Marvel Rivals review: Avengers, X-Men, and villains, all assemble!

Marvel Rivals is undoubtedly one of the most exciting games I have played and reviewed in a long time. The game is yet another addition to the hero-shooter genre, but it takes you to a 6v6 format instead of the standard 5v5 schema. The game has characters across the entire Marvel universe, including both heroes and villains. All of that included, Marvel Rivals feels like a set for some secret Avengers movie that will never possibly be released.

If you are a fan of the original Overwatch 1, the 6v6 standout feature might already make you rush to play the game, if you have not already done it. However, there are some nuances to this format that might not be all smiles and sunshine, especially from a competitive standpoint. However, the inclusion of everyone's beloved heroes and their lore-accurate (mostly) depiction makes the game worth it, even with minor shortcomings.

Are you a fan of the Marvel Cinematic Universe or of the comics? Are you a fan of hero-shooter games? If your answer to either of these questions is yes, then Marvel Rivals is a game worth checking out. Keep reading this Marvel Rivals review to find out more about my thoughts on this game.

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Marvel Rivals is the superhero game everyone deserves and needs right now

Characters: Where heroes and villains collude

You can play as heroes or villains in Marvel Rivals. (Image via NetEase Games)

Marvel Rivals is every child's dream who grew up reading the comics and went on to become a fan of the Marvel Cinematic Universe. Whether you are a fan of Spider-Man or want to see the realization of Magneto's Homo Superior ideology - Marvel Rivals gives you the freedom to play as anything. Heroes, villains, anti-heroes, nothing is considered immoral or unethical here.

There are quirky interactions between heroes as well, which is once again very lore-accurate. Some quick banter between Venom and Spider-Man, brotherly disharmony between Thor and Loki, or everyone adoring Jeff the Land Shark — the dialogues will make you chuckle every once in a while.

Team-Up Abilities: By the power of friendship

All Team-Up Abilities in Marvel Rivals. (Image via NetEase Games)

Character synergies have always existed in all hero-shooter games, but Rivals has elevated this by adding their own Team-Up abilities. Essentially, characters who are related by lore can buff each other or give you some unique ability or passive ability. This unique mechanic also opens up a lot of strategic options. Sometimes, these often change the entire playstyle of some heroes.

While Team-Up Ability is not a necessity, most players see this as a free buff. For me, Magneto has been a go-to Vanguard (mostly because I main Sigma in Overwatch), and a Scarlet Witch in my team changes my attacking style completely. Similarly, Spider-Man and Peni Parker can gain special Symbiote abilities if a Venom is in the team as well.

Gameplay: Peace was never an option

Matches can get very chaotic in Marvel Rivals. (Image via NetEase Games)

Marvel Rivals gameplay is a combination of chaos, imbalance, and one Spider-Man or Iron Fist using "unlimited melee works" to finish you off. The individual characters have very comic-accurate abilities, with each character bringing their unique style to the game. In fact, The Punisher, Winter Soldier, Black Widow, and Rocket Raccoon are the only characters in the entire roster to use guns!

All other characters use their own super-power or tech as seen in the Marvel comics, and their playstyle revolves around these as well. NetEase Games have to be applauded here for making the characters seem very different. There might be some main archetypes like dive, poke, or control, but each hero plays differently from the others.

You cannot master one agent and hope to do well with another from the same category. The individual skill level of each character is different, and you need a substantial amount of knowledge to master a hero.

To take things up a notch, there are destructible environments on every map, adding a new dynamic layer. You can create interesting chokepoints or new pathways with the destructible elements, which can greatly affect the flow of a match. Overall, Marvel Rivals has a skill ceiling that is generally higher than other games like Overwatch or Paladins in the hero-shooter genre.

Some heroes like Iron Fist are very imbalanced right now. (Image via NetEase Games)

However, this has also caused a very severe side-effect — some characters are severely imbalanced. Take Iron Fist for example, who can melt an entire 650 HP tank with his full combo, and Iron Man can stay up in the air indefinitely with no care for fuel management. This can also be attributed to the overall roster, which currently has more Duelists than Vanguards and Strategists combined.

This imbalanced roster has yet another repercussion — team compositions. Unlike Overwatch 1 — which made sure a team has two players for each role — Marvel Rivals does not restrict you in any way. Your team can have as many heroes from each role. This means you can even have a team of six duelists, going full offensive.

This freedom comes at the cost of match quality. Mostly all players want to play duelists in a match. Popular heroes like Iron Man, Spider-Man, or Moon Knight get confirmed picks because of this. Strategists and Vanguard roles are more than often ignored, with people refusing to pick these even after constant losses. Even the competitive mode does not have this restriction, and matches tend to be extremely one-sided as a result.

Owing to this overall theme, team fights are not very frequent in Marvel Rivals, and mostly everyone tries to go for 1v1 fights. Even if you win a point, it is mostly due to a Psylocke or Iron Fist clearing out the entire team while you just provide moral support. Most fights do not feel very rewarding when won this way. Over time, this particular aspect does seem to change, and the player base is slowly adapting to the concept of combos and team fights.

The game has an elaborate ranking system. (Image via NetEase Games)

For casual gamers, this will not be a very big problem, but seasoned Overwatch players or competitive enjoyers might find matches to be extremely dissatisfactory overall, at least till they reach a high enough rank. However, getting to this high rank will mean conquering the lower ones first, where people will still focus on solo skirmishes.

Graphics and performance: It's not fully optimized right now

Marvel Rivals is nothing short of a color-pop. The maps are vibrant and unique, with realistic elements. The game might feel like a burst-out scene from a Marvel comic book, but NetEase has achieved the right balance to make it seem absolutely realistic and soothing to the eyes.

With all these elements, Marvel Rivals is very demanding on your Graphics card. My setup with 12th generation i5 and 3060 Ti runs at around 90% GPU usage on medium settings, and the GPU temperatures soar to around 80 degrees Celcius.

That said, there are countless bugs and glitches currently haunting the game. Unreal Engine 5 is a prime factor, and I have had my game crash at least four times since its launch. Most of these crashes have occurred mid-game or during the match-end, and every time an Unreal Engine report was sent by my system to the developer.

Marvel Rivals has an MVP screen, but no POTG. (Image via NetEase Games)

In-game graphics, on the other hand, has been really smooth. There are no visible rendering issues, and loading times during matches or at the main menus are fast. Matches are fast and smooth, and even the end-game animations are extremely satisfying.

The general UI is also very easy to navigate, and you can explore each option with the click of a button easily. The lack of a "Play of the Game" feature is somewhat disappointing to me. However, it's something I am willing to overlook considering the overall fun I have.

In conclusion

Marvel Rivals' existence proves that the power of the Marvel universe has potential outside of the standalone games, and into the hero-shooter genre as well. With vibrant graphics, a really diverse roster, and their quirky Team-Up Abilities, you can easily spend hours and hours in the game.

However, the current state of Marvel Rivals can be said to be a mixed bag at the best. The core gameplay loop is fun and exciting, but the balancing problems and performance issues can be a major hindrance to people, especially those running the game on lower-end setups.

These shortcomings aside, Marvel Rivals has the potential to become a truly great and unique hero-shooter game. If you are a fan of the Marvel franchise and like the hero-shooter, Marvel Rivals promises a fun ride that you should definitely check out.