Is Supervive Better Than Deadlock?

Despite both falling in the same main genre, Supervive and Deadlock are two video games that take completely different approaches to the MOBA landscape, with the former embracing its League of Legends inspiration and the latter feeling like yet another spin on the Overwatch formula. The relatively smaller studio, Theorycraft Games, launched its battle royale title through Early Access in November 2024, whereas Valve, after months of secrecy around its third-person shooter game, has finally allowed players to check it out and give their feedback on potential improvements.

If you’re trying to decide which of the two games you should check out, there are various factors to consider, as both titles come with their own set of strengths and weaknesses.

Access

Supervive

While choosing between two video games, the very first question that you have to ask yourself is: can you conveniently just jump in and not worry about any prerequisites that you might have to meet to start a match? Unfortunately, it is not really that simple with Deadlock, as due to its limited access, you can’t even play it if you do not have someone on the inside, requiring them to send you an invite before you can begin your journey with the third-person shooter title.

On the other hand, you do not have to go through anything like that with Supervive, as the game is free-to-play and can be downloaded from Steam without any additional hassle.

Characters

Deadlock

You would think that a game like Deadlock, which is still in its early stages and far from being completed, would not really have an expansive roster just yet, but surprisingly, there are 29 different heroes that you can play around with in the title’s current build. In comparison, although Supervive’s Hunter roster is quite vibrant, it is limited to 16 characters for now, and even then, the lore surrounding them is not developed too deeply.

The variations in the characters’ designs, backgrounds, and abilities are much more apparent in Deadlock, and with room for even more additions in future builds of the game, Valve has the clear edge in this regard.

Gameplay

Supervive

While, on a surface level, it may not seem like Supervive does anything out-of-the-box with its gameplay loop, its League of Legends characteristics prove quite effective when the matches actually begin. It is much more layered than one might expect it to be, with plenty of ways in which a battle can be tackled through team synergies, numerous types of Equipment and Items, and a bigger focus on applying the right strategy with your squad.

Sadly, the third-person hero shooter genre has gotten a little too saturated with tons of options available, making it harder for Deadlock to carve its own identity in an overcrowded space, as it feels like a straightforward Fortnite or Marvel Rivals clone.

Visuals

Deadlock

Despite being far from its full visual potential, Deadlock looks gorgeous and worthy of a modern battle royale title, as the game puts you in its version of New York City with highly detailed environments. That is not to say that Supervive holds anything back when it comes to its own visuals, but as colorful as they are, their stylization could throw many players off.

Visual aspects like lighting, shadows, and graphical style give Deadlock a more realistic and grounded feel, and it will be interesting to see how the buildings around The Cursed Apple evolve in the future.

Map

Supervive

Having a map that looks stunning is fine, but it loses its charm very quickly when there is not much going on in the environments that you will be spending a lot of time in. That is where Supervive excels, as, although it also only has one Battle Royale map, it is quite dynamic thanks to the various Biomes and Regions it is divided into, with each accompanied by unique elements to prevent it from getting monotonous.

The Day/Night cycle that Supervive follows also keeps things interesting, as the Time of Day changes within minutes and has the ability to turn the tide of any battle, bringing new challenges or supplies as the match progresses. Combine all of that with the four islands in Arena mode, and Supervive wins by a landslide.

Pacing

Supervive

Perhaps one of Supervive’s greatest strengths is the average match length that it aims for, leaving behind the unnecessarily long matches that League of Legends and Dota are usually known for. That stops the battles from becoming boring, as each match can last roughly up to 20 minutes, so the immersion stays consistent, the momentum never slows down, and you do not have to sacrifice too much of your time to hop in and out of the game.

The matches in Deadlock, however, can take more than half an hour to reach their conclusion, which may be a deal-breaker considering that there is a lot of downtime where not much action is going down.

Modes

Supervive

Deadlock currently only has a 6v6 option that requires you and your team to get into enemy territory and destroy or kill the objectives, whereas Supervive takes things up a notch and offers multiple gameplay modes. If you like to play as part of a bigger squad, you can opt for the 4v4 Squads mode, but if you just want to pair up with a friend and devour other two-person teams, you can check the Duos mode out.

Additionally, there is also an Arena mode that pits two teams of four against each other, and with short round durations, it keeps the excitement levels up as you try to secure the Basecamps within the given time.

Winner

Supervive

At the end of the day, a game is only as good as the amount of enjoyment it possesses, and Supervive is easily one of the most fun additions to the MOBA genre in a long while. It gets a lot of things right, and there is clearly plenty of room to grow, as it takes the best of what makes titles like League of Legends so thrilling but abandons the elements that could hinder your happiness while gaming.

Deadlock has potential, but it currently does not have much on offer for you to dedicate hours to it just yet, making Supervive the winner between the two in their present states.