Marvel Rivals – Review

Team-based online multiplayer games have become a big hit for many gamers worldwide. Games like Call of Duty, Overwatch, Valorant, and more have brought out the best e-sport gamers worldwide, showing us that games are competitive and worth the challenge. One game in my mind has managed to bring out that very aspect: Marvel Rivals.

Marvel Rivals was developed by NetEase Games to become one of the biggest multiplayer games for major consoles. Utilizing similar mechanics to Overwatch, this game uses popular Marvel characters such as Spider-Man, Wolverine, Iron Fist, Moon Knight, Thor, Squirrel Girl, and even, Jeff The LandShark and pits them in on a 6 v 6 match with various objectives and more. With different skills and abilities that players can use in this game, the fun is never-ending.

The storyline of Marvel Rivals is somewhat interesting. The merciless clash between tyrannical dictator Doctor Doom and his future counterpart from the year 2099 has forced countless universes to collide in the Timestream Entanglement, creating new worlds and crises unknown. Now, Super Heroes and Villains from across the multiverse must fight together and against one another as disparate groups each seeking to best both Dooms before one achieves domination of these realities. Familiar faces become newfound foes while former enemies become the greatest of allies! The lore of the game is so intriguing that I am hoping for the developers to make a story mode in their future updates.

Now the mechanics of the game are very similar to that of Overwatch. When the game was introduced to somewhat similar to that of Overwatch, I was very skeptical about it. The reasons behind it are that almost 80% of the objectives are similar and knowing the Overwatch track record, it could end up in a pinch. But after releasing its full game, it introduced new and creative features that were worth getting into. First is the Team-Up abilities. These skills include active and passive buffs for specific team compositions. For example, Wolverine & The Hulk perform a combo skill where Hulk picks up Logan throws like a lance, another is Magneto and Wanda where the Scarlet Witch infuses her chaos magic into the metal shards of magneto giving a buff skill to slash nearby enemies, and more. Multiple combinations can be found in the game depending on which team-ups you have and they play a big role in making your match victorious or dreadful if facing them.

Another incredible feature that I love is the environment. In games like Apex Legend, Valorant, and Overwatch, there is a small portion where you can destroy doors and small windows. In Marvel Rivals, destroying buildings, landmarks, and walls can give one an advantage to make pathways or give players range to attack their enemies. This game-changing feature is very useful as it gives players a sense of realism of what combat is in the Marvel universe and lets those who are into Esports learn what tactics they can use to overcome their opponents.

There is a battle pass that players can buy and access. It is filled with accessories and costumes that players can use in matches. However, the only way to access it is to buy and that seems kinda a bit of a downer as there are no free rewards for leveling. But it is safe to say that since it is currently Season 0 right now, a better battle pass will hopefully be released soon in future updates where players can earn free rewards such as Chrono Tokens, costumes, and more.

Of course, customizing your favorite Marvel hero is important and currently, the game features stunning and nostalgic costumes that again can only be accessed by buying them online. This season features quite a nostalgic yet emotional lineup of inspired designs from the Marvel Cinematic Universe, TV series, and other familiar and iconic scenes from various comic book story arcs. Examples are Iron Man’s Endgame armor which he used to sacrifice himself to save the earth from Thanos, Spider-Man’s Iron Spider costume he used in Infinity War & in No Way Home, Magneto’s original Red and Violet costume from X-Men 92, and more. In my opinion, I seriously want them all. Though I am restricting myself from buying to save money, these costumes have tempted a lot of people to get them. There are free costumes that players can get but only do account missions which can done during any type of match.

Overall, Marvel Rivals is a good free-to-play multiplayer game that is worth investing in. Despite just being released with few updates, I believe this game has the potential to shake up the gaming world and more. My only concern is how will the developers keep this game alive despite having similar features with Overwatch and what could they do to further increase its popularity with both Marvel fans and gamers alike.