There’s no shortage of online team-based shooters in the realm of video games. That’s why any new games in the genre need to either do something unique or be especially great. The latest hero shooter to give it a go is the quickly-popular Marvel Rivals. Let’s take a look at this chaotic comic book competition to see if it’s earned the level of hype it has, or if that’s all due to the Marvel IP.

Note: This is based on the PS5 version.

The Good

Marvel Rivals launched with a LOT of characters. The starting number of playable heroes and villains in the game is much larger than anything else in the genre at a whopping 33. On top of that, each and every one of them plays uniquely. There’s a character and a play style for any type of gamer here, and more are on the way. There are so many different characters and abilities that switching them up after each match can keep the game feeling relatively fresh.

The gameplay itself feels fantastic. Controlling each character, regardless of how different they feel, is a lot of fun. The controls are fluid and relatively easy to pick up. The gameplay loop is addicting, and it truly forces players to play as a team and use strategy rather than running in solo, guns blazing. There’s even bonus moves and abilities given depending on which characters team up, adding to the benefit of working as a team. Each match is also filled with tons of suspense, as trying to capture an objective as the timer ticks down can make anyone’s heart race.

It’s also worth noting that it performs surprisingly well for a brand new online game. It’s expected that most ongoing, online games will launch with some glitches or performance issues, but it looks as though those issues are minimal. I haven’t come across any lag or crashes playing the PS5 version yet.

Getting into a match is a cinch. The matchmaking time is rather quick, and even the respawn time isn’t very long either. Time spent waiting, whether it be to respawn or to get into the next match, is minimal. The “One More Match” option after each game is an absolute dream. There’s no need to be sent back to the main menu if you want to just keep playing. 

The game looks gorgeous as well. The visual aesthetic is simply awesome. Each design is a unique take on a beloved character, but their looks and costumes are incredible. The environments also look beautiful. It’s like the Marvel comics come to life. Everything is enjoyable to look at.

There are already really cool cosmetics to unlock, earn, or purchase in the game. There are plenty of skins, nameplates, and the like that are worth working toward, which is always nice to see in an ongoing online game. In addition to what cosmetics can be earned, there’s plenty of time to earn them. The battle pass will stick around for future seasons so that players can earn whatever in-game rewards they want and don’t have to worry about missing them. It’s genuinely nice to see developers care about their player-base’s time without forcing them to stress about playing.

The Bad

Marvel Rivals offers a chaotic good time. That being said, it’s perhaps a little too chaotic at times. It can feel like sensory overload with 12 players jumping and flying around the screen at a single time flashing a large variety of attacks and abilities. It’s not so bad after getting used to it, but it might be overwhelming for some people and even potentially scare them away from playing it.

There could definitely be some character rebalancing. Every character feels viable for their respective roles, but there are a few who are noticeably stronger than the rest of the roster. Jeff the Land Shark can throw an entire opposing team off of a ledge with ease, and Iron Fist is able to wipe out any foe he goes toe-to-toe with. There are a few others that end up being used a lot because of how much stronger they clearly are than others. That being said, it’s an online game that just came out, things will be rebalanced over time where the developers see necessary.

If someone is unfamiliar with third-person hero shooters, this game will have a high learning curve for them. On one hand, having so many characters is great. On the other, it means there’s a lot more to learn. Not only does it take a lot of time to figure out how a character should be played, but it’s knowing what your opponents and teammates’ characters bring to the table as well. Then there’s the whole meta and various strategies to learn, as well as the maps. It can all be a bit daunting for a newcomer to learn, though the payoff of taking the time to learn everything is worth it.

The action may be fast-paced, but the base movement for most of the characters is way too slow for the size of the maps. It takes far too long to get back into the fray after respawning. Sure, it makes characters with any sort of boost to their movement feel special, but everyone else is forced to suffer the long walk back after being KOed or just trying to maneuver around the map.

Despite there being a lot of characters, there’s weirdly only about 3 or 4 maps. Playing on them will get old quickly. Thankfully, more maps being added over time is a safe thing to assume.

Conclusion

Marvel Rivals is an especially fun and well-polished addition to the lineup of online hero shooters. It’s shocking how great of an initial launch it’s had for a new game. There are tons of characters who all feel unique and play well. It’s an entertaining and addicting experience whether you’re a fan of Marvel or not. Sure, it has some hiccups here and there, but those can easily be fixed with patches, and some issues are to be expected upon release. In the meantime, it’s still especially fantastic, and is worth checking out for gamers of all kinds.

Rating: 8.5/10

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