A Thrilling Hero Shooter with Iconic Marvel Characters

Published on 10 December, 2024

Oh my God, let’s talk Marvel Rivals, bro! So, I’m not exactly new to the hero shooter genre, right? I’ve been all over Overwatch since 2016—y’all know I’ve dumped over 1,000 hours into that game (no shame). But Marvel Rivals? I can’t help but feel like this is the game we should’ve been hyped about back in 2016. Like, it should’ve launched while we were all mourning Harambe, watching Iceland crush England in football, and, of course, vibing through Captain America: Civil War. Instead, here we are in 2024, and yeah, it’s been worth the wait.

What we’re getting now is a really fun hero shooter with a crazy roster of heroes (I mean, we’re talking varied here), some solid maps, and modes that actually make the game enjoyable. But here’s the kicker: will Marvel Rivals build up a fanbase like Blizzard and Marvel did back in the day? We’ve seen plenty of hero shooters struggle with that recently. But honestly? With its high-quality characters, exciting combat for all skill levels, and a fairly generous free-to-play model, it’s trying its hardest to break that trend.

Okay, let’s talk about imitation for a second. They say imitation is the sincerest form of flattery—just ask Taskmaster. And it’s kinda hard not to notice that Overwatch‘s footprints are everywhere in Marvel Rivals. We’re talking 6v6 matches with tank, damage, and support classes (here they go by Vanguard, Duelist, and Strategist). You’ve got your classic escort and capture-the-point modes, like, let’s be real—it’s the same deal you know and love from Overwatch. You’re either escorting a Marvel-themed payload through Wakanda or fighting for control of a contested zone. No revolutionary changes here, but these modes have been battle-tested, so they work for this kind of game.

And look, I know it sounds like I’m doing a lot of Overwatch comparisons, but trust me, it doesn’t take long to figure out why. Even the UI feels like it’s been inspired by Blizzard’s game. But here’s the thing: while it’s not the most original thing ever, I can’t complain about the hero designs. They’re fun, and a lot of them are just taking solid archetypes we’ve seen all the way back in Team Fortress 2. Plus, it’s awesome to see superhero designs that actually get their comic book roots instead of making everyone carry an assault rifle like it’s Suicide Squad or something.

And yo, some of these characters? Pure fire. Psylocke’s mix of close and ranged damage is straight-up flashy, and the Cloak & Dagger hybrid with their shapeshifting powers? So much fun. Loki’s got this wild decoy system that’s a bit of a brain teaser to manage, but that’s what makes it cool. Honestly, I’m kinda impressed with the roster—they’ve got 33 characters, and very few of them feel like filler. Sure, some are a bit OP (Venom, Moon Knight, Scarlet Witch… I’m side-eyeing you), but that’s fixable. No worries, they’ll balance that out eventually.

So yeah, Marvel Rivals might not reinvent the wheel, but it’s definitely taking the hero shooter formula and putting a Marvel spin on it. And that? Honestly, it’s working. 👏