NetEase Games and Marvel have released highly anticipated, free-to-play online hero shooter Marvel Rivals on PC (Steam, Epic Games Store), PlayStation 5, and Xbox Series X/S.
Rivals has been criticized by some for being an Overwatch clone, but many of those critics have been silenced after seeing Rivals’ vibrant and dynamic art style, smooth gameplay, and huge roster of heroes.
At launch, Rivals features 33 playable heroes, all instantly unlocked, from across the Marvel universe pantheon. The list includes familiar MCU Avengers and Guardians of the Galaxy, alongside a few X-Men mutants, and lesser known heroes such as Cloak & Dagger. And everyone’s favorite adorable land shark!
- Adam Warlock
- Black Panther
- Black Widow
- Captain America
- Cloak & Dagger
- Doctor Strange
- Groot
- Hawkeye
- Hela
- Hulk/Bruce Banner
- Iron Fist
- Iron Man
- Jeff the Land Shark
- Loki
- Luna Snow
- Magik
- Magneto
- Mantis
- Moon Knight
- Namor
- Peni Parker
- Psylocke
- Rocket Raccoon
- Scarlet Witch
- Spider-Man
- Squirrel Girl
- Star-Lord
- Storm
- The Punisher
- Thor
- Venom
- Winter Soldier
- Wolverine
Heroes come in three classes: Vanguard for defensive tanks, Duelist for damage-dealers, and Specialists for healing and support.
Marvel Rivals is a 6v6, objective-based hero-shooter, where teams pick heroes and compete to move (or deny) convoys, or fight over key areas.
The free-to-play game is monetized through seasonal battle passes, as well as purchasable skins. Rivals launches with the Season 0 Battle Pass, Chronovium. The initial season will last about half as long as future passes (about 30 days) and cost half as much, about $5 as oppose to $10.
One awesome aspect of these battle passes: they never expire. Players can use their earned Chrono Tokens to unlock skins, sprays, emotes and more any time they like, making Rivals’ passes very friendly to us gaming parents with little time!
So far, I’ve also been impressed with the server load. I was annoyed that Rivals never hosted an open beta stress test, like every other free-to-play online game. But my fears were unfounded, Rivals’ launch has been refreshingly smooth.
One complaint though: while Rivals does feature cross play, it lacks cross-progression. Players will need to decide on a platform and stick with it.
Marvel Rivals is available now on Steam, PlayStation, and Xbox, and rated T for Teen.
