Hero shooters have long been a mainstay in the video game industry. From giants of the genre like Team Fortress Two and Overwatch to more niche entries like Concord or Quake Champions, the format has proven to stand the test of time. Now, a new title has come out with a marvelous twist: superheroes.
NetEase games have come out in collaboration with Marvel Studios to create Marvel Rivals, a first-person shooter focusing on Marvel superheroes. This combination attained acclaim from both fans and critics.
The general gameplay is what one would expect from a game in this genre: various game modes and a cast of eclectic characters with unique mechanics to play as. The special twist comes in with the specific mechanics and how they relate to each character.
Each character has a collection of moves and mechanics that feel both varied and accurate to the character.
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An example of this is Loki. In both the comics and the movies, he has always been known for his illusion magic and for never being what he seems. In the game, this is replicated with his clones; each clone looks like him. In addition to these clones, he can become invisible while leaving a clone in his place and even swap places with them.
This leads to a playstyle that involves tricking opponents into believing you are somewhere you are not, all the while you are safely out of danger. When you factor in the ability to swap places, you can continue the tricks even after the enemy has guessed correctly.
Each character has just as much care put into their abilities as Loki.
As a hero shooter, one wouldn’t expect much of a story, but Marvel Rivals is also a comic game, so there is a surprising amount of depth to the lore of the game. Each stage has its own self-contained plot that is expected from a PvP shooter, but it also ties into the overarching plot like a superhero comic.
A newcomer to the game this season is the Midtown stage. It’s a convoy map, meaning that the goal is to either move a vehicle to the other end of the map or to keep it from moving, depending on if you’re on the attacking or defending team.
The plot of this map is that Herbie (the robot that helps the Fantastic Four) has fallen in love with Iron Man’s artificial intelligence, F.R.I.D.A.Y. After being ignored by the Fantastic Four, he has gone off on his own to save her.
This plot is perfectly functional by itself, but it also ties into the current plot of the season: Dracula invading New York. Herbie needed to save F.R.I.D.A.Y. because she was shot down by Dracula’s forces, and the Fantastic Four ignored Herbie because they were attempting to solve the problem at hand.
The plot doesn’t stop there, however. The reason Dracula was able to invade New York is that Doctor Doom had allowed him to traverse the multiverse. This is so that he might distract the Marvel heroes and stop them from interfering in his plans to overcome his alternate self and take over the multiverse (the overarching plot of the whole game). All of this leads to a very layered and involved story that truly feels like an event from the comics.
Those who enjoy hero shooters should consider playing Rivals, and doubly so for those who enjoy Marvel comics. The gameplay and plot perfectly recreate the feeling of various heroes and villains participating in large-scale events.
Andrew Barnes, Staff Writer