Marvel Rivals Review - A Marvelous Hero Shooter

I have always been a Marvel fan from the moment I was introduced to Spider-Man. As I grew up, I got access to other Marvel characters through movies, comics, and games, and it's safe to say I had found a lifelong interest in this pop culture phenomenon. The first Marvel game I ever played was Marvel: Ultimate Alliance, and it stuck with me for so long that I never found the thrill of playing with my favourite characters ever again, until NetEase Games and Marvel Games announced their new hero shooter title, Marvel Rivals.

The concept of playing a hero shooter with my favourite Marvel characters intrigued me so much that I was waiting for the game to come out as soon as possible. I was lucky enough to play the closed beta of Marvel Rivals, and it instantly pulled me into its arcadey comic book-esque goodness. In simple words, I can only say that NetEase Games put their hearts into building something beautiful for countless fans worldwide.

While many people online have labelled the game as an Overwatch clone, I would beg to differ. Marvel Rivals is a fully fleshed-out hero shooter that utilises its strengths to build over the traditional hero shooter formula used by Overwatch. It manages to create a league of its own with unique gameplay moments and design. NetEase Games has truly tapped into the essence of a fun and evergreen multiplayer title that does not take itself too seriously.

Marvel Rivals 101

Let me begin by walking you through what Marvel Rivals is and how the game functions overall. Marvel Rivals is a new 6v6 third-person hero shooter from NetEase Games in collaboration with Disney's Marvel Games. It is a free-to-play title available across all current generation platforms. Built on Unreal Engine 5, the game launched with eight original maps based on iconic landmarks seen in Marvel movies and comics.

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Marvel Rivals

You will play three game modes across these eight maps on launch. The three game modes are Convoy, Convergence, and Domination. In Convoy, you'll escort a high-value target or cart throughout the map to the designated end point. On the other hand, in convergence, you'll need to secure a certain site on the map by standing inside it with your team. The Domination game mode will take you across three small maps, with the objective of capturing a site on each map. The first team to win two maps will win the game mode.

Gameplay

Marvel Rivals is a hero shooter where you'll either get swallowed up by Jeff or get boxed up by a laced-up Iron Fist who's out for blood. Jokes aside, Marvel Rivals has arguably one of the best gameplays out of all the multiplayer titles I have played this year.

As a beginner with thousands of hours put into different first-person shooters like Call of Duty, Valorant, and Battlefield, Marvel Rivals truly pulled me in with the third-person shooter perspective. Having a complete view of my character and surroundings lets me utilise my ability kit to its full potential. Once I got the hang of the gameplay mechanics, I was in for a fun ride.

The gameplay mechanics of Marvel Rivals are fairly simple and easy for any curious player to get the hang of; however, mastering the abilities of the heroes is a different gravy. While the gameplay is inviting and friendly, mastering and understanding how each hero works in the game is crucial for enjoying the game properly. As a hero shooter, the abilities of all characters are at the centre of the game's soul. If you end up understanding how to play Punisher, the most basic hero in Marvel Rivals, but at the same time you fail to understand how characters like Venom, Jeff the Land Shark, and Loki work, you will soon find yourself in a loop of frustration.

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Marvel Rivals

Although I had the expectation of getting into the game and finding server issues, I was honestly left in awe with how smooth the gameplay experience was overall. The game has great servers with almost no input delay, even on high pings. They have left a large selection of servers for NA, South Asia, Europe, and Oceania. One thing I had a problem with is the lack of an alternative server for South Asia and Europe. Hopefully, they'll consider adding new servers in future updates.

Overall, the gameplay aspect of Marvel Rivals has unparalleled potential. With each match giving you a unique experience, you will find yourself at the centre of once-in-a-lifetime gameplay moments like Jeff the Land Shark swallowing your whole team up and throwing you guys off the edge of the map to seeing the Hulk throwing Wolverine across the map for a fastball special. One of the most hilarious things I witnessed in Marvel Rivals was watching my Rocket the Racoon hanging off Groot while capturing the objective site; it was like reliving the Guardians of the Galaxy movies all over again.

