Marvel Rivals: A Promising Hero Shooter That Still Needs Work

Marvel fans have been eagerly awaiting NetEase’s latest offering, Marvel Rivals, a 6v6 team-based hero shooter that brings together some of the most iconic characters from the Marvel universe. After weeks of gameplay and reviews from major gaming outlets, the verdict is in: while Marvel Rivals shows genuine potential, it’s a game that feels both familiar and frustrating in equal measure.

The Good: A Marvel Fan’s Dream Roster

Marvel Rivals launches with an impressive roster of 33 playable characters, spanning decades of Marvel history. From household names like Spider-Man and Captain America to more obscure favorites like Squirrel Girl and Peni Parker, the game offers something for every Marvel enthusiast. Critics have given the game a “Strong” rating with an overall score of 78, with 84% of critics recommending it.

What sets Marvel Rivals apart from other hero shooters is its ambitious approach to character complexity. Unlike simpler shooters where heroes have straightforward abilities, Marvel Rivals introduces MOBA-like complexity to many of its characters. Spider-Man requires careful cooldown management and positioning, while Peni Parker can set up elaborate trap networks with her techno-webbing. The Hulk mechanic is particularly innovative, starting players as Bruce Banner with limited abilities before transforming into the green giant through strategic rage management.

The game’s team-up system adds another layer of strategic depth, allowing specific character combinations to unlock unique synergy abilities. This mechanic encourages players to think beyond individual performance and consider how their hero choice affects the entire team composition.

The Overwatch Problem

However, Marvel Rivals’ biggest weakness is also its most obvious one: it’s heavily derivative of Overwatch. All three game modes – Convoy, Domination, and Convergence – are identical to Overwatch’s Escort, Control, and Hybrid modes with no effort to differentiate them. This lack of innovation extends to character design, where some heroes feel like legally distinct versions of Blizzard’s characters.

Scarlet Witch plays almost identically to Moira, absorbing energy and launching magic orbs, while Hawkeye is essentially Hanzo with a Marvel skin, complete with the same aiming reticule. These similarities feel particularly jarring when placed alongside Marvel Rivals’ more creative character designs, highlighting missed opportunities to create something truly unique.

Balance Issues Plague the Experience

One of the most significant problems facing Marvel Rivals is its character balance. Simple attacks from characters like Squirrel Girl deal as much damage as charged headshots from precision characters like Hawkeye, creating frustrating gameplay imbalances. Some characters feel overpowered while others seem underdeveloped.

The game’s quality-of-life issues compound these balance problems. Many abilities lack clear visual indicators, making it difficult for players to understand their character’s capabilities. Captain America’s leap ability, for example, offers no player control once activated, often sending players careening into enemy teams rather than strategic positions.

Technical Performance and Presentation

Despite its gameplay issues, Marvel Rivals succeeds in delivering a visually impressive experience that captures the essence of the Marvel universe. The destructible environments and dynamic battlefields create exciting moments that feel appropriately superheroic. The game runs smoothly on PC, with fast matchmaking and stable performance during battles.

Game Informer praised the game’s “satisfying gameplay loop” and “fast matchmaking,” noting that Marvel Rivals “executes a simple concept with skill and finesse”. The free-to-play model also makes it accessible to a wide audience, removing the barrier to entry that often plagues new multiplayer games.

The Verdict: Potential Waiting to Be Realized

IGN’s review summarized Marvel Rivals as “familiar, but a generous roster and exciting modes make it undeniably fun”, which captures the game’s current state perfectly. It’s a competent hero shooter that Marvel fans will likely enjoy, but it’s not the revolutionary experience many were hoping for.

PC Gamer noted that while Marvel Rivals is “a well-made hero shooter that is easy to enjoy,” it has “fallen into the same pitfalls” as Overwatch 2. The game’s identity crisis – trying to be both a Marvel celebration and an Overwatch competitor – prevents it from excelling at either goal.

GamesRadar’s review highlighted this tension, noting that Marvel Rivals is “so preoccupied with trying to be like Overwatch that it forgets to play to its own strengths”. The game’s most innovative aspects – its complex character designs and Marvel universe integration – are overshadowed by its derivative elements.

Looking Forward

The good news is that most of Marvel Rivals’ problems are fixable. Balance issues can be addressed through patches, character abilities can be refined, and the game’s unique identity can be strengthened over time. NetEase has committed to regular seasonal updates that will introduce new characters and content, providing opportunities to address current shortcomings.

As one critic noted, “With time, care, and more of its own identity, Marvel Rivals has the potential to make itself a deep and satisfying hero shooter”. The foundation is solid, and the Marvel license provides endless possibilities for creative content additions.

Final Thoughts

Marvel Rivals is a game caught between ambition and execution. It successfully brings together an impressive roster of Marvel characters with genuinely innovative gameplay mechanics, but it struggles to escape the shadow of its more established competitors. The game feels like it’s still finding its identity, torn between being a Marvel celebration and a competitive hero shooter.

For Marvel fans, the game offers enough fan service and character variety to be worth trying, especially given its free-to-play model. However, those looking for the next evolution of the hero shooter genre may find themselves disappointed by the game’s conservative approach to innovation.

Marvel Rivals isn’t a bad game – it’s just not the great game it could be. With continued development and a clearer vision of what makes it unique, it has the potential to become something special. For now, it remains a promising but flawed entry in the crowded hero shooter market, one that Marvel fans will likely enjoy despite its shortcomings.

Whether Marvel Rivals can overcome its identity crisis and balance issues remains to be seen, but the foundation is there for something truly spectacular. It’s just a matter of whether NetEase has the vision and persistence to realize that potential.