Marvel Rivals
Released: December 6th, 2024
Developer: NetEase Games, Marvel Entertainment
Publisher: NetEase Games
Systems: PC, PS5 (reviewed), Xbox X/S
I’ve played several of Marvel’s freemium offerings before, and every single one has been an utterly disgusting case of false pretenses. To say Marvel Rivals is better than I expected is to say fairly little given the track record, but hey, Marvel Rivals is better than I expected.
In all fairness, it’s pretty good. The general idea couldn’t be more obvious - take a straightforward Hero Shooter, cram a bunch of Marvel characters into it - but it offers some solid action and a bunch of viable choices when it comes to playable roles.
Whatever the narrative conceit is, I couldn’t tell you because I couldn’t care. Amongst the inane pre-match banter I heard something about two Doctor Dooms and something something reality’s in trouble something. It’s not like there’s a story mode, it’s all just a fluffy excuse to have Spider-Man beat up Spider-Man.
The selection of characters is eclectic, a mix of the mainstream and the less celebrated. Such icons as Thor, Venom, and Magneto are joined by Jeff the Landshark, Cloak & Dagger, and Magik. I know half the Internet currently despises Jeff right now, but personally I can’t stay mad at the little bastard no matter how many times his Ultimate has trolled me to hell.
Characters are split between a selection of familiar roles - you’ve got your damage dealers, your tanks, your support types, nothing too out of the ordinary. Whatever the choice, you’ll have basic attacks, a number of cooldown abilities, and an Ultimate that charges over the course of a match. The Hero Shooter set menu, though the heroes and villains offer some pretty cool mechanics on an individual level.
Quite a few melee-oriented fighters are among the roster, but each one plays quite differently. While Captain America is charging headlong into enemies with his shield up, Venom is swinging behind enemy lines swiftly before tanking it up with health buffs. Not that I can speak with much authority on melee fighters, since I bloody suck with them.
Support has always been my bag, and with Concord being the last Hero Shooter I suffered, it’s nice to see offerings which aren’t bags of flaky vaginal scrapings. I’ve gravitated toward Mantis, who can spend charges to give her allies damage boosts or hit them with a quick heal, regaining a charge when her basic attack scores a critical hit. She can also send people to sleep, which is great for dealing with Iron Fist, because fuck Iron Fist.
One thing that really struck me about Mantis was how, upon buffing an ally, her reticule would register their hits as if she landed them herself. While she obviously only gets an assist credit on kill, the audiovisual inclusion is a wonderful touch that gives support a satisfying sense of positive feedback. You don’t get that often, and it’s appreciated.
Then there’s Jeff.
His suite of powers has been contentious enough that I’ve seen many open death fantasies about him. He produces a continuous heal spray on top of powerful health pickups, strong melee and ranged attacks, an eternal sprint that shrinks his hitbox and grants regen, and an Ultimate that allows him to swallow an entire team and drag them anywhere, including over the edge of the map for mutual death. I feel guilty when I use him… but also it’s hilarious.
Here’s the thing though - Marvel Rivals is full of characters that absolutely irritate the piss out of me, and I actually sort of like that because I’m boiling piss in return. This is comic book shit, it makes sense that everyone is super strong, and there’s a unique sort of balance in everyone being annoyingly overpowered. Well, almost everyone.
Personally? I hate Iron Fist. Fuck Iron Fist. I’ve no love for the likes of Star Lord either, flying around with his shitbugger guns popping off everywhere, and Scarlet Witch’s instakill Ultimate can get in the sea.
When I streamed the game there was no shortage of viewers naming their own particular hate magnets. I really am okay with that - so long as there are plenty of ways to be a complete dick while I get completely dicked, I say let the dicks run amok!
As I say though, it’s almost everyone.
There are a few fighters I’ve noticed almost nobody uses. Black Widow seems to be somewhat redundant with Hawkeye around, which is ironic, given Hawkeye’s usual handicap of being Hawkeye in other media. I’ve only occasionally run into Squirrel Girl, possibly because her moves are so weird, and Black Panther doesn’t appear much, possibly as a result of simply not standing out among so many other close combat fighters.
Experiences may vary here, but the dearth of sightings with these examples has been stark - though I see Stark pop up regularly.
As far as game modes go, they’re nothing to write far from home about. Capturing territory and escorting a slow thing, another case of bog standard stuff. It feels like mode variety is one of those things that have boiled down over the years. It sort of makes sense, since online audiences have historically gravitated to one or two per game.
When all you’re doing in any given fight is your job, I suppose the specifics of victory don’t matter.
