Players will earn powers and costumes from a variety of characters, including but not limited to Quicksilver, Emma Frost, Cyclops, Iceman, Pyro, Nightcrawler, Mystique, Toad, and others. The new characters are Aimi Yoshida, Grant Alexander, and Adrian Luca. Their powers include Shadow Matter, Density Control, and Energy Projection.
The gameplay largely revolves around a fairly standard modern beat-em-up formula with weak and strong attacks, and simple combos. Players may also upgrade their character's abilities with various extra powers from other characters, such as leaving a trail of flames when running or increasing attack power.
New bonus mutant powers are earned through completing objectives and side-quests, and upgrades may be purchased for the player's chosen mutant power with experience earned through battles. There are collectible profiles hidden around the game's environment with details on the mutants that appear in the game.