A game that works for many and doesn’t for many more, we’re here with a Marvel Rivals review to explain why you may enjoy playing the game. Developed and published by NetEase, Marvel Rivals is a new free-to-play shooter game that features 33 characters from the Marvel comics we have all known and loved over the years. It has been less than a month since the game’s release on December 5, 2024, but audiences have been divided on their experience with the game.
The reviews for Marvel Rivals are largely positive with a Metascore of 76 and a 9 out of 10 rating on Steam, however, there are a fair share of users skulking around on Steam community boards and other platforms trying to dissuade users from playing the game. The Marvel Rivals gameplay isn’t perfect and there’s considerable room for improvement, but if you enjoy hero shooter games—specifically games like Overwatch—then this should be right up your alley.
Image Credit: Marvel Rivals
3 Reasons to Play Marvel Rivals—A Review
The Marvel movies have spawned an entire franchise of games, movies, and exclusive content around the characters, but before all of this came around, we had the comics. The new Marvel game is precisely what you’d expect from an evolution of the comics in the modern world, bringing multiple internal fandoms together in one place.
The game currently features 33 heroes and villains, and it takes on a 6v6 team battle format. Instead of each character being copies of each other with only an aesthetic difference, each hero features unique abilities that can be combined with other teammates for a noteworthy gameplay experience each time. There are unique battlefields to experience and with no way to know your opponents’ playstyles, the game presents some unique combat situations in each round.
If you’re on the fence about whether to try the game out right now, here are 3 reasons to play Marvel Rivals.
The Impressive Roster of Characters Gives You a Lot to Experiment With
Marvel Rivals’s issues are aplenty, particularly with character balancing, but the game isn’t designed to impress anyone who isn’t well acquainted with the Marvel world. The title features an impressive list of characters you can play as, and while Spiderman, Wolverine, and Captain America may have more mainstream appeal, there are also characters like Jeff the Land Shark and Squirrel Girl, who are perhaps not as well known.
While it would’ve been nice to see the game explore the lore behind these characters after reviving them for the purpose of this game, it’s nice to see new fans get a chance to meet characters at the least. The game opens up unique team combos with added synergy when you get some team-ups right, which is a key point in the game’s favor.
Hollywood is likely arms-deep in the Marvel universe trying to determine which character will feature in their next hit multi-film franchise, so this should show them which characters are garnering the most interest. As for where our interests lie, leaked data shows that characters like Ultron, Blade, and the Invisible Woman could also join the game eventually, which should open up more interesting angles to the gameplay.
The Marvel Rivals’ Gameplay Features Some Unique Interactions with the Environment
While you’re mastering your favorite character’s abilities and getting the hang of their buffs, debuffs, fightstyles, etc. there is also room to master the area where the battles take place. The game’s environment is not static and provides many ways to tear it down to your advantage, whether you need a new spot to get to the sniping or want to scale new heights to capitalize on your character’s abilities properly and utilize your environment in many different ways.
The environments are limited for now with just eight maps at launch, but the unexpected map events that take place across the battle location ensure there’s always something to liven the mood. The design and map composition are valuable to the in-game experience and considering it’s been less than a month since launch, it is only the start of what Marvel Rivals has to offer.
It’s a Live Service Game That Is Free to Play
We’ve always been of the opinion that you should not bank on a service based on promises for the future as there is no evidence that the changes will come. However, with our Marvel Rivals review, we’re making an exception. As much as live service games have a bad rep, they open up considerable room for the game to keep evolving into something better. Right now, the game has a typical PvP battle format with three game modes that we’ve seen in other titles before.
The Convoy mode focuses on escorting an object across the map or alternatively attacking the team escorting the object. The Domination mode is a simple capture-and-defend game where you and your team must reach and hold a point till 100% while your enemy tries to do the same. The first team to win two rounds wins the game.
There’s also the Convergence mode, which is a hybrid mode between capturing a point and unlocking a convoy. Finally, we have the Conquest mode separately available where the first team to reach the 50-point mark, or the team with the most points when the timer runs out, wins.
These modes have all been done before so there are no surprises there, but considering we’re at the early stages of the game, there is vast potential for expansion. Also considering the game is free, now is as good a time as any to test the characters out and see if they are engaging enough for you to spend time mastering them. As the game modes and maps eventually increase, you’ll be well prepared to dominate the space.
A Marvel Rivals Analysis Would Be Incomplete Without Acknowledging Its Flaws
Unfortunately, Marvel Rivals has two issues that are hard to ignore. First, the game has been repeatedly and fairly criticized for being too similar to Overwatch, right down to some of the characters’ abilities. With the characters already possessing extensive lore and room for more complex character building, many gamers feel the developers could have done quite a bit more to set the game apart from those that came before it.
Another criticism is that the characters are very obviously unbalanced. Some feel overpowered and have too much room to dominate a game compared to others. This makes those specific characters more appealing to play, even if you want to explore the other’s playstyles and give them a shot. It’s nothing a kit adjustment won’t fix, but gamers may abandon the game before the makers have a chance to fix the issues.
Both criticisms of the game are something the developers can work on and fix over time so it would be unfair to write off the game as a loss already as many have done. Critics have estimated that the game will lose its player base quite quickly after the initial interest around the game dies down, and if NetEase decides to solely focus on the characters as the selling point of the game, it may well be true.