Rating: 8/10
**This review is based on the PlayStation 5 version of the game.**
There’s a good chance gamers are familiar with the “hero-shooter” genre since Blizzard Entertainment released “Overwatch” in 2016, now known as “Overwatch 2.” Since then, “Overwatch” has reigned over this genre, but a new challenger has arrived looking to take the throne.
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“Marvel Rivals” is Marvel’s newest foray into the video game industry, created in collaboration with Chinese developer NetEase Games. Players fight in six-on-six battles with 33 Marvel heroes.
Although the game is another hero shooter in a fairly saturated market, “Marvel Rivals” stands out for two main reasons: its focus on gameplay rather than revenue and its love for the source material.
The game follows a somewhat standard “free-to-play model” where it does not cost anything to enjoy the core gameplay of “Marvel Rivals,” meaning the revenue from the game comes from the cosmetic items sold.
What “Marvel Rivals” does better than other hero-shooter titles is this revenue model. Any skins released not only provide no gameplay advantage but also can be acquired through gameplay without spending any real money with their in-game currency.
The game also features a rotational battle pass similar to “Fortnite” that players can unlock at any point, even if a new season arrives alongside a new pass.
Additionally, unlike “Overwatch 2,” players do not have to spend real-life currency to unlock heroes to play them. This was advertised through the game’s promotional material, which ultimately was a great call considering the popularity of these characters.
The gameplay is simple. You join a match of two teams of six players and pick from a hero or villain, which is categorized by their play style, including Duelists, Strategists and Vanguards.
Once both teams are formed, a game mode is picked for both teams to follow — Convergence, Domination or Convoy. These modes all have a similar objective; teams must either attack and take over a location or push a payload to a final destination, while the opposing team must prevent this from happening.
After a few matches, the game admittedly begins to get fairly stale. The maps for these game modes are not abundant, so players will likely find themselves playing the same mode on the same map twice within the same hour.
To combat this, over 30 Marvel characters are available to select from, ranging from classic characters like Spider-Man and Iron Man to newer characters like Jeff the Land Shark and Peni Parker.
A lot of work went into each character’s designs and movement, with each one coming to life in an art style that blends the comics with a move list that emulates how these heroes and villains fight in the graphic novels.
NetEase’s effort in game design also applies to the game’s in-game cosmetics, which are based on Marvel Studios’ films, specific comic appearances and other original designs made for the game.
For example, one of the skins available for purchase is Iron Man’s Mark 85 armor from “Avengers: Endgame.” “Marvel Rivals” does a great job incorporating the design from the film into its art style, resulting in a skin that stands out in-game.
In a technical aspect, “Marvel Rivals” plays without issue on the PlayStation 5 and runs at a constant 60 frames-per-second. The game also allows players to turn on a high frame rate mode, which optimizes the game to play at 120 fps, so long as the system is connected to a monitor with that refresh rate.
Finding a match in “Marvel Rivals” is also quick, meaning players do not have to wait long to play a game. This is mainly due to the high player count that the game currently has.
As of now, and on PC through the Steam shop alone, the game had around 350,000 players in-game. This does not include players playing on Xbox Series S/X, PlayStation 5/5 Pro or through the Epic Games Store.
All of these factors help make “Marvel Rivals” a blast to play, especially for fans of the comics and multiplayer games. The game is not redefining any genre, but its fun gameplay, paired with the large list of characters available for players to learn and master, will likely keep fans attached to this game for its future.
