Marvel Rivals Has One Big Problem At Launch, And It Is Making It Hard To Play

Marvel Rivals is off to an incredible start, having already pulled in millions of players. It's not hard to see why, especially considering it's based on one of the most currently popular IPs and its generous selection of heroes available at launch. In many ways, Marvel Rivals is showcasing the best way to launch a free-to-play experience, as perhaps best evidenced by its relatively fair battle pass model. Marvel Rivals has learned from the mistakes its predecessors suffered from, and its fans are benefiting greatly from it.

It also fixes previous Marvel games' mistakes, allowing fans to completely embody their favorite characters in a way they've never been able to before. However, while it is undeniably getting a lot right, Marvel Rivals has one fundamental flaw that's making it hard to play and could potentially ruin the game for new fans. In fact, this flaw is arguably also its biggest strength, making it a challenging facet of the game to contend with.

Marvel Rivals Has Way Too Many Characters

There Are 33 At Launch

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Marvel Rivals has a whopping 33 different playable characters for players to choose from when entering into a match. They range from recognizable villains and heroes to a handful of obscure ones, but none feel out of place thanks to the game's consistent and excellent art direction. However, while it is great to see so many characters plucked from the Marvel pantheon, the sheer number available on offer from the get-go is far too overwhelming, especially for newcomers to the hero genre.

For the most part, it feels like Marvel Rivals is hoping that players will just pick the person they like the most from the comics as a way of wading through the exhausting pool of characters. After all, jumping into a match and having to navigate through the 33 heroes, understand each of their abilities, and then how they best fit into a team is a challenge, especially when under a time limit. However, this isn't how most people will likely approach Marvel Rivals' roster, especially as it isn't a comprehensive collection and some heroes are worse than others.

The majority of hero shooters do not launch with such an extensive roster, largely because it can feel overwhelming, and it takes a significant amount of development time. Marvel Rivals' 33 heroes definitely feel distinct from one another, but that almost makes it worse, as it's hard to find a hero that fits into a specific playstyle when there are so many to choose from. For context, the original Overwatch only launched with 21 heroes, and TF2 only has 9.

It Is Hard To Get Invested In One Hero

There Are Too Many To Learn

The biggest complication that arises from Marvel Rivals' roster is that it becomes extremely difficult to get invested in any one character. If players want to find the one that's right for them, they'll need to play each and every one of them. As it'll take more than just one round to get to know a character properly and whether they're the right choice, players could be looking at three or four matches per hero, or 132 matches altogether. At roughly three minutes a round, it could take six and a half hours before players have properly tried every hero.

Now, that isn't a huge amount of time in the grand scheme of things, especially when players typically sink hundreds of hours into hero shooters. However, for newcomers to the genre, of which there are already potentially millions, it is a rather significant investment just to enjoy a game. Some players are likely to find their perfect character before trying all 33, but for those who want to be sure they're not missing out, or those who just revel in the opportunity to see everyone's unique abilities, it's a lot to ask.

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Luckily, Marvel Rivals is free, which makes putting in that time a little easier to stomach. However, even this could pose a problem, as players may drop off quickly due to there being no financial investment to keep them tied to it. Naturally, there will be a large group of players for whom this isn't an issue, especially those with plenty of time. Unfortunately, not everyone has the time to sink into a hero shooter. So, those looking to try out the latest trending game may feel overwhelmed and back out before seeing just how good Marvel Rivals is.

Marvel Rivals Will Only Get Bigger, And That Could Be A Problem

Expanding The Roster Will Make It Harder To Get Started

This problem will only get worse the longer Marvel Rivals is around. There are already so many characters Marvel Rivals might get in the future, especially thanks to cross-promotion with the several MCU films and TV shows releasing next year. When the roster balloons even further thanks to these additional characters, the onboarding experience for newcomers keen to try out whichever hero has just been added will become exponentially more challenging.

It remains to be seen whether newcomers are capable of processing the sheer number of characters in Marvel Rivals and whether NetEase is capable of ensuring they all remain balanced.

On top of that, Marvel Rivals' balancing issues will only get worse, as ensuring that 33 characters remain equally viable is already a gargantuan task, let alone however many extra are added over the next few years. In many ways, criticizing Marvel Rivals for releasing with an abundance of content seems counterintuitive, as it is important to celebrate free-to-play games that offer players a strong experience from the start.

However, there is a reason why other games within this genre, including pay-to-play ones, do not release with so many characters at launch and rarely hit that number several years later. It is very possible that this many characters could end up hurting the game, rather than helping sell it, although it is hard to see an alternative path for NetEase to have taken. There are so many popular characters within the Marvel universe that picking just a handful would have been a challenging task.

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Marvel Rivals does not have the luxury that Overwatch, TF2, and other hero shooters had, as it exists within a preexisting IP. Fans of that IP have expectations and characters they want to see. Compared to other games within the Marvel brand, like Ultimate Alliance, Marvel Rivals' roster is tiny. Ultimately, it remains to be seen whether newcomers are capable of processing the sheer number of characters in Marvel Rivals and whether NetEase is capable of ensuring they all remain balanced.

Source: Marvel Entertainment/YouTube