Marvel unveils new Super Hero Team-based PVP Shooter, Marvel Rivals

After several developmental rumours and teasers, Marvel Entertainment has finally revealed their upcoming hero-based PvP shooter, called Marvel Rivals. Marvel Entertainment has partnered up with gaming company NetEase for their latest project, which looks to be a hero-based shooter similar to Overwatch and Paladins. 

Marvel Rivals has been confirmed to be a 6v6 game, with each player getting to choose between a roster of 16 different Marvel heroes. Additionally, NetEase has promised more heroes will be joining the fray with each seasonal update. The heroes confirmed for Marvel Rivals so far are -

• Spider-Man
• Hulk
• Iron Man
• Black Panther
• Doctor Strange
• The Punisher
• Groot
• Loki
• Rocket Raccoon
• Magik
• Namor
• Star-Lord
• Storm
• Peni Parker
• Magneto
• Luna Snow

The newly-release trailer gives players a pretty good idea of the gameplay that is soon to come. Each character will be diverse in their abilities and how they are played. Heroes like Rocket Raccoon and Luna Snow will depend on their ranged weapons to deal damage from behind cover, whereas heroes like Black Panther will be much more up-close and short-ranged.

These battles will take place across several iconic Marvel locations, such as Tokyo 2999 and Asgard. These maps will also be destructible. Hence, the environment will change as the battle goes on. 

Everything you need to know about Marvel Rivals

Release Date and Platforms

While no official release date has been announced for Marvel Rivals yet, NetEase has announced a closed Alpha test beginning May 2024. This alpha version will only be available on Steam and Epic Games. However, as players get further in the game's developmental cycle, they can surely expect it to go beyond a PC Game to be released for consoles as well. 

 

Hero Abilities

Marvel Rivals will grant you different abilities for each hero you select. This will largely change your gameplay style and the role you play for the team. From the trailer, nothing looks to be too out of the ordinary. Each character possesses a primary fire with the left click and a secondary fire with the right click. Additionally, they may have up to three other abilities and a devastating ultimate. For example, one of Dr Strange's abilities that is visible in the trailer allows him to create a portal.

This allowed other members of his team, such as Spider-Man, to jump in the portal and quickly travel across the map where the action was taking place. The number of abilities that each character has in Marvel Rivals may change depending on the hero you select. However, one feature that all heroes have in common is the ultimate. 

Game-Changing Ultimates

Ultimates are special abilities that will take longer to charge than other abilities but can have a huge impact on the game. Players were given several abilities to take a look at during the trailer. For example, the Incredible Hulk's ultimate, titled "Hulk Smash", allowed him to grab an enemy and slam them on the floor repeatedly.

Iron Man launched a devastating Pulse rifle attack, Doctor Strange can use his Eye of Agamotto, and Peni Parker's spider-suit grows spinners that can be used to damage multiple enemies at once. 

Team-up Feature

The most unique feature of Marvel Rivals is the team-up feature. This allows two players in your team to combine their powers and fight the enemy together. When triggered, the "Team-up activated" prompt will be displayed on your screen. 

Players got to see an example of this in the trailer with Rocket Raccoon and Groot. Rocket jumps up and rides on Groot's shoulders, allowing the duo to harness Groot's movement and Rocket's range to become an even more threatening foe. Similarly, there exist many such team-up combos like Iron Man and Hulk that you can explore during gameplay.

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