You’d think that by now, the hero shooter genre mine would be completely emptied by now. And yet, here comes Marvel Rivals, kicking down the door with a cast of comic book icons and an attitude that’s somewhere between Overwatch and Saturday morning cartoon mayhem.
It shouldn’t work. It absolutely could’ve been a disasterpiece cash grab. But somehow, in its current state, it’s actually… pretty good. Marvel Rivals is what happens when you throw 6v6 team-based chaos into the blender with a hefty scoop of comic book fan service. It’s loud, fast, and surprisingly thoughtful under the surface, assuming you squint past the neon explosions and relentless one-liners. Each match feels like someone spilled a toy box and then dared you to make sense of it before the timer runs out.
Characters are divided into fairly familiar roles: tanks, damage dealers, and support. But instead of feeling rigid, there’s a bit more playfulness here. Hulk might be your meat shield, but he’s also a living missile if you team him up with Wolverine. Support characters are a little more hands-on than the usual ‘hide and heal’. The changes mean the roles aren’t quite as agreed upon – as many angry Reddit threads would tell you but it still mostly works.
The roster is suspiciously generous, at least for now. A proper mix of A-listers and more niche picks means you’ll probably find someone you love and someone you’ll never touch again. The good news? Everyone’s free at the start. The bad news? You’ll still spend far too long trying to figure out who you’re actually decent with before finally giving up and mainlining Scarlet Witch because she feels overpowered in the best kind of way.
What sets Marvel Rivals apart a little is how it treats the maps like breakable playgrounds. Almost everything is destructible to some degree, which sounds like a gimmick but actually adds a genuine strategic wrinkle. You can blast open routes, drop hazards on enemies, or just tear things down for the sheer catharsis of it.
Visually, it’s hard not to admire the commitment to the comic aesthetic. It’s stylised but still detailed enough that characters look properly heroic or villainous, depending on your leanings. Colours pop, abilities crackle, and while it can occasionally veer into sensory overload, it mostly stays just this side of fun chaos rather than visual soup.
Control-wise, everything feels tight. Whether you’re swinging around as Spider-Man or lobbing spells as Doctor Strange, there’s a satisfying snap to movement and attack animations. Abilities are clearly mapped and generally well-telegraphed, which is a blessing when the screen is half smoke, half lightning and half assorted debris
That said, it’s not without a few growing pains. Balancing is obviously a work in progress, as it always is with these sorts of games. Some heroes feel a bit too dominant while others struggle to make an impact unless you’re part of a coordinated squad, which is rare outside of more competitive play which I frankly don’t have the time for. There’s also no strict role queue, meaning you’ll regularly end up with three supports and no frontliner, unless someone takes one for the team. That someone may or may not be me…
Matchmaking is mostly snappy, and for a free-to-play title, the monetisation hasn’t gotten out of hand…yet. You’ll find cosmetics and battle pass fluff, but all the actual heroes are accessible without cracking open your wallet, which is refreshing in a world where every menu screams at you to buy something, and managed to keep me calm given my history with Marvel Snap.
Overall, Marvel Rivals feels like it has no business being this enjoyable. It walks the fine line between accessible and surprisingly deep, and despite the odd balance hiccup or character combo meltdown, it lands far more hits than misses. It’s not the future of competitive gaming, and it doesn’t pretend to be. It’s just a fun, flashy, scrappy little brawler with a lot of personality – and sometimes, that’s more than enough. We just have to see if it makes enough money for the overlords to keep the servers up.
Author: Tom, Cardiff Store
