Participate in 'Marvel's Contest of Champions' Today! For Free!

If you've ever wanted to beat up Tony Stark's smug face with Thor's hammer Mjolnir or simply smash everything in your path as the Incredible Hulk, this is your chance. "Marvel's Contest of Champions" has finally arrived on iOS and Android devices. The free-to-play brawler title was first announced at the 2014 San Diego Comic-Con by developer Kaboom, where it also debuted a trailer feauturing a ton of fan-favourite charcters and hard-hitting action.

The game gets its title from the 1982 mini series "Contest of Champions," which was written by Mark Gruenwald and drawn out by John Romita, Jr. and Bob Layton. The story has few similarities with the game aside from the number of Marvel characters forced to duke it out in battle.

Current Marvel scribe Sam Humphries is also the writer for "Contest of Champions." Humphries is responsible for the well-received run of "The Ultimates," which garnered mainstream coverage from E! Online and IGN when he made Captain America the president of the United States. He is also currently writing the adventures of "Guardians of the Galaxy" member Star-Lord and will be co-writing a crossover that features not only the Guardians of the Galaxy, but the X-Men as well, according to Comic Book Resources.

In the story, Guardians supporting character "The Collector" forces the player to participate in his "Contest of Champions". Here, players must form a team consisting of several characters from the Marvel universe to fight heroes and villains alike with the fate of the Earth at stake. Throughout the story, players will have to contend with teams by Avengers villains "Kang the Conqueror" and the mad titan "Thanos" while unlocking more characters for their party.

The gameplay is similar to "Injustice: Gods Among Us," with simple tap and swipe controls for attacking and evading. Players can also use the special abilities of specific characters after a few hits have been dealt, like Spider-Man's webs and Wolverine's feral rage. The game also has single-player quests and an online multiplayer mode where players fight each other's "ghosts" and gain exclusive prizes.

Early reception to the game has been mixed to positive so far, with Toucharcade praising the high-quality graphics, addictive gameplay and a huge roster of characters. Androidpolice, on the other hand, has criticized the free-to-play model that has plagued most mobile games. Forums have also voiced their opinions comparing the game to its DC counterpart "Injustice: Gods Among Us," while simultaneously enjoying the game, even stating that its free-to-play model is generous compared to other games. With multiplayer options and an ever-growing roster, this should be a contest that everyone will want to partake in.

"Marvel Contest of Champions" Comic Con trailer (Credit: YouTube/Marvel Contest of Champions)