Since Overwatch helped popularize hero shooters in 2016, a swarm of imitators have tried to recapture its appeal by following a similar formula with different characters and maps. Marvel Rivals is the latest free-to-play game to appear on the market, and it seems like it has enough momentum to make an impact.
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In a world of hero shooters, you can choose Marvel Rivals or Overwatch. But which one is better to play?
Each match in Marvel Rivals pits two teams of six players against each other in a variety of competitive modes, like Domination and Convoy. Marvel Rivals has everything you would expect from a modern hero shooter, but if you’re still on the fence about downloading it, we’ll help you figure out whether it’s worth your time or not.
Review
While TheGamer doesn’t have an official review for Marvel Rivals, we will tell you everything you need to know about the quality of the game here.
I’d be lying if I said I wasn’t overwhelmed when I first hopped into Marvel Rivals. The massive starting roster of heroes and villains consists of 33 iconic characters to choose from, each with their own unique powers and abilities to learn. The third-person perspective took some time to get used to, but once I spent a couple of hours in the practice range and things started to click, I suddenly had a feeling this game was something special.
It would seem I’m not the only person who felt that way, either. During its launch weekend, roughly ten million players assembled to give the game a chance, and it seems to have won most people over. While other hero shooters have come and gone in the blink of an eye (RIP Concord), Marvel Rivals seems like it has what it takes to stay in the zeitgeist for the next couple of years.
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Each hero can fall under one of three roles: Vanguard, Duelist, and Strategist. Vanguards are tanks with tons of health that can soak up damage and act as shields for their teammates. Duelists make up the majority of the roster with 18 characters at launch and are your typical “point-and-shoot” option that focuses on dealing damage to the opposing team. Strategists are your healers, a necessary role that provides support and keeps your team alive during tense battles.
For beginners, it’s a good idea to figure out what kind of role best fits your playstyle so that you can focus on a few individual characters, rather than trying to learn everyone’s abilities at once. Ideally, there should be at least one character in all three roles that you feel comfortable with, giving you the flexibility to fill in the holes in your team if needed.
Once I felt good enough about my Rocket Raccoon skills in the AI matches to enter a round against other people, I was immediately impressed with how quickly I was able to find a match and how smooth the whole experience felt. Most multiplayer games struggle to keep their servers from crashing during launch, but I’ve encountered zero problems so far after spending roughly ten hours with Marvel Rivals.
I’ve been playing on PS5, but there are some bugs and known issues with the game across all platforms. Maybe you’ll get lucky and avoid them like me, but don’t be surprised if you get booted from a match or notice something strange.
I also want to applaud the visual style, which uses a combination of cell-shading and anime-influenced character designs to create a colorful world that feels like it was ripped out of the pages of a comic book. This aesthetic really helps Marvel Rivals distinguish itself from the competition and form its own identity in an oversaturated genre.
Marvel Rivals is a lot of fun and looks great, but some areas could be improved. I was a bit disappointed by how little I could interact with my teammates before and during matches, something I would do frequently in Overwatch with an abundance of sprays, voice lines, and emotes. While sprays and emotes are present here, it is incredibly limited to start.
While Marvel Rivals looks and feels different from its competitors, I wish it pushed the genre forward with fresh ideas instead of using the same tired modes found in other hero shooters.
After a few days with Marvel Rivals, there is more to praise than there is to complain about. The game will continue to grow with new content, and I think the developers can iron out small issues with a bit of time and community support.
Time Expenditure
Marvel Rivals is a free-to-play multiplayer game without any single-player content, so the amount of time you spend with it really depends on how much you want to get out of the experience. Casual players might put a dozen hours or so into it before moving on to something else, while other people may put in as much time as necessary to unlock everything in the battle pass before deciding to hop back into more matches just because it’s fun.
One of the new things Marvel Rivals brings to the table is its approach to battle passes. Once you purchase one, you’ll have as long as you need to unlock everything within it. Removing unnecessary timers and expiration dates in these types of games makes it much easier to approach them at your own pace instead of staying up all night to unlock everything before they’re gone.
Cost
The price of admission for Marvel Rivals is the best kind – free! You can hop in and start playing without spending a dime, though you can spend money to access one of its in-game currencies if you want to.
|
Add-Ons |
Cost |
|---|---|
|
100 Lattice |
$0.99 |
|
500 Lattice |
$4.99 |
|
1000 Lattice |
$9.99 |
|
2180 Lattice |
$19.99 |
|
5680 Lattice |
$49.99 |
|
11680 Lattice |
$99.99 |
While you can’t use Lattice to purchase anything in the game, you can exchange it for other currencies, Units and Chrono Tokens, at a one to one rate. You can use Units to purchase items at the store, and Chrono Tokens are used to redeem battle pass rewards.
What Players Are Saying
An Absolute Joy – Drew Ferguson
As someone who grew up and continues to spend an incredible amount of time with these characters in every medium, from comics to on-screen and in games, they feel as true to themselves here as in the source material.
But, the most important thing for a game like this is the gameplay. How does it feel? Smooth. Consistent. Everything feels thought out, and above all, fun. There are so many different characters to learn, characters that play meaningfully different from each other, that it’s a game I’m going to be playing for a long time to come.
Goodbye Overwatch, Hello Marvel Rivals – Mohamed El Ouardighi
Let me start by saying this—I love Overwatch. I’ve been playing it since release day and have countless great memories tied to the game. However, it’s time for some competition, and Marvel Rivals brings exactly that. It’s fresh, it’s fun, and it’s genuinely great, with a huge roster of characters right from launch day, though it could definitely benefit from more maps.
It also has the potential for long-term success, though that will largely depend on the developers and their ongoing support. I sincerely hope they deliver because we’ve all seen “too many promising games” fade away too quickly, and I wouldn’t want that fate for Marvel Rivals.
Whether you agree or not, I’ll be diving into Marvel Rivals for the next few months, with occasional visits back to Overwatch to catch up with old friends. Just give it a shot and stop being so stubborn; worst-case scenario, you don’t like it and end up uninstalling it—no harm done.
Want To Punch Spider-Man? Marvel Rivals Makes It Possible (For Free!) – Ally Cochran
Play Marvel Rivals. It’s great. It’s chaotic. It’s everything you want in a hero brawler. Consider it your new favorite way to throw hands with Spider-Man, and hey, it’s free, so what are you waiting for? Unless, of course, you’re planning to swipe Scarlet Witch from me. In that case, maybe don’t.
- Released
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December 6, 2024
- Developer(s)
-
NetEase Games
- Publisher(s)
-
NetEase Games
- Engine
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Unreal Engine 5
- ESRB
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T For Teen // Violence