Marvel Rivals on PC
On paper, Marvel Rivals has everything to be a sure-fire hit. A six-versus-six hero shooter in the vein of Overwatch with the exponentially popular characters of the Marvel universe that’s also entirely free to play. It’s an idea that makes you wonder why this hasn’t been done yet. Perhaps more surprising is that NetEase Games have delivered on this premise and then some – making for a moreish multiplayer experience that’s set up for long-term success.
The main story in the game sees Doctor Doom and his heroic 2099 counterpart have a fateful clash; a timestream entanglement leads to the creation of new worlds and heroes and villains from all over the multiverse fighting one another to defeat both Doom variants before one claims victory over the new worlds. It’s a simple and straightforward setup that provides some nice set-dressing but mainly functions as an excuse to pull characters from all over the Marvel canon into conflict with one another.
That isn’t to say that Marvel Rivals is wafer-thin when it comes to the rest of its narrative elements. This game is chock full of references to other Marvel characters, locations, and lore. There are some real deep cuts here – not just in characters but also in cosmetics, voice lines, biographies, and more. Each season also seems to have a small exploration of the conflict around the core setup for Marvel Rivals, which adds a sense of authenticity and individuality to the package.
Where Marvel Rivals truly delivers is in its carefully designed gameplay loop. The launch pains of other hero shooters like Overwatch are almost entirely absent here. Every character feels viable, each role is fun to play, and there’s an incredibly wide range of kits on offer here. Most characters are easy to pick up and play, but most have deeper wrinkles in their gameplay loops and ability interactions that pull you into deeper and more considered play. Certain characters like Spider-Man, Black Panther, and Iron Fist have skill ceilings that initially seem daunting but allow for player expression in a way few hero shooters do.
This roster has something for everyone. From crowd favourites like Iron Man and Wolverine to lesser-known characters like Jeff the Land Shark and Luna Snow – there’s a wide range of power fantasies to play around with here. Most of these character kits do feel a little derivative, though. Very few of them bring new ideas into the realm of hero shooters. Instead of reinventing the wheel, Marvel Rivals combines different hero archetypes and abilities in other hero shooters. It differentiates itself enough overall, but the truly new hero kits and unique designs will have you wish that NetEase Games had invested more in these novel concepts and ideas.
Where Marvel Rivals is most inventive is in its Team Up system. In true Marvel fashion, picking certain hero combinations will unlock new passive and active abilities for the related characters. From pairing Spider-Man, Venom, and Peni Parker to assembling the Guardians of the Galaxy, there’s a genuine incentive to build around comic-accurate teams and pairings. These abilities aren’t insignificant either. Combining the Guardians with Adam Warlock will give them a mid-battle resurrection in the form of a cocoon, for example. It’s a thematically fitting idea for this kind of game, and I suspect it will play a pivotal role in competitive play going forward.
Unsurprisingly, Marvel Rivals is at its best when playing with friends or teammates you can communicate with. Coordinating to create effective team compositions and strategies is so satisfying – especially in ranked. The inverse is also true, though. Solo play can sometimes feel helpless, as it does in Overwatch. It’s part of the cost of having so much emphasis on team play and cooperation. It’s absolutely possible to solo carry games, but the whole experience is much more enjoyable when you have teammates you can count on.
Maps are another area in which NetEase Games has made ample use of the Marvel IP to a remarkable effect. The premise has allowed them to explore so many different environments as the stages for these battles. From the afro-futurism of Wakanda to the alien surfaces of Klyntar, there’s a healthy amount of variety on display here. Better yet, each game mode has its own variations of these maps. One really neat aspect is that certain parts of these arenas can be destroyed, inevitably evolving the battlefield as a match progresses. These structures will regenerate after a set amount of time, but they lend a dynamism to combat and positioning that keeps things feeling fresh.
One thing that feels a bit of an afterthought is the aforementioned game modes. At present, there are only three core modes. A payload push, king of the hill, and an attack/defend the point mode. The modes themselves aren’t bad per se; it’s more that we’ve seen them all plenty of times before. It’d be nice to have something entirely unique to Marvel Rivals come at launch, but we can only hope there’s more to come in the future.
Speaking of which, there’s a promising amount of support and content in the pipeline for the game. Free-to-play games always dance a fine line between being profitable and maintaining player appeal, and so far, I feel like Marvel Rivals has struck a pretty good balance. All microtransactions are purely cosmetic; the season pass feels less predatory, given it won’t go away after this season wraps, and there’s a healthy flow of challenges to earn in-game currencies. It also helps that this is an incredibly well-presented experience, with slick production values and a discerning attention to detail.
NetEase Games has just put so much love and time into bringing their versions of these characters to life. Every single design feels so inspired, from Moon Knight’s armoured suit to Psylocke’s kunoichi inspirations. It feels like new ground is being broken with visual aesthetics we haven’t seen with these characters before. The user interface is similarly excellent, littered with loads of little flourishes and touches that go the extra step to elevate the whole experience. It makes Marvel Rivals feel like a complete and well-rounded package – which often isn’t the case for many live service titles at launch.
I was sceptical of Marvel Rivals when it was first revealed. I’m pleased to report that not only is this a fantastic Marvel game, but also a promising start to what should hopefully be a long and fruitful live service endeavour for NetEase Games. It isn’t often a game like this captures my attention so overwhelmingly, and if its future offerings continue on the trajectory that’s been set with launch, I suspect this new hero shooter on the block will be in my rotation of regular games for quite some time.
Marvel Rivals is now available on PC, PS5, and Xbox Series X|S.
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Summary
Where so many other live service offerings fall flat, Marvel Rivals has hit the ground running and shows no signs of slowing down.
