Ten years after the official final excursion of the superheroes (the 2016 HD remake is omitted), Ultimate Alliance is back in Part 3. Not much has changed on the surface: like Raven Software and Vicarious Visions in front of them, Tecmo Koei's Team Ninja is relying on freely selectable teams of four to compete in effusive battles against the rival armies of the vile Marvel villains. But the last few appearances were still identifiable as action role-playing games, Ultimate Alliance 3 is a super-hero version of relevant brawlers such as Final Fight or Streets of Rage. As such, the concept works well, is driven by a passable, albeit rarely surprising story and offers plenty of room for experimentation with over 30 characters. The fact that you can beat up the evil with up to four players in the couch co-op is a nice bonus and of course reduces the frustration that can arise when the partner AI in inappropriate boss fight moments stops any reactions and in case of doubt KO can beat instead of avoiding the announced attacks. It is also a shame that despite destructible elements, the environment remains largely sterile and ultimately serves only as a lock to the next battle arena, instead of providing exploratory stimuli or adding fresh aspects to the story. In addition, disturbing details such as not even rudimentary mitlevelnde figures on the bench, occasionally stubborn camera work and especially in mobile operation frame rate burglaries, when enemy waves and floods of effects meet. Nevertheless: Especially with several players you can experience about 14 to 18 hours of uncomplicated superhero entertainment.
