Player First Games is on track to release the fighting game MultiVersus, a new multiplayer platformer that splits the extensive roster of characters from the Warner Bros. catalog. together in chaotic battles. It’s easy to compare MultiVersus to other fighting games in the genre, like Nintendo’s smash hit, Super Smash Bros., but after spending a few hours throwing fists, kicks, and lasers against the WB team, There are a lot of things that impress me about MultiVersus that make it stand out, and will be a game worth keeping an eye on this year.
MultiVersus is different from games like Super Smash Bros. Ultimate and Nickelodeon All-Star Brawl in their focus on team battles. 2v2 is the main mode of the game, with characters taking on roles in duos that combine optimally in battle. The fighters are divided into classes that represent the fighting style they are best at. Batman is a brawler, Game of Thrones’ Arya Stark is the assassin, Bugs Bunny is the mage, Superman is the tank and Steven Universe is the support. These designations gave me a top-level idea of who would work well on a team together and hinted at their playstyle. Of course, a tank class like Wonder Woman will try to protect her teammates when danger flares up while mages attack from afar, sometimes with traps or difficult projectiles. Assists work in a number of different ways, providing their body as a throwable or movable weapon acts as a safety like Reindog’s leash move. Other supports like Steven will throw shields at their teammates or increase their abilities in different ways. It’s interesting to try different combinations and see which synergies work in practice.
Matches play out a lot like Smash Bros., with the goal of damaging your opponents, increasing the distance they will fly when a powerful attack hits the ground, and eventually sending them out of bounds into the abyss. deep around the stage. Winners are named when the last shares or lives of a team are taken. Every character has the same standard control scheme for this type of fighting game, including normal and special attack buttons, each with different moves depending on which direction you swipe the analog stick. , jump, dodge, tilt taunts are mapped to the d-pad. MultiVersus stands out in its recovery mechanism, which does not include grab and hang from ledges but allows wall-jumping to climb to safety.
To create a character of your own, each member of the squad has a set of perks that can be equipped to modify different aspects of the game. For example, Superman has a perk that allows him and any teammates to triple jump when certain conditions are met, keeping them in the air for longer, while Taz can increase his team’s damage when they deal damage with moves that knock enemies back horizontally. Each player can use three standard perks, with the fourth being unique to each character and adapting that fighter’s special attack. Using Taz as an example again, his tornado move can be tweaked with a signature ability to mirror the projectile at the expense of it moving more slowly. I’ve enjoyed what perks have to offer to support my preferred gameplay, but I’d be lying if I wasn’t worried about this system being abused in some way and disrupting the game’s meta for both. the most casual players. remove it online.
The battle UI will look weird at first, but I’m increasingly liking the presentation of important information MultiVersus provides. Character damage information displays directly below them, with summoner and debuff spells appearing above the character model instead of in a fixed location outside the scene of battle. It’s distracting for the first match or two, but given how quickly characters can move around the screen, I’d like to be able to keep track of how much damage my opponent or I’ve dealt. out without having to scan those numbers from the action at hand.
While I was impressed by a lot of what MultiVersus had to offer, the battle was still not as impactful as it should be. Less of a feeling that I would throw an enemy into ether when their damage stats are important. Instead, the attacks felt like they barely budged the opponent, making it difficult to tell if landing just one more sure-fire hit would drive the final nail in the coffin. I would also like to see more impact on attacks in general; Even Superman’s haymakers feel like you’re punching a pillow.
MultiVersus is a free game and there will be microtransactions and battle pass, but I was assured by game director Tony Huynh that only aesthetic options cost real money and everything related to the game can be obtained just by playing the game . That means any character is unlocked by collecting gold in battles and paying them with that currency, which is how it is currently in the alpha build. The same goes for the perks earned by playing with and leveling up a character along with paying the gold earned to gain access to them. As for the cosmetics available, the characters will have quite detailed alternate costumes like Samurai Batman or Jake the Dog’s reskin for Cake the Cat. There are also different animations that can be played as you take down an opponent – I’m a huge fan of Porky Pig “It’s Everyone!” animation to rub some more salt in the wound – and swappable announcer voice packs and taunts. There’s a lot to unlock between unlocks pass the battle and track each character’s own level just by playing the game.
I entered MultiVersus’ alpha test with low expectations. Aside from Smash Bros., the big-brand hybrid warriors feels empty and has an overwhelming roster, but I’ve been impressed with what I’ve played so far. So far, the cast has been great, and each character brings unique gameplay and mechanics to the fight. It’s clear that in the all-star voice cast (Kevin Conroy as Batman, Matthew Lillard as Shaggy, Maizie Williams as Arya) and detailed animations, a great deal of care has been taken into the implementation of the expressions. This beloved icon of the franchise into gaming and doing justice. I’m planning to schedule more matches in the coming days and look forward to checking it out in future tests in the hopes of more characters and some minor changes to make the battles feel better. found to be more impactful.
The current closed alpha version will run until May 27, and there is likely room to still be available for testing. You can register on Website MultiVersus and notify that the code is sent your way before the event ends. Otherwise, the platform fighting game will enter open beta in July, with a full release in the future, though Huynh and Warner Bros. Games has yet to suggest a timeframe for that.
To know more about MultiVersus we have many videos show gameplay without commentand a New game today with myself and Alex Stadnik, where we discussed our time with the alpha build of the game and addressed what we liked about it and our concerns after it was first released. enjoy WB warrior.
