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- Right after Concord’s downfall, Marvel Rivals succeeds in the same domain.
- Free-to-play and attractive character designs already make it an upgrade.
- Its core gameplay mechanics prove how powerful the creative execution of a concept can be.
When video games of the same genre start appearing in bulk, monotony and oversaturation are inevitable. One game succeeds, and then suddenly, everyone wants to ride that train, disregarding ingenuity. This doesn’t mean the concept is inherently bad; people become fed up with the same old rehashed repeatedly.
Hero Shooters and live services, in general, are a good example. Considering how many of these appeared lately, many of which are completely soulless, I don’t even want to go near the genre. However, standing out in a genre as oversaturated as this is a massive feat, and Marvel Rivals has done the impossible.
Why it matters: After Concord, it felt like hero shooters should cease, but Marvel Rivals proves that the genre itself isn’t bad; Concord was just a horrible, soulless iteration.
Marvel Rivals Succeeds Where Concord Did Not
At this point, I don’t even need to explain just how much of a debacle Concord was. It was an embodiment of why blindly chasing popular concepts has grave consequences. When I saw Marvel Rivals being announced shortly after Concord’s downfall, I thought, “Here we go again.”
Back then, I couldn’t have known just how wrong I was. But can you blame me? Even before Concord, this domain was filled with hollow imitations, so I started hating the genre itself. Marvel Rivals renewed my faith and reminded me to hate the execution, not the concept.
So, what exactly makes Marvel Rivals so good and Concord not so much? Let’s take a look.
Free-To-Play Vs. Extra Premium
The most important reason is that when shooters and live services consistently opted for a “free now, pay in-game” strategy, Concord somehow thought asking for a starting price was the way to go.
Forget the game’s quality and mechanics, people won’t even get that far when they see the price tag and immediately go “No way.” It failed right at the first stage.
Anybody else concerned that this game costs $40?
byu/G00CHASAURUS inConcordGame
Concord costs a whopping $40, but that’s not all. It also requires a PS Plus subscription on the PS platform, as every paid game does. This made Concord a considerably expensive option, and for a game as flawed as this one, that’s asking for a fortune.
Marvel Rivals, on the other hand, is completely free, inviting you immediately, and is so fun there’s no need to look for premium options. It knew what it was doing.
Character Designs And Kit
Concord’s greatest flaw was how everything about it screamed “Generic,” and this is way before you get to the gameplay part. The moment I saw the trailer and the character designs, I was convinced this was going to be a disaster.
There was nothing unique or attractive; Concord featured the most generic-looking character models ever. On top of that, they were so needlessly DEI-infested that any sane person would find it off-putting. How they made it into the final product is beyond me.
Concord might have the UGLIEST Characters Designs I have ever seen.
byu/gpetrakas ingaming
Design isn’t the only issue; even every character’s gameplay was extremely stale and “more of the same.” No character felt especially unique or was more than one-dimensional in its usage and kit.
On the contrary, look at Marvel Rivals. Not only did it please the world with its unique art style and character design, but every character was a blast to play as. Bullying your opponents with the broken Iron Fist or swinging across the battlefield with Spider-Man, there’s fun to be had with everyone. A lot of thought went behind every unit.
Marvel Rivals Triumphs In Core Gameplay Design
And even when you got past all of Concord’s antics, what awaited ultimately was a bland gameplay loop and map design. Price issues can be mitigated somewhat with sales and being on PS Plus, but there’s no cure for stale and uninspiring gameplay and zero replayability. Concord failed in every domain.
I thought Marvel Rivals would be the same, at the very least, gameplay-wise, but no. Fascinating characters are pleasing to look at and play as engaging map design and gameplay innovations, and above all, a genuine attempt to bring engagement despite using the same old formula.
Couldn’t have said this any better..marvel rivals is just so good and the fact that it’s iconic MARVEL heroes with a game this good makes it so much better thank you devs
byu/Grimsmiley666 inmarvelrivals
Marvel Rivals is a solid example of how to stand out among a herd. Hero shooters are as numerous as stars these days, yet Marvel Rivals captivated people with a supposedly stale genre. It reminded me of the original Overwatch days and has kept me entertained. This is the quality every hero shooter should aspire to.
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Shameer Sarfaraz has previously worked for eXputer as a Senior News Writer for several years. Now with Tech4Gamers, he loves to devoutly keep up with the latest gaming and entertainment industries. He has a Bachelor’s Degree in Computer Science and years of experience reporting on games. Besides his passion for breaking news stories, Shahmeer loves spending his leisure time farming away in Stardew Valley. VGC, IGN, GameSpot, Game Rant, TheGamer, GamingBolt, The Verge, NME, Metro, Dot Esports, GameByte, Kotaku Australia, PC Gamer, and more have cited his articles.
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