Marvel Rivals review: more than an Overwatch clone
Comment information
Reviewed platforms: PS5 Pro
Available for: PS5, Xbox Series X, Xbox Series S, PC
release date: December 6, 2024
Marvel Rivals Following its launch, it has landed a success that any live service game would be jealous of. Position yourself in the crowded free-to-play market, Marvel Rivals is a staggeringly complete package, with a whopping 33 heroes to choose from at launch. Developer NetEase Games narrowly avoids the danger of spreading too thin, somehow managing to deliver a fundamentally balanced, premium experience that’s more than just a simple game Overwatch clone.
To solve this problem, I don’t play Overwatch. I bet I probably spent a total of five hours over the years, most of them on Overwatch 2. For me, when the second person starts telling me the roles I should play, the tactics I have to focus on in online games, my eyes glaze over. With limited time to devote to live service games each night, I frankly don’t care what meta I need to run to beat my opponents. before loading Marvel Rivals Then again, I was already pretty sure it wouldn’t quite grab me.
The first night of play didn’t dispel that feeling; Marvel Rivals Certain visual styles can sometimes be very difficult to read. But on night two, something clicked, thanks in large part to the wide range of playable heroes in the game. The 33 heroes are divided into three classes: Vanguard, Expert and Duelist, each of which is completely different.
Any dissatisfaction I had with a particular hero was quickly resolved by trying other heroes. New characters and playstyles aren’t always popular, but after a while I had at least five top picks and they were absolutely exciting to play.
From page to play
Visually, marvel rival It looks extremely budget-friendly and very stylish. Somewhere between anime and comic books, the game’s design language does a good job of distinguishing each hero on the roster. Overall, everything from the MVP animations to the pregame loading screens feels confident. In the action, things don’t quite work out, although once the action starts, the characters do look great.
The problem, for me at least, is how busy the screen becomes once you have 10 characters, each with their own abilities and color schemes that conflict with each other. You do get used to it, but for a while it was really hard to know who was attacking me. Kill markers aren’t as punchy as they need to be, and the way abilities are marked on the screen can be difficult to parse in the heat of battle.
the best bit
Playing as Iron Fist is fun, but it does make you feel like a real scumbag. With his triple jump and wall-running abilities, he can easily sneak behind enemy lines and take out unsuspecting opponents. Impending harm? Don’t worry, just hit the parry and absorb it, then unleash a flurry of punches and kicks that will completely melt your enemy’s health bar.
Most likely, this is just a natural consequence of the game being played primarily in third-person and trying to do justice to each character while balancing the way all the different elements come together. exist PS5 Prothe performance is flawless, and the high degree of visual clarity does at least help make content clearer and more readable.
There are not many maps currently rotating Marvel Rivals The main modes, though each mode has enough features to stand out and make the matches feel different from each other. The map is littered with destructible objects, with towering stone pillars collapsing after being hit by stray Iron Man rockets and walkways collapsing under the weight of the incoming Venom Air Raid attack.
These objects do respawn over the course of a match, but their placement makes them an interesting tactical proposition, with plenty of possibilities for eliminating the enemy team’s cover.
hero shooter
marvel rival It starts off with an edge over other similar games due to the familiarity of its roster. Even the most casual gamers have some familiarity with heroes like Spider-Man, Wolverine, and Captain America, while heroes like Jeff the Land Shark also have some welcome surprises.
It helps that, for the most part, each hero functions the way you’d expect, although there are some neat subversions, such as Adam Warlock playing a healer focused on instant resurrection of team members being the exception. Of the 33 heroes I’ve tried so far, only a few are completely inaccessible, as I can almost instantly find fun with the other heroes, even if their playstyles may not suit me that well.
Some heroes specialize in managing character-specific meters and effects, while others are simpler, like the Punisher, whose moveset is designed around a more standard third-person shooter.
To keep things interesting, I think, to differentiate its heroes from mere clones. Overwatch figure, Marvel Rivals Really has a neat team system. A hero like Rocket can ride on a hero like Groot, boosting shields and damage output. Other teams are less direct, such as how Adam Warlock will bring Star-Lord and Mantis back to life through a rebirth mechanic after death.
As of now, not all heroes can team up with other heroes, and not every hero benefits from having others on the field. Venom is an example of this, although to compensate, he does get a huge max health boost thanks to ongoing seasonal bonuses. In the best cases, the team can sway the tide of battle. At their worst, they’re still interesting passive effects to consider when choosing a character.
So far this has encouraged me to try out champions that I wouldn’t otherwise do, and I’m curious to see how future champions will change future team abilities. That’s not to say that the team-up entirely distracts from the very obvious fact that a character like Black Widow is a direct copy Overwatch Heroes like Widowmaker, but it still has a long way to go Marvel Rivals More like a USP.
choose me
So why pick it up? Marvel Rivalsrather than a more mature series like this Overwatch? Well, to put it simply, Marvel Rivals Update, act more attractive, and take yourself less seriously than your peers. While some of the more niche corners of online gaming have been crying out for balance, nerfing characters like Hela, and increasing character queues, I think it’s hard to be overwhelmed by the attitude of the main audience.
many characters in Marvel Rivals Might be considered overpowered, and sometimes you join a team without a healer and then have your butt handed to you, but ultimately, it doesn’t kill the fun. As the game continues to evolve, I have no doubt that competitive modes will become more important, but for now, Marvel Rivals It’s just a great thing to pick up and play with. Whether you choose a “broken” character like Iron Fist, or a less meta-focused character like Wolverine, it’s possible to pull off some truly exciting drama.
There is an argument to be made Marvel Rivals There’s no need to launch as many heroes, and 20 would make for a better balanced product, but it’s hard to argue that the current scrappy but exciting state of the game isn’t where it should be. However, there are definitely some issues with match balance, with some maps feeling unfairly weighted depending on which side your team starts from.
Likewise, some maps have choke points right from the first spawn point, resulting in the feeling of being thrown into a meat grinder from the moment the match begins. None of these issues are deal breakers, this is Season 0 after all, so hopefully the first proper balance patch will help iron out some of the rougher edges present in the release version.
clearly, Marvel Rivals It’s resonating with players, given its growing player base and dominance on social media following its release. For me, there’s enough room Marvel Rivals Hopefully it will grow as more modes, maps, and heroes are added, but for a free-to-play game launching during such a difficult time for live service gaming, it’s certainly a rocky arrival.
Should I play Marvel Rivals?
Play it if…
Don’t play it if…
Accessibility
Marvel Rivals There is a fairly standard set of accessibility options, although they are limited compared to other online shooters.
There’s a color blind mode, as well as the option to assign custom colors to elements like allies, shield HP bars, and other parts of the in-game UI.
Control-wise, there are very few accessibility options aside from button mapping and the ability to assign a specific control scheme to a selected hero.
How I rate Marvel Rivals
I play Marvel Rivals Lasts 25 hours on PS5 Pro.
During that time, I played at least three games on each hero, but mostly focused on Captain America, Iron Fist, Mantis, Venom, and the Punisher. As far as patterns go, there’s not a lot of variety, so I tried them all. I purchased the Season 0 battle pass and completed it while completing the daily, weekly, and seasonal challenges.
I play games on a 4K LG TV. I used a standard DualSense Wireless Controllerconnect the Razer Blackshark V2 headset via the controller port.
The first review will be in December 2024.
