Generation Gamer's review of MultiVersus

We're living in an era where fighting games are becoming more and more exciting. From Tekken 7 to super Smash Bros ultimate, there is a wide selection of fighting games for us to dive deep into. However, now, we have a brand new contender for the title of best fighting game, and this one has the potential to have a roster of characters that literally everybody can be on board with. Not to mention, it’s completely free-to-play!

MultiVersus has a roster that might be better than essentially any game out there. More and more updates will begin to come for the game now that it’s fully out and playable for everyone. We can expect it to quickly become one of the best fighting video game experiences of this generation.

A Smashing Entry to the Genre!

MultiVersus just came out, and it has already become one of the biggest fighting game hits in the industry. This is due to the astounding gameplay that you can find in this free-to-play multiplayer fighting game. It is VERY similar to Super Smash Bros in its style and gameplay format. Your objective in this game is to inflict damage on your opponents, and increase the damage percentage until you make it simpler to launch them into the abyss at the edge of the screen for an instant kill. The characters in game can unleash strikes by pointing the analogue stick up, down, or to the side while using the two designated attack buttons, which represent basic hits and flashier special attacks.

The 2v2 mode is intended to be the primary game mode in MultiVersus, this makes it a bit different from the competitor games. Moreover, each character in MultiVersus has a class that supports a particular playstyle. You can craft teams which complement one another, which makes the duo team battles so much more fun. There's a team composition for every character in the game from the tanks, the bruisers, the assassins, or the ranged mages and support classes. If you're playing against a pro duo, then you’re definitely going to need a well thought-out team composition. I would suggest you pair up Bugs Bunny and his cartoon gimmicks with Wonder Woman's maneuvers and crowd control for some iconic power combinations.

The game has some of the tightest controls and super fluid animations. This is the one thing that had me worried before I got to play the closed beta, and all my worries were thrown out of the window. This game has surprisingly fast input and some of the best move combinations that you’d find in a chaotic action platform fighter of its kind. The simple gameplay systems are so well executed that the game flows like butter. You can navigate your character mid-air by using the evade option, you can double jump to get away from danger and dodge projectiles. You can even use both of those features to prepare a deadly attack of your own to deal an EXTENSIVE amount of damage. There’s no ledge grabs here, so Player First added wall leaps to the game where you can jump off of walls like you can in Brawlhalla.

Perks, Perks, PERKS!

The game gives you an option to equip up to four perks, adding a level of customization to improve your performance, assist your partner, or even try to undermine your opponents' squad. Three of them could be bonus passive perks that influence characteristics like movement speed, damage delivered and power gains. The fourth slot is occupied by signature perks, which change the attacks and abilities of particular characters.

Taz for example may cut up an anvil if he consumes an opponent projectile while Iron Giant may leave flame walls in the wake of his jet boosters. This makes for some really cool moments in the game’s combat system. These perks add to the element of strategy to every match, and make your team composition plans that much more rewarding.

Collectable Heaven!

There’s so much to collect here in MultiVersus. The battle pass is literally littered with content that you can access, and you can also purchase in game items and cosmetics for your characters. The more you play the game, the more you have a chance of unlocking the goods. everything that you see in the game will enhance your gaming experience, and the more stuff you unlock the better you will become at the game.

There's no pay to win system here, all the perks are unlocked through playing, but the cosmetic items that come with unique changes to your characters’ attack designs, can be some of the best artistic impressions in game.

The Stages Need Some Work...

The game modes in MultiVersus are phenomenal. They can take the form of a 1v1 duel, a 2v2 duo clash, or a four-player free-for-all in settings like a creepy Scooby Doo-inspired mansion or the gadget-filled Bat Cave. Beyond those two noteworthy stages, the limited range of stages is sadly generic and lacks any identity or ‘wow’ factor.

They are apparently based on iconic locations such as the Adventure Time treehouse, but they don't really feel iconic to look at. However, the music comes in as a saving grace for the stages. I genuinely loved fighting in the Sky Palace due to the phenomenal version of the Steven Universe theme created for the game.

A Roster to Die For!

Last year we had another Smash wannabe. Nickleodeon All-Star Brawl was fun but it was barely good enough to compete. However, MultiVersus has unquestionably received strong backing from Warner Bros. and the funding necessary to realize developer Player First's ambitions. This game not only has characters from Steven Universe, The Iron Giant, and even Game of Thrones, but it also features the DC superhero trinity of Superman, Batman, and Wonder Woman, along with Bugs Bunny, Taz, Finn and Jake from Adventure Time, Harley Quinn, Velma and Shaggy. There's 17 playable characters in the open beta, but the cast is already scheduled to grow in the upcoming months thanks to the addition of basketball and Space Jam superstar LeBron James. Not to mention, the expected arrival of none other than scientific genius Rick Sanchez and his grandson Morty in the August update.

Thanks to the impressively loyal voice cast, the roster is diverse and full of personality despite being small. Beloved voice actors such as John DiMaggio as Jake the Dog, Matthew Lillard as Shaggy, Maisie Williams as Arya Stark and the legendary Kevin Conroy as Batman significantly contribute to the authenticity of these characters. It's fun to hear characters that have never met interact with each other in same the voices we remember from the cartoons and movies we've loved for so long. Definitely appreciate additions like Reindog as well, a unique creation that creates room for more fresh ideas to enter Multiversus moving forward.

Verdict:

This is a boisterous and entertaining competitive platform fighter where players are rewarded for identifying the advantages and disadvantages of its diverse roster of characters and cooperating as a team. It does a good job of differentiating itself from other games in the genre despite lacking the pick-up-and-play appeal of a game like Smash Bros. Yes, MultiVersus puts a huge emphasis on online 2v2 gameplay as that is the primary way of playing, but it is still an exciting venture for casual players as well. MultiVersus' foundations are already incredibly strong. However, it may take some time for it to expand its constrained assortment of stages and characters to match its brilliant potential. If the game ever reaches that point, which I’m quite certain it will due to the extremely high level of support it’s seeing, this will be a game that will define a generation of fighting games to come.

OUR RATING: 9/10