Further Thoughts on Marvel Rivals

Dec 13, 2024

7 min read

Earlier this week, I wrote an article/review on Halftone about Marvel Rivals. This post is going to cover some things I didn't have the space to cover there. I've learned a lot about the game since publishing it, and having nearly doubled my playtime since, I've got a few more thoughts about it generally.

First, let's talk presentation. The game's art style, which I was critical of when it was first revealed, has really grown on me. Its unabashedly comic book inspired, but its the small details that really impress me. I love how the lines on the models are rugged and how they have these streaks of color in their hair. I think Bucky might have some greys (his old ass). The characters jumping out of their panel portraits in the "Heroes" menu is another charming touch. The fact that its a 3D model leaping from the 2D screen, which you can view from a few different angles, shows a level of attention to detail on the developers' part.

I'm more conflicted about the maps. On one hand, I like what we have. The Hydra Charteris Base moving and shifting, keeping you on your feet, and some Wakanda maps having some environmental hazards, are fun, engaging mechanics, but Asgard and Klyntar leave much to be desired. Asgard isn't awful, just a bit plain. Its gilded aesthetic isn't the most unique, and there are, as far as I can tell, no unique environmental hazards. Kylntar is a headache because I cannot, for the life of me, understand why there's a factory there. What are the little goo guys making, huh? Even worse, its easy for a new player to get lost in its samey corridors. The more natural environment, however, is at least prettier to look at. The best maps are the Tokyo 2099 ones. My favorite is probably Shin-Shibuya. While they lack any environmental hazards, they make up for it in atmospheric lighting and vertical level design. Here's a short personal ranking of each map:

8. Kylntar (All my homies hate Klyntar)

7. Birnin T'Challa

6. Yggrasil Path

5. Hall of Djalia

4. Royal Palace

3. Hydra Charteris Base

2. Spider-Islands

1. Shin Shibuya

My hope is that with the leaked Krakoa and Arrako maps, they take a page from the Hydra base map and making them more dynamic. Another aspect I hope they develop in the future is map NPCs. Shuri and Okoye make voice cameos in the Wakanda maps and even appear in the flesh during loading screens, but with Spider-Zero appearing in Shin Shibuya, I see no reason I can't interact with them before the match. I think this would open up a new avenue for including characters that aren't quite roster material. Shuri and Okoye could definitely make the roster in the future, (maybe that's why they aren't here), but its disappointing nonetheless. Could you imagine seeing Cypher on the Krakoa map? Or Sobunar and the Great Ring on Arrako? I want to see Glob Herman in the Xavier Mansion map, dammit. The options are limitless, I only hope that they devs take advantage of it.

Speaking of characters, let's discuss the roster. Overall, I love it. Its got everyone you'd expect, plus some deep cuts like Squirrel Girl and Cloak & Dagger to please comic book fans like myself. Luna Snow and Lin Lie as Iron Fist were unexpected simply because they're so new, but I'm glad they're here. That's the attitude I have toward everyone on the roster. Its like seeing old friends with the opportunity to make new ones. Some inclusions I shouldn't have been surprised by. Namor's been in a wildly successful MCU movie, of course he's here, but he'll always be a little obscure to me. That being said, Ant-Man and Wasp are conspicuously absent seeing as the rest of the classic Avengers are here, but they'll join the party soon enough, I'm sure. We know that Blade, the Fantastic Four, and Ultron are on the way, as well as potentially Emma Frost and Jean Grey. I'm always excited for more X-Men and curious to see how they pull off Emma.

Looking ahead, I think a Smash Bros. echo fighter situation could really suit this game. Characters like War Machine, Beta Ray Bill, or Danny Rand Iron Fist could purchasable as higher priced skins since they'd come with new voice lines or potentially (and controversially,) new attacks. It would be a waste to give War Machine his trademark mini gun and not let him use it.

I previously mentioned how I was turned off by the game's art style, but really, it was the character designs. After seeing them all, I'll say that some are slam dunks, while others need some work. The worst base costumes belong to Storm and Magneto. Fans have dunked on Wolverine's low-effort outfit, but that's in character for him. Storm's costume straight up looks like the AI generated slop I see on Instagram. I wish it took more inspiration from her classic comic book suits, or even modern ones like her Hellfire Gala looks. The costumes I like the least feel like they have a lack of design instead of any particular quirk. All the Avengers, minus Hawkeye, feel very generic. The designs that get specific are often the best, like Psylocke's just being Peach Momoko's Demon Days design minus her hat. Namor's is one of the best in the game simply because it incorporate's his movie design, his comic design, and some sea-themed embellishments that result in a 100% Namor look. His streaks of blonde are new, but I think he pulls it off.

I appreciate the game's efforts give some characters their classic comic looks via skins, but not all of them can be Psylocke's Vengeance skin, sometimes you're Magneto's Master of Magnetism.

One of the selling points of the game are the Team-Ups. You can look up guides to find out which are good, but my issue isn't about their viability, its their impact. One hero always initiates it while the other reaps the benefit. Yes, the initiator gets a passive season bonus, but I would have much rather had both heroes get a boost of some kind. For example, Cloak & Dagger and Moon Knight's allows MK to turn invisible in a small area while C&D get...nothing. All I'm saying is that these could be more substantial, as well as more plentiful.

Some of the team-ups have some odd requirements. Namor and Luna Snow? Magik and Black Panther? The majority of these abilities make sense while it comes to the heroes involved, but there are some connections that remain obvious yet unexplored. For instance, Namor and Dr. Strange with their Illuminati connection, same goes for Iron Man and Black Panther, but also Hela and Magik as demonic rulers, Pyslocke and Winter Soldier as assassins. Maybe Squirrel Girl and Groot? As more characters roll in, there will most certainly be more team-ups, I just hope that they're more interesting. If Spider-Man and Human Torch don't have one, then what are we doing here?

After putting abut 10 more hours into the game, I finally found the proficiency menu. By playing a single character enough, and accomplishing specific tasks with them, like using an ability or securing killshots, you can rank up their proficiency to unlock an exclusive spray, some KO animations, and a unique icon. Being able to change the UI like this is pretty neat, I have to say. I'm a sucker for this kind of stuff. Its enough for now, but in the future, I hope that later seasons expand on proficiency rewards to perhaps include some in-game currency, or even exclusive skins to denote that you've reached a specific rank with that character. There's a lot of potential here.

Lately, I felt I've plateaued after the honeymoon phase of the game. I've had some frustrating matches, some heated gamer moments that have reminded me that my aim is ass and I'm bad at the game and should kill myself, but focussing on getting better has been my new focus. Yes, its annoying when your healers simply aren't healing you (I can say that as a Cloak & Dagger main), but the old reliable strategy of grouping up and steamrolling the enemy always prevails. Remember, people, this is a team shooter. Don't be a hero. I've certainly learned that lesson trying to learn Magik.

Later this week, we'll be seeing the Rivals' first seasonal event, "Winter Celebration," which will add new skins and game modes. Magik, Venom, Rocket, Groot, and Jeff have some new duds, and the little land shark gets his own game mode, which looks a lot like Splatoon. I'll be giving it a go. My hope is that maybe the skins will be unlockable, but more than likely, they're be paid. I shouldn't be surprised, I don't even really play any of these characters, but still. I'm content to grind the battle pass and work towards the few skins I want to pick up, (looking at your Revolution Bucky.)

To leave you with, I will provide a list of characters I'd like to see in the game:

Vanguard: