Marvel Rivals Closed Beta preview - A new era of heroes and villains

After a successful alpha playtest, Marvel Rivals is back with a new closed beta. Live till August 5, 2024, returning fans and newcomers can get a taste of what's to come in the final build whenever the NetEase developer 6v6 hero shooter is finally out. In this preview, we'll divulge our hands-on experience with the closed beta, including the roster, game modes, gameplay, and more.

Furthermore, do the Overwatch comparisons ring true, or is Rivals its own thing? We'll answer these questions and more in our early impressions of Marvel Rivals.

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Marvel Rivals Closed Beta is a case of the familiar with a new coat of paint

Addressing the elephant in the room, yes Marvel Rivals will feel very familiar for Overwatch fans - but it is by no means an Overwatch clone. It's surely inspired, but it also has ample differences that keep it from being the new Overwatch 2 replacement for most users. But before we address that can of worms: what exactly is Marvel Rivals?

It is a third-person hero shooter by Chinese developer NetEase that pits iconic Marvel heroes and villains against one another in heated skirmishes for victory. The biggest highlight of Marvel Rivals is undoubtedly the roster. From household names such as Spider-Man, Hulk, Star-Lord, and Doctor Strange, to underrated ones, like Magik, Peni Parker, Namor, and Luna Snow, there are 23 iconic characters to pick from.

Each character brings their unique skill set to the table, authentically derived from the hero or villain's Marvel lore. All characters fall under one of three classes: Vanguard, Duelist, and Strategist, which fill the familiar roles of Tank, DPS, and Support, respectively. As someone who primarily mains the latter two in Overwatch 2, I found myself gravitating to those specific roles.

The Practice Range is great for checking out each character's kit (Image via NetEase)

Overall, the third-person gameplay is fluid and fast-paced, and some heroes like Iron Man and Venom have fun kits; however, there is some jank present when it comes to the camera and certain abilities, like The Punisher's zipline. One key aspect that differentiates this game from its hero shooter competitors is the destructive environment - one of the primary marketing points for Marvel Rivals.

While the maps themselves are serviceable for what they are, with objectives like capturing the point or escorting payloads, the destructible environment hampers the gameplay instead of adding a strategic layer. This is largely due to the respawning assets and debris both sometimes obstructing moment-to-moment gameplay; frankly, the environmental destruction could be removed completely from the game without impacting the gameplay negatively.

Scarlet Witch is essentially a damage-focused Moira (Image via NetEase)

That said, Overwatch fans will certainly find many similarities between several of Blizzard's characters and Marvel Rivals' roster. Scarlet Witch is a DPS Moira main's dream as the Duelist's primary attack functions just like the Overwatch Support's offensive secondary fire. However, her Ultimate is more like that of D.VA, another Overwatch hero, as she explodes a swathe of Chaos Energy in her vicinity, which, while risky to pull off, is also satisfying.

Unique Team-Up Abilities also exist, allowing certain matchups of Marvel Rivals characters to gain new abilities in battle, whether offensive or support. These range from Rocket Racoon being able to mount Groot's shoulder to gain damage reduction, Luna Snow imbibing ice powers to Namor's attacks, and Scarlet Witch granting Magneto a sword to attack with. Some are more useful than others, like the ice one.

Two new characters, Thor and Jeff the Land Shark, were recently added to the closed beta, with the latter, in particular, being my new favorite. The adorable shark-pup is a Strategist who can damage foes with a water burst and spew a stream of healing water to rejuvenate allies' HP. He is also one of the most mobile heroes on the roster and one of the more fun picks.

Jeff can also ride Groot's shoulder like Rocket (Image via NetEase)

Whichever characters players choose to main, they can opt for unranked Quick Play matches and Competitive when they reach level 5 on their profile. An Arcade-esque mode called Conquest is also available and is perhaps the best way to practice heroes against other players since respawns after death are instant.

That is a great thing because despite many similarities, most if not all Marvel Rivals characters are very different compared to Overwatch heroes, with distinct kits, synergies, and more - even though they aren't as complex. As such, fans of other hero shooters will still have something or the other to keep them hooked here - at least casually.

We can't wait for the game's final build to be released. The closed beta is available for PC, PS5, and Xbox Series X|S platforms.