider-Man on PS4, with lots of quick, brutal attacks that send him bounding across the room from enemy to enemy. There was, of course, lots of shield tossing, but it was unclear how much control you’re given over where it goes and how it travels once it leaves Cap’s hand.Another group of shielded enemies shows up just like before, but Cap makes quick work of them. This was a key moment to illustrate how different heroes would approach handling more advanced enemy types – shouldn’t they give Cap a tougher time given he can’t just blast them away? – but it seemed like they are no more challenge to Cap than they were to Thor.The final leg of the demo sees control switch to Black Widow as she confronted the level boss, Taskmaster. It kicks off with Widow jumping on Taskmaster and being taken on a wild ride as the bridge begins to explode, and as chaos ensues the other Avengers appear in the nic of time to catch a falling bus full of people and otherwise help avert disaster. All the while, a quick-time event has Black Widow pummeling Taskmaster and dodging his attacks.This was the “Battle of New York” moment where most of the Avengers are shown in action in one shot, truly selling that this game will give you the experience of essentially playing through an Avengers movie. That said, instead of this action-packed sequence happening organically through gameplay, you’re more along for the heavily scripted ride, occasionally pressing a button.After coming to a crash landing, Black Widow must take down Taskmaster by dodging his attacks and responding with martial arts moves, electrified batons, and a set of dual pistols. She can also do her signature move where she wraps her legs around his neck and flip-slams him to the ground, naturally. Taskmaster can copy and counter any move he sees, so eventually Black Widow uses a stealth device to go invisible so she can sneak up and finally take him down -- can’t copy what you can’t see!After watching someone play as the most powerful Avengers with an arsenal of crazy awesome abilities, it did feel a tad anticlimactic to finish on the one hero who’s just a normal person – even one as cool as Black Widow with her assortment of gadgets.Though we still haven’t gotten to play ourselves, Marvel’s Avengers definitely looks like it will deliver when it comes to living out the fantasy of fighting evil as the most iconic Avengers. You get to do all the coolest moves and witness as they are executed in stunning cinematic fashion.While the graphics during combat were pristine, the brief cutscenes didn’t seem as polished -- Thor’s hair looks especially strange when it’s blowing in the wind -- and the team banter wasn’t especially funny or memorable. Thor, in particular, sticks out like a sore thumb because he very much speaks in the original Chris Hemsworth cadence from before the engaging and hilarious Ragnarok reinvention of the character. Although, this is of course a demo of a still-in-progress game that won’t be released for almost a year, so in theory there’s still plenty of time for some of these things to get smoothed over.While Thor, Hulk and Iron Man were each distinct enough that they almost felt like characters from entirely different games, Cap and Widow were, understandably, a bit similar in feel given they’re all about melee combat with no eye-popping super powers to speak of. Still, it was an eventful good time watching the Avengers respond to a supervillain attack and do what they do best.No insight was given on what kind of game this will be beyond the demo, so we’ll have to wait and see for details on what progression, customization, and other elements will look like. But as far as this demo is concerned, the initial gameplay looks solid despite some obvious shortcomings.

Marvel's Avengers E3 2019 Reveal Trailer Screenshots 69 IMAGES

For more on the game, check out how the Avengers game devs offered hope to Hawkeye fans and what they had to say on a possible Avengers/Spider-Man game crossover Also be sure to hear what the developer told us during our sitdown interview at E3 2019:

Joshua is Senior Features Editor at IGN. If Pokemon, Green Lantern, or Game of Thrones are frequently used words in your vocabulary, you’ll want to follow him on Twitter @JoshuaYehl and IGN