Marvel and NetEase Games have announced a new game called Marvel Rivals. This is a multiplayer team-based hero shooter featuring superheroes and supervillains from the Marvel Universe. In it, two teams of six heroes will meet on battlefields such as Asgard and Tokyo 2099, which are designed to be destructible.
Marvel Rivals is being developed by a team consisting of developers who worked on the Call of Duty and Battlefield franchises. The game has the atmosphere of Overwatch, being a free-to-play game with an expandable lineup of heroes and villains, but it is played from the third person. Eighteen heroes and villains have been confirmed so far: Black Panther, Dr. Strange, Groot, Hulk, Iron Man, Loki, Luna Snow, Magic, Magneto, Mantis, Neymor, Penny Parker, Rocket Raccoon, Scarlet Witch, Spider-Man, Storm, Star-Lord, and The Punisher.
At least 12 of these characters will be playable in the upcoming alpha test. And given the huge population of the Marvel Universe, we can expect this number to grow.
A special feature of Marvel Rivals is the possibility of Team-Up – several characters can combine their forces to achieve an amazing effect. For example, Groot and Rocket Raccoon team up for shooting, and Hulk can lend Tony Stark powerful gamma radiation to strengthen his weapons.
The trailer shows a variety of powers and abilities inherent in Marvel heroes. Dr. Strange creates portals through which his team can travel. Loki transforms into other characters, gaining their superpowers. Black Panther summons a giant version of Bast to defeat enemies.
Game director of Marvel Rivals Thaddeus Sasser said that heroes and villains in the game will have a number of powers, and characters will not be tied to certain class roles. However, there will be something similar to categories, such as tank, damager, and support, to help players understand what a particular hero will do.
The developers call Marvel Rivals a shooter because of the game style, but it will have a combination of ranged, melee, and hand-to-hand combat styles.
«Why would a hero like the Hulk be given a gun?», says Sasser.
The developers are currently refining some of the game’s rules, including the choice of characters and the restrictions that will apply to teams. Details about the game modes will be available soon. The alpha test of the game is planned to be launched in May. Marvel Rivals will be released on PC, but it is currently unknown when it will happen.
Source: polygon