Marvel Rivals is noisy, unbalanced, and surprisingly fun

NetEase Games’ Marvel Rivals will justifiably live in the shadow of Overwatch. Marvel’s new free-to-play, hero-based team shooter features many parallels to Blizzard Entertainment’s 8-year-old game, thanks to similar game rules and a selection of superheroes that sometimes feel like legally distinct versions of Overwatch characters. The experience of playing Marvel Rivals at launch feels a lot like Overwatch’s salad days: fun, fresh, and wildly unbalanced.

As Overwatch 2’s recent Classic mode reminded us, some players want precisely that.

Marvel Rivals does have a handful of features that distinguish it from its hero shooter competition. The game is played in third-person view, letting you see the heroes you’re playing as; maps have destructible elements that open up new routes and sightlines; characters have built-in synergies that encourage certain team compositions and hero pairings; and it has a long list of instantly recognizable Marvel heroes and villains, including Spider-Man, The Hulk, Iron Man, and Thor.

At launch, Marvel Rivals has a staggering 33 heroes to pick from, which can feel overwhelming at first. But if you’re a Marvel fan, or simply know of these characters through cultural osmosis, you’ll likely have a built-in awareness of what each hero and villain can do in battle (to a degree).

In addition to various playable Avengers and Guardians of the Galaxy heroes, Marvel Rivals’ roster includes some deeper cuts from Marvel lore, like Jeff the Land Shark, Luna Snow, and Peni Parker, all of whom help to diversify the roster in interesting ways. Jeff especially feels like a breakout character; he can heal his team with bubbles and streams of water, and hide from enemies by swimming underground. But it’s his ultimate ability that feels totally original: The diminutive Jeff can swallow up multiple teammates and enemies, then spit them out where the player sees fit. It’s not only a hilarious superpower — it’s an incredibly fun wrench to throw in your opponents’ well oiled strategy.

Some Marvel Rivals heroes feel directly cribbed from Overwatch, at least in parts. Scarlet Witch is basically this game’s Moira, sans healing. Hawkeye (understandably) feels like a mashup of Overwatch marksman Hanzo and his ninja brother Genji. Star Lord borrows some moves from Tracer and Reaper. Black Widow plays so much like Widowmaker that it’s especially egregious.

But unlike the simpler ability kits of Overwatch, Marvel Rivals’ heroes have much more complex sets of abilities, seemingly drawing some inspiration from the characters of MOBAs like League of Legends and Dota 2. Adding to the complexity is an ambitious gameplay idea called Team-Ups, which gives certain hero pairings and trios extra abilities. Hela, for example, can heal or resurrect her brothers Thor and Loki if those characters are all on the same team. Rocket Raccoon and the Punisher can team up to unlock infinite ammo. Hulk and Wolverine can team up for a variation on the ol’ Fastball Special from X-Men comics. These are all cool ideas, but you’ll need a thoughtful team that’s openly communicating to pull them off. In much of my solo queueing time with Marvel Rivals, I haven’t seen Team-Ups really exploited. It’s been mostly barely controlled chaos.

That said, Marvel Rivals’ skill ceiling is high, and coming to grips with the roster’s abilities and quirks takes a lot of work. It can be incredibly satisfying when they click, and you find a handful of heroes you vibe with.

During launch weekend, it seemed like my fellow players were also struggling to come to grips with Marvel Rivals’ complexity and overstuffed roster. Players mostly favored one-on-one skirmishes and damage-dealing over tactical team play. That resulted in some exciting action, and a few surprise wins, but nothing that matched the gameplay ambition that NetEase and Marvel Games seem to be going for in Marvel Rivals. Hopefully, the game and its player base will mature over time, while retaining the chaotic, refreshing fun of the launch experience. (Though certain characters, like Iron Fist and Hawkeye, definitely feel in need of a balance pass.)

Marvel Rivals certainly isn’t as refined or polished as Overwatch 2, a game I have nearly 800 hours in. But it does have a specific and charming energy. It’s flashy, visually dynamic, and (for the most part) feels really good to play. It’s just not very creative, feeling like a smartly branded imitator of a far more mature product. But Marvel Rivals is worth keeping an eye on, especially to see if it manages to catch up to its distinguished competition.

Marvel Rivals was released on Dec. 6 on PlayStation 5, Windows PC, and Xbox Series X. The game was played on PS5. Vox Media has affiliate partnerships. These do not influence editorial content, though Vox Media may earn commissions for products purchased via affiliate links. You can find additional information about Polygon’s ethics policy here.