Back in 2014, Marvel and Korean developer Smilegate suspended development of a MOBA game, Project Pentakill, based on characters from the Marvel universe. While I did not know when the project was restarted, it is now known as Marvel End Time Arena, and preparing for the Open Beta phase in South Korea on 21 June. Little was known about the game since it was announced domestically as the official game website is IP-blocked.
Update: Marvel End Time Arena has since closed on 25 February 2019 without a single launch outside of South Korea.
According to details, the first Closed Beta phase started back in September last year in South Korea. Marvel End Time Arena features 3 beginner modes (including tutorial, a normal PVP mode, a ranked mode (coming soon), a hero experience mode (to try out other heroes), and a full AI mode (AI can be placed in both friendly or enemy slots). The 2 main playable maps currently are Manhattan and Wakanda, which you can see the layout below.
According to the website, there are currently 30 heroes on the playable roster, divided into 6 different categories including battler, charger, shooter, damage dealer, infiltrator, and support. Only a handful have alternate costumes now, and there are also new heroes such as Sun Wukong (within the charger series). Is there such really a character in Marvel’s stable? I am not sure what new heroes are next, but new ones will definitely be added.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DZ_tpUZbtUE
Gameplay is pretty much similar to the MOBA titles on the market. Marvel End Time Arena also features familiar functions such as the additional player skills (known as summoner skills in League of Legends), and also the system formerly known as Rune system. There is currently no plan on launching Marvel End Time Arena in overseas markets, perhaps cautious of DC Infinite Crisis’ failure. However, I do not see the game succeeding in just South Korea given the dominance of League of Legends. Will the Marvel IP claim victory?
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cYAVIH1gmwk
