Another Overwatch clone or something greater?
Marvel Rivals, developed by NetEase, has finally dropped for us plebs and it heavily borrows from what Blizzard has done with Overwatch. Unlike the much maligned Concord, Marvel Rivals is a free to play hero shooter that allows you to play as some of your favorite heroes and/or villains. Despite some of the obvious Overwatch "inspired" choices, Marvel Rivals is a load of fun.
I guess I should start with my background in the hero shooter genre? I've played Overwatch since its release in 2016. I started on my PS4 as a dastardly Mei main and eventually found my footing in support. I had a friend hop into a Discord voice call last Friday and request I join his team in some Marvel Rivals and I immediately gravitated toward Mantis.
Before I get into my gameplay impressions, we need to break down what this game does similarly, and also differently, from Blizzard's hero shooter. Marvel Rivals boasts three roles: Vanguard (Tank), Duelist (DPS) and Strategist (Support). Unlike Overwatch, you're not locked into a role queue which is both a blessing and a curse, especially when playing with randoms. I've gone into matches where I am the only Strategist queued up and we get rolled on. I've also been part of the problem where it is just six Duelist roles doing our best to smash our way to victory.
One may see this as a problem and want Marvel Rivals to institute a role queue, but the game's answer to that is to institute hero team up abilities. Team up abilities will give certain heroes active and passive buffs for specific combinations. For example: Rocket Raccoon and/or Jeff the Land Shark (closing in on Mantis as my main) can ride Groot which will grant them bonus damage reduction. Venom, Spider-man and Peni Parker can team up where Venom grants Spider-Man and Peni Parker an active ability, which allows them to channel a symbiote through them, dealing damage to enemies and pushing them back.
Is it annoying to play a game without any Strategists? Yes. Is it refreshing to start as a Strategist, realize that your team needs more firepower and move to Vanguard or Duelist? Absolutely. I understand why Overwatch locked in a role queue, but there is a freshness behind being able to move freely between the classes.
So the question becomes "How do the heroes play?", well if you're an Overwatch fan,, they play a lot like Overwatch. Mantis has a Zenyatta feel to her. Scarlet Witch is more or less just DPS Moira. There are a lot of similarities between Marvel Rivals heroes and Overwatch heroes and I think that's okay. There is almost a feeling of unbalanced chaos during these games because you're not locked into roles. While some heroes feel more powerful (looking at you Iron Fist), there are counters and strategies that you can use to negate that powerful feeling. Hero kits can feel overwhelmingly expansive with up to three or four abilities on top of an ultimate ability.
Despite this unbalance, games can be really fun even if some are just frustrating pub stomps. As a Strategist main, I can still make some pretty great looking plays that turn the tide in battle. Mantis or Rocket Raccoon can hold their own up to a certain extent.
What may irk some folks is the lack of objectives in this game. You have two modes: an attack/defend a payload mode and an attack/defend a point mode. That's it. This feels a little cookie cutter because it is something you're already doing in other games. There is no variation away from these modes and nothing that really stands out. You've already been doing this for ages in video games, this is just another set. The premise of these modes are probably the weakest part of Marvel Rivals. There just isn't anything fresh about them.
There are some things in this game I can't stand, but sometimes I feel like it is more a "Greg thing" than real complaints. The amount of color and sprites feels too much as time. The point or payload area can get real busy, real quickly and that can sometimes throw me off. Also, the amount of times my hero speaks is annoying. I can only listen to Jeff the Land Shark do his Jaws "dun dun. dun dun. dundundundun" voice line when I go to travel too many times. Again, these aren't huge things, but they're things that have started to annoy me.
I want to end this review with a plea to NetEast: do not turn this game into Overwatch. Do not turn this game into a e-sports competitor. Do not listen to the content creators and streamers that just want the game changed for their own gain. Continue with the vision you have for it. People are already complaining on Twitter and subreddits about this character or that character, but don't listen to the noise. Keep Marvel Rivals a fun, albeit unbalanced, and chaotic game that casuals and competitive players alike can enjoy. No one will care about a Marvel Rivals e-sports league. Just let us have fun.
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