Marvel Rivals

Is this the best Hero Shooter yet?

Marvel Rivals serves as one of many games in the hero shooter genre. These types of games have ranged anywhere from Overwatch to Valorant, but on December 6th, 2024, Marvel Rivals took the world by storm. Developed by NetEase (with the help of Marvel Games), the chance to play as some of your favorite superheroes was something none of us could pass up on.

In its early days, Rivals even reached a peak of 650,000 players, which is very impressive for a brand-new game on the scene. But how has Rivals fared over time—both on its own and compared to other games in the genre?

Character Roster

Before diving into gameplay features, I want to take a moment to say that Marvel Rivals does not fall short when it comes to character choices. Let’s take a quick second to list every playable character as of October:

Adam Warlock, Angela, Black Panther, Black Widow, Blade, Captain America, Cloak & Dagger, Daredevil, Doctor Strange, Emma Frost, Groot, Hawkeye, Hela, Human Torch, Hulk, Invisible Woman, Iron Fist, Iron Man, Jeff the Land Shark, Loki, Luna Snow, Magik, Magneto, Mantis, Mister Fantastic, Moon Knight, Namor, Phoenix, Psylocke, Rocket Raccoon, Scarlet Witch, Spider-Man, Squirrel Girl, Star-Lord, Storm, The Punisher, The Thing, Thor, Ultron, Venom, Winter Soldier, and Wolverine.

Once again, I’ve got to commend this game for offering such a wide variety of playable characters—there’s truly a favorite for everyone. However, like most games, Rivals also has its meta characters that feel just a little more overpowered than others. Personally, I found my groove using Cloak & Dagger, but going up against a skilled Spider-Man was never an easy task.

Gameplay and Experience

Overall, the game is just fun to play—especially when you’re running matches with a group of friends. The fact that it’s free-to-play is a huge bonus. The pacing feels smooth, and the gameplay flow keeps things engaging. We have our standard hero shooter modes, such as Escort and Domination, which are solid choices. A few additional modes would definitely be a major plus, though, since things can get repetitive after a while—but that’s a common issue across most multiplayer games.

Matchmaking and Performance

The biggest concern regarding gameplay is definitely matchmaking. Man, the amount of times I queued up solo only to get absolutely demolished with random teammates was insane. In Rivals, it often feels like you can win one match just to lose the next five.

Another issue—though it’s not constant—is game crashes. I only ran into it once or twice myself, but plenty of players have dealt with it multiple times. And trust me, there’s nothing worse than trying to chill and game only to get hit with performance issues or sudden crashes.

Player Base and Longevity

Rivals is still a game I can go back to anytime, but there’s no denying that the hype has slowed down. Recently, it was reported that the game has lost around 85% of its player base. I haven’t been as active on Rivals as I used to be, so that could be due to stability issues or a lack of new content. Still, I don’t see that as the game “dying.” Instead, I see it as Rivals narrowing down to its core player base—and now it just needs to focus on retaining those players.

Final Thoughts

All in all, Marvel Rivals is still a very fun game, and personally, it’s more enjoyable to me than games like Overwatch or Valorant, mainly because I’m a big Marvel fan. That said, Valorant remains the top dog in the hero shooter genre due to its massive player base and viewership, while Overwatch still holds the title as the most iconic.

Marvel Rivals deserves to stand alongside them on that list. For me, it earns a solid 7.5/10.