Team-ups

Talking about the gameplay aspect brings me to the most fleshed-out and innovative aspect, Team-ups. Team-ups is a special feature that is activated when certain characters are played together. For instance, the Fastball Special is activated when Hulk and Wolverine are on at the same time. Once activated, Hulk can throw Wolverine in a trajectory for attacking or better positioning depending on what the game calls for.

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Marvel Rivals

The notable team-ups in the game include the Ammo Overload between Rocket Racoon, the Punisher, and the Winter Soldier, where once Rocket deploys his Ammo Overload Drive, both characters get infinite ammo and a faster fire rate. Another special mention goes to Symbiote Bond, where Peni Parker and Spider-Man get an explosive effect to their webs if they have a Venom in their team. The team-up abilities can quickly turn around a game if used properly. Moreover, this new feature also pushes for better teamwork and role choices where players might get encouraged to play certain roles like tanks and healers.

Damage is King

Aside from teamwork, winning in Marvel Rivals is simply decided by the team that manages to deal the most damage during a match. Even if the damage is done by two players out of six, you will feel the effect in the game. A good Punisher or Iron Fist may end up turning the match in their team's favour in an instant if the opposing team fails to counter their damage. On the contrary, if a tank like Venom or Peni Parker finds their footing in-game by negating and dealing damage at the same time, it's safe to say you will end up sweating your hands off to win the match. The game simply ends up in the court of the team that deals the most effective damage during the match, no matter which roles they pick.

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Marvel Rivals

Destructive Environment

Another gameplay feature that caught my attention was the destructible environment. It's uncommon for a hero shooter like Marvel Rivals to feature a destructive environment. While I am not a fan of this feature, I must admit the destructive environment of different maps adds a unique twist to the gameplay dimension. The destructibility of maps allows players to create different gameplay situations to turn the tide in their favour.

Everyone is Overpowered

Yes, you read it right, everyone is overpowered in Marvel Rivals. However, the catch is everyone is not overpowered at the same time if you know or understand how to counter certain things in-game. NetEase Games has managed to make every character function in an overpowered fashion on their hand while making them easily susceptible to damage. Unless and until you know how to survive multiple characters at once, you will end up dying if you decide to take the fight up to them as a lone wolf. During my play sessions, I rarely encountered players who were dominating my team with a singular character. However, I will state this on record: players who have mastered Iron First, Black Panther, Magik, Psylocke, Wanda, and Jeff the Land Shark are the hardest to deal with, as they will almost certainly pick out a team on their own if you end up not knowing the counters.

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Marvel Rivals

Conclusion

While fans of Marvel might say the pop culture giant has lived its glory days, I would like to say Marvel Rivals is just starting its run. If NetEase Games manages to properly take the feedback from the player base and keep the game fresh with content, Marvel Rivals has a bright future ahead. The most popular hero shooter, Overwatch, had its run-of-the-mill in its prime time; however, with time it withered out as Blizzard completely put aside player feedback while cutting out essential updates and gameplay changes, which only made the game stale for countless players.

NetEase Games has a tough job to do if they want to retain players in the long run. However, I can positively say that with the attention they have been giving to the labour of their love, Marvel Rivals is in safe hands. With Disney's major stake in the game through Marvel Games, Marvel Rivals will play a huge role in bringing back the hero shooter genre to life again.

As for player sentiment towards the game, Marvel Rivals launched alongside Fortnite OG, and it still managed to pull around half a million players at launch. Moreover, finding matches in Marvel Rivals is easier than cutting an apple; you just need to press on the matchmaking button, and you will get into a match in less than 20 seconds, which is a rare sight for multiplayer games these days.

So, if you are looking for a casual or competitive hero shooter to play alone or with your friends, I recommend diving into Marvel Rivals; you will easily end up putting a few hundred hours into the game once you get a hang of how the game and its characters work.