There are so many amazing superhero games now, covering everything fromMarvelto DC. It is a great time to be a comic book fan and an avid lover of video games - if only we didn’t have to sleep so I could catch up on both without pulling my hair out - and for that I am grateful. Of course, not every comic book video game is going to be a hit, but, for the most part, they’ve been exceptional. More importantly, many of them, such asMarvel Rivals, have gone on to devour everyone’s time thanks to their engrossing hooks.
Now, typically, I’d take this time to spotlight anunderappreciated Marvel gameor a superhero indie that needs the attention - check outDispatchandHenchman Storyon Steam - but I actually find myself in a rather baffling position. Rather than wishing I had more time to play the lesser-known superhero games, I actually find I wish I were playing the most popular one more. The only issue is thatI cannot gel with this incredibly popular game, no matter how hard I try, and it is down to one key problem I cannot overlook.
Marvel Rivals Is Too Competitive For Me
I Can’t Seem To Get Into It
I completely and utterly appreciate the love forMarvel Rivals. Not only did it garnerexceptionally positive reviewsat launch from both critics and fans alike, butit is also just a premium-feeling multiplayer experience that’s completely free. Its enormous and ever-growing roster of heroes and villains continues to be its highlight, but the numerous modes, maps, and varied abilities, not to mention the team-up feature, all coalesce to create what is undoubtedly the ultimate multiplayer Marvel experience.Marvel’s Avengersfeels like a mistake when compared toRivals.
However, as much as I do understand and, at times, love all of that, I have manyissues withMarvel Rivalsthat I can’t look past. They all stem from the fact thatRivalsis just too competitive for me. Many will almost undoubtedly sigh at that as, after all,Marvel Rivalsis a competitive multiplayer shooter. I get it, I do, butI always find it frustrating when a game is so perfectly positioned to offer a great single-player experience, and instead tumbles down the multiplayer route. In my opinion, that is absolutely what has happened withMarvel Rivals.
I’ve been playingMarvel Rivalson and off since launch, and I’m struggling. It isn’t that I’m bad at the game as I feel I’m fairly competent at it, at least enough to have a good time. Rather,Marvel Rivals’ridiculously large rosteris overbearing, and it only continues to get worse. I posited at launch that it would inevitably become uncontrollable and impossible to play as every character, and I feel I was right.There’s little point in attempting to learn every character inMarvel Rivals, which is antithetical to the entire premise of bringing together Marvel’s greatest characters.
This issue is further compounded by the fact thatMarvel Rivals’endless buffsand nerfs continue to make certain characters unplayable, such as the period in which multiple characters just couldn’t counter fliers as they’d become too overpowered. If you’ve mained one character, and they’re unexpectedly nerfed, then you’re forced to pick from the rest of the roster, which you’ve likely not bothered to learn.The competitive nature ofMarvel Rivalsencourages these issues to festerand worsen over time. It is no wonderMarvel Rivals’player count is dropping.
Marvel Rivals Would Be An Amazing Single-player Game
It Would Be The Ultimate Ultimate Alliance
All of these issues have made mecontemplate just how goodMarvel Rivalswould be as a single-player experience. Of course, there aresingle-playerMarvel Rivalsmodes, some of which are limited-time events and little more than an auto-battler mode, but these don’t quite suffice. They just take the core competitive multiplayer loop but put you against bots instead of people - which, as an aside, is an amazing inclusion that will future-proof the game for when it is inevitably taken offline.
Its huge budget, coupled withMarvel Rivals’huge roster, would make for a killerUltimate Alliancespiritual successor.
Instead of those modes,I envisionMarvel Rivalsas a successor to theMarvel’s Ultimate Alliancegames, which gave you dozens of characters to play as and set you across linear levels, solving puzzles and beating up bad guys. TheUltimate Allianceseries never quite lived up to its potential, nor its namesake, and I think that’s largely due to limitations and small budgets.Marvel Rivalsis backed by NetEase, which is moving into the single-player market with ahuge AAAUncharted-esque game. That budget, coupled withMarvel Rivals’huge roster, would make for a killerUltimate Alliancespiritual successor.
Marvel Rivals Needs Overwatch 2’s Promised Single-Player Mode
A Story Mode To Keep The Non-Competitive Fans Happy
Of course, this is still possible within the currentMarvel Rivalsframework. It could take inspiration fromOverwatch 2’scanceled PvE mode, which would have seen teams partner up to complete objective-based missions against AI opponents, not unlike the severely underratedBattleborn.Players could team up and take on missions inspired by comic book stories, or even uniqueMarvel Rivalscreations, with new stories being added during seasonal events. They could even tie into whatever upcoming Marvel movie is coming out.
A single-player mode, while perhaps not what the majority of multiplayer folks would be interested in, would also help keep player numbers up. It would usher in a new player base and would offer those who left the game a while ago a reason to come back. It isn’t dissimilar toFortnite’smodel of constantly expanding and adapting to meet the expectations of an ever-changing audience. I’m not saying a single-player mode would necessarily saveMarvel Rivals- nor that it needs saving right now - but it would both improve the game and offer something new to those who want it.