Basic combat is a pleasant time - attacks feel like they pack a wallop and a ton of special abilities are fun to use effectively. There’s a healthy mix of user-friendly combatants and trickier alternatives, and if you’re ever in doubt about your skills you can always pick The Punisher - between his assault rifle and his turret, he’s got you.
One important thing to be aware of is how dreadful the default target reticule is.
It’s a circle with a dot in the center, and only the dot is relevant. Until I figured it out, I couldn’t understand the weird dissonance between what I perceived as within my sights and what I wasn’t hitting. I’ve not played a shooter that felt so inaccurate before, but luckily there are other settings. Once I switched to a crosshair, the distance completely evaporated.
Baffling decision to open with the most misleading accuracy aid I’ve perhaps ever seen.
There’s a modest selection of maps, and they’re neither terrible nor impressive. They hit the Goldilocks standard when it comes to size, being just right for a game like this - not too small and cramped, but not so sprawling that a respawn equals slogging back into battle.
Pretty much everything can be summed as “yeah, quite good really.” Aside from the microtransactions, of course, which are never good in any game ever, but they’re admittedly on the less offensive end of the scale here. For starters, every character is available from the outset, which is honestly refreshing to see with monstrosities like Star Wars Hunters on the market.
Two of the most vicious aspects of in-game economies aren’t present here - there’s no glorified gambling, nor is the Obligatory Battle Pass on a sickeningly manipulative time limit. It is the case that Battle Passes, being seasonal things, will only be available for a limited time, so if you’re particularly susceptible to FOMO, you’ll want to be careful.
Otherwise, Rivals keeps it relatively tepid via an unremarkable store full of cosmetics, all bought with a currency that’s technically earned during play but drip fed so unreasonably as to not count. On a personal note - and this isn’t a justification - I’ve found myself far too unexcited by any of the premium outfits to feel a finger on the trigger of my impulsive spending. Not that the game gets credit for mediocre items.
You can only be so laudable when you’re selling currency in bundles costing up to $99.99. In fact, you can’t be laudable at all, especially when future updates can always make things worse. Currently though, it’s the closest to “acceptable” as any similar game gets, if that means anything to you.
While we’re on cosmetic subjects, I’d be remiss not to talk about how bold Marvel Rivals’ art direction is. Every character is not just colorful, but exceedingly exaggerated. The word “chunky” leaps out of my vocabulary when I think about the designs - heaps of muscle, thick black outlines, and chest widths that would make Rob Liefeld cream his jeans.
Some designs are potentially “out there” if you’re predominantly used to the classic portrayals of Marvel’s cast. Magneto’s out here looking like Triple H by way of Santa, Natasha Romanova’s got a ski slope for a hairdo, and a few heroes have traded in their spandex suits for a more armored look. Maybe this is all from some comic series or other, I’m too cool - like the head cheerleader I am - to know, but it’s not the usual look.
I quite like the style, all told. As well as being vibrant and more creative than normal comic-based games, I genuinely like the majority of designs. Plus they had to get utterly ridiculous with The Incredible Hulk to keep him bigger than everything else. He’s like those cows they modify to be all swollen and fucked up.
Unfortunately, the noises they make is a whole other matter. A large portion of the cast is annoying as hell and repetitive with it. Characters have a tiny number of voice lines that repeat incessantly with every ability. Same goes for the match announcer, and I don’t care to know what Marvel personality she’s intended to be, I just know that her rotation of smug little quips get on my frigging nerves.
Scarlet Witch is the one that really bugs me. Something about her yelling “PYOOOOR! KAYOOOOOS!” whenever her Ultimate triggers sets something off in my amygdala. It’s both exceedingly loud and weirdly simpering, though I must allow for the possibility that my opinion’s tinged by how often her Ultimate screwed me over when I first started the game.
Then again, I despise Mantis’ lines just as much, and she’s my main. Familiarity absolutely breeds contempt when it comes to this roster.
Not with Jeff though. I’ll listen to Jeff making adorable noises as often as he likes. Jeff is above reproach. Not like Iron Fist. Fuck Iron Fist.
Marvel Rivals is a good time. Its large cast of characters has something for almost everyone, and they play quite differently outside of a few redundancies. Despite this, gameplay is fundamentally standardized, and things become routine once you’ve found your main picks. It’s not a game I can see myself sticking with for a very long time, but that doesn’t mean it’s not worth a go - indeed, for a way to spend a few hours at a time, it’s a fine enough choice.
Fuck Iron Fist.
7/10
