Posted by I have fond memories of playing Overwatch with one of my good friends. The hero shooter presented an enjoyable, arcadey experience that I could play for hours, regardless of if I was winning or losing. Then Blizzard released Brigitte and I stopped playing the game because of how imbalanced and unfun the game had become. I gave Overwatch 2 a shot when it released because it was free, but I quickly lost interest because it lacked substance. Micro-transactions were abundant and felt like the only way to get skins and cosmetics for other characters was to buy them. It felt like a worse version and a downgrade of its predecessor in every way. It felt dumbed down, some characters played differently (and often worse), and of course the micro-transactions all felt unobtainable for someone who didn’t want to spend money.
Marvel Rivals scratches the same itch that Overwatch originally did. It’s a fun, arcadey shooter that I can play for hours with friends. The game, while obviously not finished, feels like a complete product. What I mean by that is that there’s a strong initial roster, even if it does have more damage heroes than tanks and supports. The starting roster consists of 33 heroes with 8 maps. It’s a strong foundation that can be added on, but it still feels like a complete package as it is. From a gameplay perspective, I’ve heard complaints that it feels janky and not the most smooth at times, and while I agree that it can feel awkward, especially at first, the game still feels good to play, at least in my opinion.
So what’s good about the game? Characters have fleshed out kits and they all feel viable to play. Sure, some are going to be better and worse than others, but by and large there are very few that I’ve seen who are actively bad. Part of this is due to the mechanic of team-ups. When you have certain combinations of heroes on a team, such as Venom and Spider-Man, heroes can use special abilities. It opens up fun, interesting, and powerful combinations that make team building a lot more interesting than just choosing Character A because he counters Character B on the enemy team. As for the roster itself, it contains a mix of popular and recognizable characters and more obscure ones. For example, you can make your team with Captain America, Iron Man, Hulk, Thor, Wolverine, and Rocket Raccoon, but you can also make a team with Magick, Squirrel Girl, Peni Parker, Luna Snow, Iron Fist (specifically the new one), and Jeff the Land Shark. It’s very refreshing seeing newer or more obscure characters get recognition, and it makes me very excited to see who else gets added in over time.
Finally, the last thing I want to talk about the monetization in the game. Marvel Rivals is free-to-play, so it has plenty of micro-transactions. However, the micro-transactions feel obtainable, and affordable. For example, the current battle pass is only $5. There are a few different currencies that you use to progress the battle pass and purchase skins, but many of these currencies can be acquired by just playing the game and completing challenges. These challenges are also fairly easy to complete, such as getting 50 assists or dealing 15k damage with a specific hero from a list of four or five. All in all, Marvel Rivals respects your time.
Overall, Marvel Rivals is a lot of fun. I haven’t enjoyed playing multiplayer PvP games for their own sake in some time, but I genuinely enjoy playing Marvel Rivals. It scratches an itch that Overwatch started and has failed to scratch for a long time. And best of all, the game is free. There’s no real reason not to check it out if you can. This review is on the shorter end, but that’s because Marvel Rivals is a multiplayer game where the central appeal is the PvP, and the PvP is very solid and a ton of fun. I’ve only been playing the game for the three days it’s been available, but I’ve definitely been enjoying my time with it as I better learn the game and its intricacies.
Broad Scope Entertainment 