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Marvel Rivals is still in its open beta, but it’s already taken the gaming world by storm. However, many of the reasons for this popularity are not very nice.
From a contract that prevented testers from saying anything negative about the game to the uncanny resemblance of art style and character kits to Overwatch, the game is on everyone’s radars.
What Is Marvel Rivals?
Marvel Rivals is an upcoming hero shooter developed by NetEase Games in collaboration with Marvel. The game is set to release for Microsoft Windows, macOS, PlayStation 5, and Xbox Series X/S, and is currently going through its first playtests.
The game has everything a hero shooter could wish for: an already existing fanbase, a set of infinite characters with their specific abilities from the Marvel multiverse, and the funding of one of the biggest gaming companies in the world coupled with the biggest entertainment conglomerate.
Despite all of that, the game’s still under quite some fire from fans due to some interesting controversies going around.
What’s The Controversy?
Apart from people comparing the character kits and art design of the game with Overwatch, there are some bigger controversies at play as well.
The forefront of these controversies is a clause in the contract given to content creators allowed to play the beta that stated that they can’t say anything negative about the game online.
This is not only counterproductive at best and straight-up deceiving at worst but also makes the topics regarding the game copying Overwatch a lot more difficult to analyse.
So, Is It Copying Overwatch?
In any hero shooter, there is going to be some overlap between character kits. The important thing is if the kit feels fresh and fits the character.
The internet’s main targets for this claim are The Punisher copying Soldier 76 and Bastion, Spiderman copying Reaper’s Ultimate, Venom pretty much being Wrecking Ball, and more.
Soldier 76 only parallels The Punisher in design. A character that uses guns using guns in a shooting game is not a copy. Likewise, the immobile turret that shreds down enemies wasn’t original for Bastion.
Spiderman is a different case because the ultimate does seem inspired by Reaper’s. However, I don’t think a single ability is enough to call a character a copy. Games would start being stale very quickly if you don’t take from what is successful and fun.
Venom is perhaps the most mind-boggling claim. A shredded webslinger known for his durability slinging webs and being durable does not mean he’s taking from Wrecking Ball, that’s the only way to adapt Venom, and Netease did an amazing job of doing just that.
Multiverse Of Innovation
The game brings a lot of fun stuff that reminds me of early OW. The heroes all feel fresh and unique, since the game isn’t too worried about balancing issues right now. Dr. Strange’s Teleportation is an ability that I never expected to see in a hero shooter, much less expect it to be as fun as it is.
The Team Up Mechanic
The Team Up mechanic is a privilege of being a game early in development, as this would shift the balance of any other game far too much for devs to consider it. This allows characters that share some form of bond to unlock special skills that they can use together.
This is not only extremely cool but also changes game design fundamentally. Teams now have to consider between having a team that fills all roles, or a team that prioritizes Team Ups over a balanced lineup.
Is The Game Balanced?
The game is painfully unbalanced, and I don’t see it coming out anytime soon. The game has made efforts to make melee characters hold their own, and they’ve been somewhat successful with Magik. However, Spiderman and any other melee DPS still fail to be playable.
Hela’s impossible to outplay, and certain Teamups such as Magento and Wanda break the game for everyone but themselves. Still, the game’s only in its open beta, so I’m looking forward to seeing Netease deliver a wonderfully balanced yet fun game to us.
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Heya, I’m Asad (Irre) Kashif! I’ve been writing about anything and everything since as far back as I can remember. Professionally, I started writing five years ago, working both as a ghostwriter and writing under my own name. As a published author and a council member in Orpheus, my journey in the world of writing has been fulfilling and dynamic.
I still cherish the essays I wrote about my favorite PS2 games, and I’m thrilled to have transformed my passion for game journalism into a career. I’m a theory crafter for Genshin Impact (and now Wuthering Waves) and have a deep love for roguelites and roguelikes. While I prefer indie games for their distinct aesthetic and vibes, I do enjoy triple-A games occasionally. I’ve also been playing League since season 6, and I main Akali! I have a keen interest in discovering and playing more obscure games, as well as researching forgotten titles. Additionally, I am a front-end programmer who dabbles a bit in gamedev occasionally.
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