Marvel's Avengers continues to carve out a place for itself in the live service genre, and now the HARM room challenges are getting much-needed attention with the new Red Room Takeover event. The HARM challenge missions are a great way for players to work on their challenge cards and hone their skills with each character. But until recently, the biggest issue that plagues the combat rooms is a lack of variety.
The event itself reveals that Black Widow's past is coming back to haunt her as Yelena Belova takes over the HARM room and sets booby traps all over it. The lead up to the event, The Rooskaya Protocols, laid the groundwork for the takeover, and now it's up to the Avengers to survive waves of enemies while fighting in a room that is now designed to kill them. Since the event has no story mode to follow, the game drops pieces of lore in codex pages that are earned in combat. Some of the lore included explains that it has been contained to the training area, but one wrong move could spread the hack to the entire Helicarrier, compromising their base. It adds more stakes to the HARM room than ever before and makes it feel like more than just a regular training exercise.
Each of the five challenge rooms offers a different layout for the HARM arena. It shows that the challenge room can change and adapt to different missions, creating new obstacles to overcome. It also creates a new level of difficulty as seasoned players face entirely new layouts where one wrong move could result in instant death. What makes the new HARM room layouts so dangerous is their unpredictability. Each challenge room offers a new layout complete with platforms and jump pads that could lead players over an edge they can't grapple, leading to a failed mission. The changes evoke a feeling that the HARM rooms want the player to either fail or overcome the obstacles.
The reformated HARM rooms also force players to tailor their playstyle to fit the situation. Since only one Avenger can take on a challenge room, players must approach the enemies and arenas with more strategy than ever before. It not only creates a challenging experience but cuts through the monotony of grinding for gear and skill points. For example, the third challenge room features a two-tier platform surrounded by techno lava. It also uses flying drones to force players into the air. The difficulty comes into play as players utilize their air combos and accidentally find themselves over the techno-lava. With no way to grapple up, it becomes an instant death.
To incentivize its players, the takeover is hosting multiple challenges that can be completed over the course of the event. Some contingencies include defeating several enemies in each room or utilizing booby traps like the techno lava found on the floors of the levels. Unlike other basic HARM rooms that only offer comic covers, the Red Room takeover offers rewards that can range from event-specific nameplates to high-level gear and resources. The main nameplate is an animated picture of the techno lava flowing in each level. Other available cosmetics include a black and red repaint of various Avengers outfits that fit the crimson hue of the challenge rooms only available in the marketplace.
The Red Room Takeover shows that Marvel's Avengers still has quite a few surprises up its sleeves. Introducing new options to the HARM room along with a higher difficulty to bring more variety to players. Overall the Red Room Takeovers' debut offers great promise for any future events the developers have planned.