Summary
A popular subgenre of competitive multiplayer games, “hero shooters” have players take control of heroes who have strong, pre-defined powers instead of a fully configurable collection of weapons and armor. Despite the fact that the word “hero” is already in the name of the subgenre and Overwatch shown how well superheroes may incorporate the notion, neither Marvel nor DC have produced a serious effort at this type of game.
With its first open alpha in May, Marvel Rivals aims to alter that
On March 27th, Marvel Rivals was revealed by NetEase and Marvel Entertainment. Marvel universe heroes take center stage in this intense 6v6 multiplayer game. I spoke with game director Thaddeus Sasser before the announcement to get more details about the characters’ selection process for Marvel Rivals, how NetEase managed to make them feel powerful without disrupting the game‘s balance, and what a young multiplayer game needs to succeed in 2024.
Improving Marvel Rivals’ game roster
Doctor Doom and his 2099 version are feuding in Marvel Rivals. This sets the stage for 6v6 matchups by causing the multiverses to clash in a phenomenon known as the Timestream Entanglement. During these conflicts, opposing teams of heroes and villains fight to vanquish the Dooms while simultaneously defending their own timelines. Though it’s a reasonable idea for a multiplayer Marvel game, the story won’t be as strong as in Marvel 1943: Rise of Hyrda.
Sasser claims that the team has opportunity to build this story over time via the interactions between the various characters and live service assistance. Sasser attributes NetEase’s character selection process for Marvel Rivals to the studio’s partnership with Marvel. Marvel Rivals currently has 18 confirmed characters.
- Panther King
- Strange Doctor
- Hulk, Groot
- The Iron Man
- The god Loki
- Winter Wonderland
- Magik
- Magnus, Namor, and Magneto
- The Peni Parker
- Speedy Racoon Red Witch
- Spider-Man is
Force of Nature Star-Lord The Executioner
While A-listers like Doctor Strange, Black Panther, and Iron Man are certainly involved, lesser-known characters like Magik, Peni Parker, and Luna Snow show that the Hollywood heavy hitters aren’t the only ones. Having a varied cast of characters is crucial, in Sasser’s opinion, as it draws in gamers and fans from all around the Marvel Universe. This is something he discusses with Digital Trends.
At the moment, the roster is lacking a few of characters. At this moment, we do not have any confirmation that any Doctor Doom version is playable. An anime-girl-looking Galactus, who does not seem to be playable, is also hinted to in the Marvel Rivals trailer’s last moments. When I wanted to know more about Galactus’ part in Marvel Rivals, I approached Sasser, but for the time being, he was being vague. Even yet, Sasser did concede that, if NetEase finds a unique means or form to include them into Marvel Rivals, even big heroes that don’t seem to belong in these little venues may be considered.
What Sasser means is that there is a lot of leeway in terms of character design and how they are integrated into the game. “Nothing is necessarily off the table, and I’m not sure we could accomplish everything.”
Emotional state of heroism
Marvel Rivals’s fundamentals will be immediately apparent to anybody who has played Overwatch. Each character contributes in a unique way to the team’s overall makeup and has special skills that provide them an advantage in combat. Doctor Strange has the ability to conjure up gateways via which teams may invade. Luna Snow can deliver harm while healing others, while Loki may change into various heroes. Although not all heroes engage in direct combat, certain skills do meet the criteria for hero shooter games.
Some heroes have abilities that allow them to work together; for instance, Rocket Racoon can ride Groot’s back to unleash devastating havoc. While the game does assign players certain roles based on their character selection, Sasser says that the creators are aiming to “blur the lines” between these jobs so that players aren’t limited to a certain playstyle. As an added bonus, players have the option to switch heroes whenever they feel like things are going wrong.
Some of Sasser’s favorite characters to play as include Spider-Man, Rocket Racoon, Doctor Strange, and Magik. He goes on to say that compared to previous hero shooters, Marvel Rivals has a more emphasis on verticality and environmental damage. As an additional point, he said that “players don’t like to look straight up and straight down” while engaging in multiplayer scenarios. Solving these typical problems in hero shooters may be as simple as designing verticality on angles, letting environmental damage open up sightlines, or equipping heroes like Hulk with powers that can ground flying characters.
The fact that these heroes have superpowers that their followers recognize and like just adds to the appeal. In Overwatch 2, Blizzard has full creative control over each new character’s kit, whereas in Marvel Rivals, NetEase uses prominent heroes with famous skills. Making a competitively balanced shooter while being faithful to those characters is a delicate balancing act, according to Sasser.
“How can one strike a balance between ultimate blast and invulnerability when all superhero powers are so powerful?” This is what Sasser says. In the end, what matters is that we want an enjoyable experience, which is not an easy task. You should never feel deceived while playing, yet fairness is a bit of a vague term. You wish that when you lose, it’s because of a mistake you made and that you can take the lesson to heart. That players can comprehend what transpired and devise novel tactics and plans is the true objective of balancing.
How do you measure the success of a multiplayer game?
The experience working on Agents of Mayhem in 2017 taught Sasser a lot about hero design, he says. The single-player Agents of Mayhem is only one example of Sasser’s impressive resume in the multiplayer gaming industry. He has also contributed to Call of Duty 3, Ghost Recon: Future Soldier, Battlefield Hardline, and many more. The competitive element of outplaying other players and proving your mettle to friends is one of the two main draws for Sasser while playing and creating games of this genre. The other is the games’ replay ability.
He explains why competitive multiplayer games remain popular because of these two factors. “The drive to connect with others and the need to demonstrate mastery are our shared innate motivators. Playing Marvel Rivals also gives you the chance to show off your gaming skills. A lot of agency and decision-making power is at your fingertips throughout gaming. Such factors are powerful hooks for players to fall head over heels for multiplayer games, and the ideal player will naturally lean toward them.
However, players may have been oversaturated with live service and multiplayer games as of late. The creators of Marvel Rivals have extensive expertise in the multiplayer market, and the IP behind the game is powerful, but that doesn’t always mean it will be successful. Even when they’re adaptations of popular series, like Crossfire X or Suicide Squad: Kill the Justice League, new games are having a harder and harder time breaking in. When I asked Sasser what he thought would be the key to a successful contemporary multiplayer game in 2024, his response was straightforward: create an enjoyable game.
What drives Sasser to create games, he explains, is his passion of providing amusement for others. When individuals can take a break from their problems, forget about their problems, play, and enjoy themselves, it makes me happy. Assuming you can pull it off in a respectable manner, I think you’ll be able to earn a tidy profit on it. It may seem overused and cliched, but it’s really true. Having this fantastic, entertaining game is paramount; after that, everything else is secondary.
It has been revealed that Marvel Rivals is now only being developed on PC. In May, the first open alpha test will take place.
