Marvel Rivals Closed Beta Test First Impressions: With Great Power, Comes Great (Live Service) Potential
Marvel Rivals CBT First Impressions: The latest Marvel game falls short of being yet another Overwatch clone, and promises to be greater with constant support.
Marvel Rivals CBT First Impressions: The gaming industry is littered with the corpses of hero shooters trying to replicate the success of games like Overwatch, Valorant and Apex Legends, but sadly, few have been able to do so. Now, once again, a new challenger has entered the arena, in the form of Marvel Rivals.
Marvel Rivals is a new hero shooter developed by NetEase Games, who is also known for making other popular titles like Naraka Bladepoint and Dead by Daylight Mobile.
While the game doesn’t have an official release date yet, a Closed Beta Test (CBT) is currently in progress. It started at 3:30 am IST on Wednesday, 24 July 2024 and will go on till 12:30 pm IST on Monday, 5 August 2024.
This author is one of the lucky few who have gotten the opportunity to participate in the CBT, so allow me to share my impressions after more than 30 hours of playtime.
(Yet) Another Hero Shooter?
Although the hero shooter genre is one that rocketed into mainstream popularity due to games like Overwatch, its origins are rooted in games as old as the original Team Fortress. It is a subgenre of shooter games. But what exactly is a hero shooter?
A hero shooter is essentially a game in which the player has the option to play different characters, or heroes, each with their abilities, features and oftentimes, weapons as well. In some modern hero shooters, these characters are placed into different classes based on what their character specialises in. Common classes include Tank, DPS (damage class), and support.
This sub-genre has been executed in several different ways including battle royale games like Apex Legends and tactical shooters like Valorant.
It’s time to see how Marvel Rivals stacks up against existing giants within the industry.
‘Merciless Clash’
In its own words Marvel Rivals states, “The merciless clash between tyrannical dictator Doctor Doom and his future counterpart from the year 2099 has forced countless universes to collide in the Timestream Entanglement, creating new worlds and crises unknown.”
The above is essentially the story behind the game, which is rarely important from a competitive standpoint, but still a nice thing for people who like some lore in their games. To counter the ‘crises’ discussed above, several superheroes and villains come together. This is reflected in the many playable characters the CBT offers, from heroes like Spider-Man to villains like Venom.
Additionally, several cosmetics which showcase alternate versions of the characters are also available through free event rewards and the store. Some of them include the Spider-Man skin, 2099: Spider-Punk and the Iron Man skin, 1872: Steam Power. At the moment, all the currency utilised for purchases can be earned for free by simply playing the game.
Permanent CBT exclusive rewards like the Venom skin, Cyan Clash and nameplate, and Golden Abyss, can also be claimed by completing missions in the event, Galacta’s Quest.
Class Study
We already know that the class system is a mechanic implemented in several hero shooters, and Marvel Rivals is no different. The game divides its currently playable 23 characters into 3 classes: Vanguard, Duelist and Strategist.
The Vanguard class consists of your typical tanks, characters with the highest health but lower damage than the DPS class. They usually have abilities like shields which help in both pushing the team forward and defending them. The Vanguard class includes characters like Magneto, Doctor Strange, and Venom.
The Duelist class consists of DPS characters. They usually have a moderate amount of health with the highest potential for damage. The Duelist class includes characters like Spider-Man, Iron Man, and Hela.
Finally, the Strategist class is essentially the support class in this game. These characters also have a somewhat moderate amount of health and primarily have abilities that are best suited for healing and other forms of support for the rest of the team. Loki, Rocket Raccoon and Luna Snow are some of the Strategist class characters available in the game.
Suit Up, Team Up
Marvel Rivals introduces a mechanic known as Team-Ups. What it entails is that every character in the game has predetermined synergy with one other character, sometimes even two. Having two or more of these characters present in the team grants special bonuses to the characters completing the Team-Up.
For example, in the Team-Up between Peni Parker, Spider-Man, and Venom (known as Symbiote Bond), Venom shares his symbiotes with Spider-Man and Peni which they can use as explosive spikes to inflict harm on nearby enemies and push them back.
This is just one of the ten Team-Ups currently available within the game. Each showcases interesting, and often lore-accurate, synergies that players can use to gain an advantage in battle.
(Yet) Another Overwatch Clone?
Several comparisons have been made between Marvel Rivals and Overwatch 2. The similar game modes, character classes and so on. Having played both games myself, I can understand where these statements are coming from.
There are definitely times when I got a feeling of déjà vu while playing the game due to characters that worked similarly to those present in Overwatch 2.
For example, Star-Lord feels similar to Tracer due to his fast-paced, high-damage playstyle. Similarly, Magneto’s shield orb, which he can give to himself or his teammates, converts the damage taken by the orb into rings that can be used to damage the opponents. This is reminiscent of how Zarya works in Overwatch 2.
Does this mean Marvel Rivals is a blatant copy? I don’t think so. While there are similarities between the two games, Marvel Rivals has many aspects that make it unique as well. The biggest one is right there in the name.
The game is a treat for a true fan, giving them the chance to fight as or against iconic characters straight from the Marvel universe.
The game also has a 6v6 format compared to Overwatch 2’s 5v5 format. Overwatch 2 also doesn’t have anything like Marvel Rivals’ Team-Ups system.
A ranked mode is already available in the CBT, allowing players to test their mettle against other players. The game also has an entire tab dedicated to tournaments, with one actually taking place during the CBT.
The gameplay is quite enjoyable and I found myself coming back for more. The design and aesthetic are beautiful and the game looks really good due to it being built on Unreal Engine 5.
Of course, being an avid Marvel fan makes it all the more fun for me.
Live-Service Potential
Marvel Rivals, like any game, has a lot of potential. The time that I’ve spent in the CBT has shown me that this is intended to be a large-scale project for Marvel, which makes sense. Marvel currently doesn’t have a lot of presence in the live-service PC and console space but this game could change that.
It is entertaining and has the potential to be quite big. A competitive system is also already in place which is always a good sign.
Marvel Rivals has already taken several steps towards becoming a great game. Now, all I can do is hope that it finds their way to the top.
(The author is a student of Vivekananda Institute of Professional Studies, Delhi)
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