Marvel Rivalsis a pretty shamelessOverwatchclone from NetEase, but considering its very successful launch and the bright future that awaits it, I don’t think such a comparison really matters.Rivals has already eclipsed Overwatch 2’s player countand is showing that it has all the ingredients needed to become a big player in the live service hero shooter arena.
It feels fun to play while iterating upon existing modes, launched with an exhaustive roster of heroes that each have their own defined roles, and seems to understand the correct push and pull we want to see from progression in a free-to-play title. It will have its teething issues, as the community is already pointing out that certain characters are woefully overpowered, and I wouldn’t be surprised to see its seasonal events and battle passes evolve with time, too.
Marvel Rivals Looks So Good That It’s Basically Showing Off
But the most striking thing about Marvel Rivals is its aesthetic. It looks incredible, putting the majority of other games in the genre to shame with its massive roster of characters and fresh designs that reflect decades of film and comic history while simultaneously delivering all-new interpretations of legendary heroes and villains.
It’s hard not to be drawn to your favourites right away, with my hands immediately taking me to Squirrel Girl, Jeff The Shark, Peni Parker, Mantis, and Luna Snow. I will get around to playing as characters who aren’t all girls/sharks, eventually I promise. But they all lookso good.Not just in gameplay either.
Like most freemium shooters, a lot of the especially gorgeous skins will cost you a pretty penny. The battle passischeaper than games like Fortnite and Overwatch, though.
Obviously, in the throes of a match, you can use a variety of different abilities, each with its own graphical flair, while each hero moves, speaks, and attacks differently to any other. My personal favourite mode of movement is Luna Snow’s badass ice skating, which combines the abilities of a graceful dancer with a successful pop star.
Squirrel Girl can bounce on her tail as a bunch of adorable speech bubbles help convey what she’s saying, while Jeff is just a cute little shark that can swim beneath the surface and trap enemies in a deadly whirlpool. Every hero moves and plays with such grace, to the point where a game that previously broke new ground like Overwatch feels archaic by comparison.
Everywhere you look in Marvel Rivals, its style is flaunted. The hero selection screen is a celebration of illustration and animation. Hover over a portrait of any character, and they will come to life, while selecting them will kickstart a variety of distinct animation work, whether it be a bespoke highlight intro or simply gorgeous emotes that help bring them to life. So much effort has gone into this, and it seems NetEase was given relative freedom to bring Marvel to life, regardless of the connections it has with existing media.
This can also be seen in a bunch of premium skins that are pulled directly from films like Spider-Man: No Way Home, Deadpool & Wolverine, or Black Widow. Many of these bundles have unique animations, emotes, or something that justifies their existence beyond just looking really nice.
The Style Of Marvel Rivals Isn’t Just For Show
Many games will have certain elements that look great, while other parts suffer, but in Marvel Rivals it feels like everything is firing on all cylinders. Even switching between tabs across the user interface will greet you with custom effects and sound cues, while most of the maps I’ve played so far are interactive in their destruction and gimmicks. It feels like so much thought went into how all the visual elements of this game blend together, and how those could be used to create a comic book game that right now has few equals.
Oddly enough, its closest companion right now isMarvel Snap, which is also experimental in the ways it depicts its comic book universe and breaks new ground with each season while still collaborating with the latest and greatest MCU offerings. I’m curious to find out how NetEase plans to evolve Marvel Rivals in the months and years to come, as it will need to try and keep things fresh as this initially stunning presentation becomes commonplace. I want it to consistently surprise me with new skins, maps, heroes, and ideas, which is a pretty big ask now its starting roster is so stacked. Whatever happens, this game is just getting started.
