Fantastic Four: Rise of the Silver Surfer is a third-person action game licensed from the 2007 film of the same name. It is only loosely based on the film, with only some parts being based on film situations and villains, with the larger part of the levels being original to the game and featuring villains only seen in the comics like Skrulls and Terrax.
The gameplay is mostly a third-person brawler with occasional puzzle elements. The Fantastic Four have to move through six levels consisting of several acts each, with such locations as a Skrull lair, New York City, a space station, a military base and downtown Shanghai. The four team members move through the levels together.
The game allows for switching between members at any time in single-player games, while in co-op multiplayer, up to four players can control one hero each. Some parts of the game require only one character, like longer flying sequences with the Human Torch. Basic controls allow for strong and weak attacks and grapples, with various combos available.
Each hero has different special abilities, used for extra-powerful attacks or puzzle-solving. The Thing can pick up and throw heavy objects as well as punch the ground for an area attack. The Invisible Woman can project a protective force field, turn invisible to sneak by enemies or walk through certain laser barriers and attack enemies remotely via telekinesis.
The Human Torch can fly to reach areas the others can't and hurl fireballs for ranged attacks. Mr. Fantastic can stretch his arms for a periscope punch to reach far-away switches as well as attack multiple targets at the same time. Special Fusion Attacks require two characters to combine their powers for a special combo move.
The game features various collectibles: collecting coins hidden in breakable objects allows players to upgrade the characters' powers between levels, like increasing damage or reducing energy cost. There are also silver Fantastic Four symbols and Dr. Doom's spy bots to collect, which unlock additional costumes and comic book covers.