When I first played the closed alpha ofMarvel Rivals, I was thrilled to have a new hero shooter, but now that it has been released I find myself quickly getting tired of it. Honestly, I should have seen this coming.Overwatchcame out in 2016, and I played way too much of it for years. WhenMarvel Rivalscame out, I was excited about a new game to reinvigorate my interest in the genre,but that’s not really what I got.
Instead of getting areplacement forOverwatch,Marvel Rivalsfeels a lot more like I just got somenew skins forOverwatch. While it is far from a shamelessOverwatchripoff,Marvel Rivalsstill needed to do more to differentiate itself to really keep my interest. Now, I’m not saying there’s no way for the game to do that, butMarvel Rivalsdoes have its work cut out for it if it wants to win over fans who feel like they already played the game to death before its launch.
Marvel Rivals Feels Like An Overwatch Relaunch With New Heroes
Both Games Have A Lot Of Similarities
Probably the biggest argument in favor ofMarvel Rivals’ originality is its roster of heroes. I won’t lie, I was excited to see my favorite heroes like Captain America and Spider-Man on the list, as well as the weird picks likeJeff the Land Sharkfrom the Gwenpool comics. My (admittedly waning) enjoyment of Marvel properties was enough to at least get me to check outMarvel Rivalsdespite myOverwatchfatigue.
Marvel Rivals Gets Its First Major Update That Fixes Some Of The Well-Known Bugs
Shortly after launch, Marvel Rivals received its first major patch, which promises to fix some of the game’s well-known issues and bugs.
My initial thought when playingMarvel Rivalswas “Oh, this is justOverwatchwith new characters.” A friend that I alpha tested with even went so far as to dub it “Overwatchbut fun.” Even when I was the most enthused aboutMarvel Rivalsand its roster of heroes, I still found myself inevitably comparing it toOverwatch. The more I played, the more I started to realize that, while the characters had new names and looks, they weren’t even as different as I initially thought.
Marvel Rivals' Heroes Feel Like Combinations Of Overwatch Characters
Marvel Rivals Heroes Have Some Of The Same Abilities As Overwatch Heroes
Overwatch’s fingerprints are all over the designs ofMarvel Rivals’ heroes. It isn’t thatRivalsheroes have a complete one-to-one comparison with anOverwatchcounterpart, but instead that they feel almost like a mashup of several heroes. For instance,Star-Lord’s mobility and rapid fire guns feel very similar to Tracer. However, he also has an ability Tracer doesn’t, where he spins around firing his guns in multiple directions. This move feels very similar the ultimate ability ofOverwatch’s Reaper so, while it keeps Star-Lord from being a Tracer clone, most of his moveset still feelsOverwatch-adjacent.
AnyOverwatchplayer is likely to recognize even more similarities. Squirrel Girl’s acorns and ability to launch herself into the air both feel very Junkrat. Though the two heroes are different in some ways, Magneto’s shield feels very reminiscent of Reinhardt’s. Scarlet Witch’s basic attack is essentially the same as Symmetra’s, and Hawkeye essentially feels like a slightly reworked Hanzo. Luna Snow may be one of the most egregious examples, with her skating ability, role as a healer, and role as a musician all being very similar to Lucio (whose name even sounds like a portmanteau of Luna Snow).
Now these similarities alone wouldn’t be enough to ruinMarvel Rivalsfor me. Many of the abilities in both games are pretty standard for this type of competitive game. And it’s now likeOverwatchwas completely original. Roadhog’s hook was essentially just the FPS version of Thresh’s fromLeague of Legends. However, the similarities between the two games’ heroes are only part of the issue.
Marvel Rivals Has The Exact Same Game Modes And Similar Maps
Marvel Rivals Also Features Modes For Pushing Points Or Playing King Of The Hill
HadMarvel Rivalsoffered a new gameplay experience, the fact that its heroes feel likeOverwatchFrankenstein creations wouldn’t have bothered me all that much. However,Rivals' two primary game modes are exactly the same asOverwatch’s. Both games feature a mode that sees an offensive team pushing a point (usually represented by some sort of moving vehicle) while the defensive team tries to stop its progress. The objective in both games' mode is a best-of-three king of the hill scenario.
Iron Fist Memes Continue To Run Rampant As Marvel Rivals Fans Desperately Request A Nerf
Iron Fist has been a hot topic since the recent release of hero shooter Marvel Rivals, and though the memes are funny, the punches are no joke.
Not only are the objectives and mechanics the same betweenOverwatchandMarvel Rivals,many of the mapsseem similar too. The starting area inOverwatch’s Hanamura, for instance, has a very similar layout toRivals’ Tokyo 2099 map. Honestly, it’s a little shocking that ifMarvel Rivalswas going to come so close to recreating the layout of an area fromOverwatchthat they wouldn’t even try to hide it by not having it set in the same country.
Again, in isolation, this could be forgiven. Both games are set in a parallel version of the real world and take inspirations from real countries. Likewise, it’s hard to say what isRivalscopyingOverwatchand what are just best practices for designing a level in this type of game. Still, when combined with the similarities between the two games’ heroes,Marvel Rivalsjust feels exhaustingly familiar.
Marvel Rivals Needs To Differentiate Itself More From Overwatch
Rivals Can Still Turn Things Around By Adding More Original Content
Luckily forMarvel Rivals, it’s just getting started. It also has the backing of one of the world’s most popular and lucrative IPs. There is plenty of time - and likely plenty of resources - forMarvel Rivalsto develop into a game with a more unique identity. One way it can do this is by giving players some featuresOverwatchhas failed to deliver on.
Ahead of the release ofOverwatch 2, players were excited about the prospect of a PVE mode. However, any plans for it have since been canceled. One wayMarvel Rivalscan set itself apart is by delivering a PVE mode to players. This could also help attract more players who are fans of Marvel but don’t necessarily enjoy competitive gameplay.
It doesn’t matter howMarvel Rivalschooses to differentiate itself fromOverwatch, but it is something the game needs to do if it wants to win me back. I will say that - although sharing some similarities with Doomfist - I found playing as Wolverine to be a refreshing experience and one that didn’t just have me thinking aboutOverwatchthe whole time. More unique heroes and perhaps some unique game modes will go a long way toward helpingMarvel Rivalsdevelop a stronger identity and perhaps get me excited about playing it again.
