LEGO Marvel Super Heroes is an action game that brings together around 150 Marvel heroes and villains from various franchises, allowing the player to control the good ones as they try to save Earth from a team of evil forces led by Galactus. The game features a blocky cartoonish visual style reminiscent of LEGO adventures.
The game's world consists of an explorable open-world Manhattan, as well as a series of story mode levels located in various Marvel worlds, including Asgard and Asteroid M. Players can explore Marvel-related buildings in New York and engage with their storyline, narrated by Deadpool.
Gameplay involves exploring Manhattan, completing side quests, and progressing through story mode levels to unlock new characters, bonus levels, outfits, vehicles, and collectibles such as Gold Bricks, Minikits, and Character tokens. The game features a wide range of playable characters, each with their own super powers and moves.
Additional features include voice-acted in-game dialogues by a cast of 27 people. The game is also compatible with the GamePad's off-tv play feature on Wii U, allowing for seamless gameplay without a TV. In two-player mode, players can take turns using the GamePad's display to avoid split-screen issues.