Who knew that there was a 6v6 hero shooter arms race, because no one told us.
With Overwatch 2, Valorant, and Apex Legends pretty much the only dominant names in the genre (which says a lot about how surprisingly niche it has become), Marvel is joining in on the fun with Marvel Rivals.
The upcoming multiplayer title blends several elements from the aforementioned genre-frontrunners with Marvel action games of the past like Marvel: Ultimate Alliance, piquing the interest of players who might not have had a reason to think about seeing their favorite Marvel superheroes brawl until now.
In Marvel Rivals, the players will assemble a six-man team chosen from a pool of heroes and villains throughout the Marvel multiverse, including those from the Avengers, X-Men, and the Guardians of the Galaxy.
Here’s the full roster of Marvel Rivals at launch:
- Bruce Banner
- The Punisher
- Storm
- Loki
- Doctor Strange
- Mantis
- Rocket Raccoon
- Black Panther
- Groot
- Magik
- Luna Snow
- Iron Man
- Spider-Man
- Magneto
Marvel Games and NetEase are promising that Marvel Rivals will receive “robust” post-launch updates following its official launch, which includes a seasonal influx of new characters and maps as well as other types of content.
It’s unclear how this hodgepodge of superheroes and their abilities will work, but we’re sure from the trailer that it isn’t specifically shooter – something we’ve learned already from the earlier leaks. Magik, for example, is a melee combatant and we’re pretty sure Hulk will smash Team synergy also appears to be a priority as we see Doctor Strange opening up portals that players can go through and even shoot from with Rocket hopping onto Groot’s back and firing randomly.
There’s also a particularly cool sequence where Loki appears to swap positions with one of his illusions and “steals” the power of Black Panther, implying that the abilities and gameplay of each hero in Marvel Rivals will be on brand.
We have to admit, the promise of recreating one of the most iconic combos in cinematic history with Thor charging up Iron Man (the God of Thunder is “rumored” to be part of the Season 1 additions to the game) for a supercharged laser attack is enough to sell Marvel Rivals to even casual fans. The fact that it will be a free-to-play game will make it even more accessible.
Between the trailer, the team-up attacks, and the fact that it isn’t a mobile game, Marvel Rivals will warrant a peak when it finally comes out.
Unfortunately, there’s no release window for the game yet. However, the closed alpha is coming in May. Those interested can sign up here.
