Online game "Marvel Rivals"

Marvel Rivals was released last year (2024) after the spectacular failure of another hero shooter - Concord. Many doubted that another Overwatch clone would succeed. However, they were wrong - Marvel Rivals' peak player count at launch exceeded 400,000, the game immediately topped Steam charts and remains a leader among free-to-play projects. Let's explore how this superhero shooter managed to capture the audience's attention.

Indeed, Marvel Rivals was immediately called an Overwatch clone, and the game doesn't really hide it. It's also a free-to-play shooter with three dozen heroes, each with unique abilities, battling in 6v6 matches. The modes are familiar too - Quick Play, Competitive, and Arcade. In the first two, we escort payloads/characters to the enemy base or defend it, fight for control points, while Arcade currently only offers deathmatch (every player for themselves). Additionally, a ranked mode unlocks at a certain level, and players who reach «Silver» can compete in esports tournaments.

However, there are significant differences. The first and most noticeable is that Marvel Rivals features third-person rather than first-person view. This increases the value of cosmetic items since you can appreciate your skins during battles, not just other players. It's also obvious that a game based on such a well-developed comic universe has better lore and storytelling. While there's no story campaign, completing achievements unlocks gallery cards that form comic book pages, revealing backstories of all in-game heroes and the overarching narrative.

It turns out that the supervillain Doctor Doom caused a temporal collapse when fighting his doppelgänger and alter ego from 2099, resulting in Marvel's numerous universes colliding in the Temporal Entanglement, creating new, previously unknown worlds and crises. Now, heroes scattered across unfamiliar worlds must figure out how to restore order, resolve the crisis, and defeat both Dooms before someone dominates these realities. Naturally, they couldn't think of anything better than fighting - against each other or together against others. As a result, everything is mixed up in this Marvel house - old friends become enemies, and former foes become allies.

Each hero has their own backstory, with new chapters added each season. At launch, there were thirty characters, now increased to 39. Naturally, all key Marvel figures are present, including Spider-Man, Venom, Captain America, Punisher, Hulk, Iron Man, and so on. Each has unique abilities and combat styles. Punisher can set up turrets, Black Widow snipes and fires plasma charges, Spider-Man swings from ceilings and walls, Hulk transforms between a giant green monster and skinny Bruce Banner, and so on. There's even a shark that literally swims through levels and devours enemies...

Some characters clearly overlap with Overwatch - for example, Hulk and D.Va, Star-Lord and Tracer, Scarlet Witch and Symmetra share tactical similarities. Roles are identical too - tanks (defense), duelists (damage dealers), and support fighters (healers and strategists). However, there are key differences. Marvel Rivals has more flying characters constantly maneuvering in the air, more crowd control options like freezing or pulling enemies.

Most importantly, there are team abilities only available with specific hero combinations. For example, Punisher enhances Black Widow's rifle to hit multiple enemies in a line, Magneto gets an empowered sword from Scarlet Witch, Venom turns Spider-Man into black goo that attacks more powerfully, and so on. Ideally, you should play with such combos - if you see Black Widow in a match, it's logical to pick Punisher. However, matchmaking has almost no restrictions - unlike Overwatch's role enforcement, Marvel Rivals offers complete freedom...

Additionally, maps periodically destruct and change mid-battle. Players can destroy highlighted objects - walls or even entire buildings, removing enemy cover. Even without player input, maps change at certain phases - for example, a hall entrance might collapse, forcing new paths.

In any case, Marvel Rivals is very enjoyable and comfortable to play. It's immediately addictive. The game looks and sounds gorgeous, not just graphically but also in its stunning design - both characters and maps. While the number of maps might seem limited for a competitive shooter (11 in Season 2), each is vibrant and memorable. From present-day New York to future Tokyo, the Wakandan Intergalactic Empire, Marvel's unique Asgard location, modern cities and majestic temples - all maps feature interesting vantage points, alternate routes, jump pads, cover, and open areas to strategically use (or destroy to deny others).

The game is well-optimized. Yes, there were crashes and long load times at launch, but now it's nearly perfect. Even the abundance of colorful effects doesn't cause discomfort - assuming your hardware meets requirements. These effects never feel chaotic - you always maintain situational awareness. Shooting, using special abilities when meters fill, and the overall combat system feel great in terms of controls and dynamics.

Another plus is that almost all heroes are immediately available - only duplicates are restricted (if someone picks Iron Man, you can't). So you can easily switch between sniper, tank, or assault roles across modes. Naturally, with so many diverse superheroes and unique abilities, balance isn't perfect. Especially since, as mentioned, there are no role restrictions - a team might end up with 6 tanks or 5 damage dealers despite desperate pleas for a healer.

But first, it's more fun this way. Second, nothing stops you from playing in a coordinated team focusing on synergy and team abilities. Third, the developers constantly work on balance. Just recently in June, they announced adjustments to certain heroes (including Thor, Moon Knight, and Jeff the Baby Land Shark) and their team abilities. With good teamwork, even «weak» characters can become formidable.

Marvel Rivals seems universally appealing - esports players can test skills in competitive tournaments (like the announced Marvel Rivals Ignite with a $3M+ prize pool), while casuals can enjoy it comfortably. And you don't need to pay - microtransactions are mostly cosmetic, and battle passes let you choose desired rewards.

After Overwatch 2's issues, many awaited a true killer of the leading hero shooter - and Marvel Rivals delivers. NetEase Games and Marvel Games borrowed proven mechanics from Blizzard's project while learning from its mistakes, adding their own twists and leveraging the rich lore of the world-famous comic universe.

Zarium. July 2025