Marvel Games and NetEase have just announced Marvel Rivals, a new free-to-play Overwatch-style Hero Shooter coming to Steam and Epic Games later this year. The announcement comes after Marvel Games released a small teaser image yesterday which culminated today in a short gameplay trailer and official website launch for Marvel Rivals.
Marvel Rivals is a third-person 6v6 Hero Shooter which promises fun, frenetic combat between teams as they embody a wide repertoire of Marvel heroes and villains from across the multiverse. Compared to other hero shooters, one big focus for Marvel Rivals is destructible environments as we see various heroes tearing apart the landscape in the official trailer.
Magik and Black Panther
As of the first closed alpha test, which goes live in May 2024, there will be ‘over a dozen’ playable Marvel heroes and villains to play as from all across Marvel’s various properties, including The Avengers, X-Men, Guardians of the Galaxy and even some street-level heroes. From the trailer and promotional key art, the Marvel Rivals roster currently includes:
- Magneto
- Storm
- Scarlet Witch
- Namor
- Magik
- Iron Man
- Black Panther
- Dr. Strange
- Hulk
- Peni Parker
- Spider-Man
- Star-Lord
- Rocket Racoon
- Groot
- Mantis
- Loki
- Luna Snow
- The Punisher
When it comes to the heroes we saw in the trailer, there’s a lot to digest. For one, iconic Hero pairings such as Hulk and Iron Man or Rocket Racoon and Groot have unique Team-Up attacks: for example, Rocket Racoon can ride on Groot’s back whereas Hulk can supercharge Iron Man’s systems with his Gamma Energy. Secondly, there’s a lot of style and character to each of the various heroes. Loki can teleport around the map and take the form of an enemy hero (similar to Echo’s Ultimate from Overwatch) whereas Magick can transform into her demonic other form and Hulk can bounce between Bruce Banner and the big mean green.
Heroes vs Heroes
In terms of post-launch content, the official Marvel Rivals announcement post on the Marvel Games website mentions ‘robust post-launch support’ where new Super Heroes and villains will join the roster with each ‘seasonal drop’. With certain Marvel heavy hitters missing from the roster, it’s unsurprising that we’re going to get more heroes in the future and, based on the wording, it appears that Marvel Rivals will be following the seasonal cadence (and monetisation) that we’ve grown accustomed to from other live-service titles.
As for what kind of story or lore Marvel Rivals will offer, the official website gives more clarity as well as this story summary: “The merciless clash between the tyrannical dictator Doctor Doom and his future counterpart from the year 2099 has forced countless universes to collide in the Timestream Entanglement, creating new worlds and crises still unknown. Now, Super Heroes and Super Villains from across the multiverse must fight together and against one another as disparate groups seek to defeat both Dooms before one achieves domination of these realities.”
Battle Through Asgard
Marvel Rivals doesn’t currently have an official release date but we do know that there will be a closed alpha in May where players can try out 12 of the currently announced 19 heroes. You can sign up for the Marvel Rivals alpha test through the NetEase Website.
SOURCE: Marvel Rivals Announcement
