After a few leaks did the rounds across social media, Marvel and NetEase have confirmed the existed of Marvel Rivals, an upcoming 6v6 online multiplayer hero shooter.
The game will obviously be compared to Overwatch (given it’s current statue as THE iconic hero shooter) but for me, the third person element and the emphasis on environment and verticality gives me big Monday Night Combat energy.
Besides the iconic heroes the big draw card for the game seems to be a unique Team-Up mechanic, where players can assist each other to pull of devastating co-op abilities – such as Rocket Raccoon jumping on the shoulder of Groot to act as a walking weapon platform, or Luna Snow providing icy armour and protection to Namor.
A description was offered like so:
The Ultimate Marvel Super Hero Team-Based PVP Shooter!
Assemble your favorite Marvel characters and engage in 6v6 battles, utilizing brand-new Team-Up Skills in destructible locations from across the Marvel Multiverse!
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The trailer does a pretty fine job of laying out exactly what to expect – a ton of your favourite Marvel peeps will work to complete objectives in a team based environment, with neat features like destructible terrain to boot. There’s also a pretty rocking voice cast, with the dulcet tones of Liam O’Brien immediately hitting my ear holes for the Sorceror Supreme Dr. Strange. Oh and I am pretty sure that is Yuri Lowenthal for Spidey – because honestly, who else would you get.
The roster is also fit to burst at this early stage of reveal, with a whopping 18 (playable) names already appearing in the trailer – including:
- Black Panther
- Bruce Banner/Hulk
- Doctor Strange
- Iron Man
- Spider-Man
- Luna Snow
- Groot
- Loki
- Namor
- Peni Parker (Spider-Verse)
- Magik (X-Men)
- Rocket Racoon
- Scarlet Witch
- Magneto (X-Men)
- Storm (X-Men)
- Star-Lord
- Mantis
- The Punisher
Even a massively obscure character like Galacta appears to be the games narrator/announcer, which is a delight to me because I think she rules.
A closed alpha test for Marvel Rivals will be kicking off for PC players in May, with no details on a console release currently out there. If you want to check out more details for the game, there is now a website online with some killer screenshots and further options for different social media feeds. I’ll be keeping an eye on it, if only to see if they plumb the depths of Marvel to deliver more radical characters – Shiklah, Queen of the Underworld, anyone?
What do you think of Marvel Rivals? Let us know in the comments or on social media.
Known throughout the interwebs simply as M0D3Rn, Ash is bad at video games. An old guard gamer who suffers from being generally opinionated, it comes as no surprise that he is both brutally loyal and yet, fiercely whimsical about all things electronic. On occasion will make a youtube video that actually gets views. Follow him on YouTube @Bad at Video Games
