We tried fighting games with Multiversus, Batman, Bugs Bunny, Finn, Jake and Scooby Doo

Possible future evolutions of fighting games have been discussed for years. On paper, the genre would have had all the references to cross the web and create huge ensembles, but the overall complexity of the mechanics, combined with a rather classical sales model, has always limited its representatives to more or less important niches. few rare exceptions that could be bat phenomena.

To date, the primary discussion seems to have centered on monetization: Few think so, given that the vast majority of such games now use season passes with extra characters to keep the community active and constantly renew the offer. transition to potentially useful structure free to play. On the other hand, breaking the financial barrier to entry and betting everything on getting updates and characters seems almost a natural step, mostly hindered by the weight of some historical names, but still able to move the market (Tekken or Street Fighter) and a good one. with justified distrust of games that have an internal store of the player slice.

Various developers and publishers have moved on to experiment in this space, predictably, for example, with Riot grappling with the promising Project L and a number of smaller teams trying very unfortunately to get noticed. But now it’s also called Warner Bros. and not superficially. Thanks to its numerous licenses, the entertainment giant has actually decided to pull Multiversus out of the hat: a fighting game with an outstanding cast featuring characters of the caliber of Batman, Bugs Bunny, Finn and Jake, Steven Universe, and Shaggy. .

Main idea? Not only to let everyone play for free, but also to be inspired by one of the most successful fighting games ever: Super Smash Bros. Tested in Multiversus preview and to be honest, we were expecting something much more derivative. We’ll see.

pure gold frame

As mentioned above, the main strength of Multiversus is, warrior listWarner Bros.’s licenses, on the other hand, guarantee field characters of immense popularity. It is almost impossible not to have (or will come in the future) at least one truly interesting player for this or that player.

However, the various fighters are not just smoke and mirrors: the developers tried to give each of them one at a time. move set It’s unique and iconic, with a diversity as evident as seen in Smash Ultimate’s best characters. Basically every choice is one of a kind sub class – tank for the most defensive, striker for the most offensive, and others more bizarre as a healer or assassin – and follows the classic Smash directional movement pattern for both normal and special strikes.

However, unlike Sakurai’s games, every basic attack here except the multi-hit combo can be loaded as a Smash attack, and most of the special moves require a bit. rechargeable sources over time or with the activation of some skills. Therefore, a Bugs Bunny specialist will have to decide when to use Acme missiles (which return to the ground after being launched as a decoy), where anyone using Batman will have to take into account the launched batarangs and the explosives used.

The uniqueness of the system does not depend only on these features. First, actually Multiversus is perfectly balanced around conflicts. two against twoComplete with pre-named support classes primarily designed to offer upgrades to companions or give them an advantage in battle.

Apart from the more aggressive ones, almost every fighter has at least one ability to “help”This allows him to offer bonuses to his partner, catch him instantly, and even take him back while flying below (yes, the elimination of enemies is always dependent on throw from the screen and damage percentages). ). The lack of one-on-one conversion of these abilities most of the time – while often providing some sort of benefit – clearly makes this method less refreshing and refined.

Another feature that clearly distinguishes the game from Smash is impressive. air mobility from the characters. Multiple maneuvers can be used, including double-dodge, jump and rescue, or one-to-one moves in mid-air for overall agility far superior to those seen in the Nintendo series. According to the developers, this thing is calculated to avoid the frustration of drops after a move gone wrong, but it’s also a choice that makes battles much more chaotic at the edges of arenas because it’s the only way. eliminating an opponent for the first time hits perfection with a so-called one virgothis is a move that can throw you down immediately without canceling it in any way.

All in all? This gameplay amused us. The defense relies entirely on dodging, with ever-dwindling times of invincibility and constant movement that makes everything so adrenaline. The only thing that doesn’t quite convince us is the general direction of the movement: Multiversus undoubtedly requires a good general command of the systems and precise calculation of distances, but at the same time the movements of the characters seemed drier and less intuitive. Master more than the fluid and technical movement of Smash Ultimate. That said, we appreciate the fact that Warner gave his little boy some personality without simple imitation.

Battle Pass, see you again

Moreover technical level The game convinced us enough, although it didn’t quite capture us artistically. The readability of the movements is above all excellent, the eye-catching and accurate animations and the cartoonish style with very bright colors do nothing but help the eye to follow the movement better (which is very useful in a title that focuses on a mod like the two) which are often not easy to keep up with. against two). However, the stylized design of the characters didn’t quite capture us, and although they do marry very well with some of them – especially superheroes in the ’90s that look a lot like the modernization of their looks in cartoons that saw them as heroes. – for others it does not seem equally adequate. Arenas, on the other hand, don’t boast who knows what personality, and maybe it would be nice to take more risks in terms of style.

nothing to say about network code: the games made have always been very stable and fluid and undo The ones used by the game appeared to us at an excellent level (although its robustness still needs to be tested with the playerbases of the early launch days). As it is a game that focuses almost exclusively on online competition, this is a crucial factor for it to be managed properly, and so it’s good that direct evidence doesn’t let us down.

And earning money? Doesn’t look particularly predatory at the moment. There’s an almost inescapable Battle Pass that seems to be handing out rewards quite honestly, and it starts with a handful of fighters that can be unlocked with in-game currency without having to kill games. So to the eye, therefore, the win seems mostly tied to alternative costumes for the characters (very true, it must be said) and the willingness of players to immediately get new entries without having to raise money. A system that represents the most functional free-to-play system of this kind. Of course, a little more money to level up wouldn’t hurt, and unlocking characters in the future will become more and more difficult, but bandaging your head in advance won’t work.