Mighty Thor joins the roster of Marvel's Avengers, with the Goddess of Thunder unleashing her powerful hammer in entirely new ways from Odinson.
Marvel's Avengers may have had its developers sold by Square Enix, but that isn't stopping the game from adding to its roster of the Earth's Mightiest Heroes. One new addition is Jane Foster, but she isn't in the guise of a mere mortal. Taking on the persona of the Mighty Thor, Jane's addition to the game comes right in time to coincide with the release of Thor: Love and Thunder.
Although Mighty Thor might have many similarities to Thor Odinson's gameplay mechanics in Marvel's Avengers, she also has quite a few tricks of her own up her Asgardian sleeves. Able to use the hammer Mjolnir in unique ways, Jane Foster proves to be a mighty addition to the game, being one of the strongest characters in all the Nine Realms.
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Though gamers might expect that Mighty Thor and Thor Odinson would play roughly the same, their differences begin at their cores. Mighty Thor's Intrinsic Ability is All-Mother's Blessing, which constantly builds up her overcharge meter as she dishes out melee attacks against her enemies. Once the meter is full, she unleashes God Tempest. This increases the damage done by ranged attacks while bolstering the hits with additional shock waves.
These waves branch out and zap opponents that weren't even directly hit. By utilizing this technique, players can take out more enemies at once, even with short-range attacks. Both of these specialties can be upgraded as Mighty Thor is used more throughout battles. Doing so increases how fast the overcharge meter builds up, as well as the range and duration of shock waves.
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Though she's proven herself worthy of wielding the powerful enchanted hammer, Mighty Thor doesn't use it in quite the same way as a true citizen of Asgard. This means that she uses Mjolnir in ways that Thor Odinson doesn't, substituting experience with tactics and maneuverability. One example is Quick Fire, a sort of boomerang technique that allows for two attacks in one. Quick Fire has Mighty Thor throwing Mjolnir at far-off enemies, hitting them again as the hammer returns to her grasp. The second hit is also more powerful, so pulling it off can put down some enemies for good. This has to be timed though, showcasing how Mighty Thor is a bit more of a tactical character than her male counterpart.
An easier long-range tactic is Seek and Pin, which has Mjolnir launch itself toward a nearby enemy before pinning them to a wall. This move can be done without aiming at a specific target, making it a lot more useful when in a pinch against multiple enemies. These moves all demonstrate a greater level of finesse with the hammer than the more brutish Thor Odinson might employ, helping to make the two into truly separate characters.
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Beyond long-range attacks and lightning, Mighty Thor also has a number of powerful melee attacks with which to beat down enemies. For instance, Earth's Finest is a combo that sees the Goddess of Thunder buffeting foes with close-range hammer strikes before batting them away with the weapon. Whereas Thor has the cranium-crushing Headstrong move, Mighty Thor instead employs her Asgardian-empowered strength for the move Thunder Kick, which sends enemies reeling away as she juts lightning from her leg.
When the chips are down and players really need to clear the screen of enemies, an Ultimate Heroic move is the best way to take down hordes of them at once. Mighty Thor's Ultimate Heroic is All-Weapon, which utilizes the mallet, Undrjarn. With this move, Mighty Thor sends Mjolnir flying around the screen, knocking enemies back and forth in its fury.
Meanwhile, Jane summons the All-Weapon Undrjarn to attack enemies herself. Doing so also reduces the damage that she takes from their attacks, making her an unstoppable, thundering killing machine. This attack can also be customized and upgraded, making Mjolnir and its lightning status effects more effective during the full duration of the move. Jane can even surround herself with the hammer, keeping it circling her as both an offensive and defensive maneuver.
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Jane Foster can be decked out in a few different costumes, all of which reflect different aspects of her history. Her main costume as the Mighty Thor is one exclusive to the game, though it still draws heavy inspiration from her looks in the comics. An alternate armor is closer in design to her appearances in both the Marvel Comics stories as well as Thor: Love and Thunder. A third option has Jane take on the appearance of Valkyrie, reflecting her recent changes in the comics. Perhaps her most obscure is a costume based on Thorris, a classic gender-swapped version of Silver Age Thor.
Breaking out lightning unlike any God of Thunder before her, Mighty Thor is sure to be a welcome addition to Marvel's Avengers. Adding a new Asgardian and another flying character to the mix, her gameplay will be both recognizable while still keeping things fresh for those who've grown accustomed to what the game has to offer. She's available now, allowing players of the Square Enix title to call upon the Goddess' power whenever they need her.
Timothy Blake Donohoo is a graduate of the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga, where he majored in Communication and minored in Creative Writing. A professional freelance writer and marketing expert, he’s written marketing copy and retail listings for companies such as Viatek. In his spare time, he enjoys reading, playing video games, watching documentaries and catching up on the latest Vaporwave and Electro-Swing musical releases.