Multiversus review – Zing

Many of you are probably familiar with the situation when you and your friends meet at someone’s house at a party and as soon as it gets dark, the cold drives you away from the barbecue and into the room. If the owner has a game console, then entertainment will be taken care of. But the question remains which game to choose. Of course, you will not choose from single-player games and will prefer to resort to the so-called group games. One of them is the recently released Multiversus. The 2D Brawler, if you will, a fighting game, was released this Tuesday for PC and past and present generation consoles. Although it’s an open beta, the creators at Player First Games themselves are talking more about Soft Launch, so we at the editorial team were able to dive into it. Is new chalk worth it?

• Platform: PC (Tested), Xbox One and Series S/X, PlayStation 4 and 5
• Publication date: 07/26/2022 (Open Beta)
• Producer: First Player Games (USA)
• Genre: Brawler / Fighting / Platformer
• Czech localization: Not
• Multiplayer: Yes, locally and online
• Data to download: about 5 GB
• Game time: Taste
• Price: Free to play (microtransactions)

Power of license

Compared to competing games in the genre, Multiversus is banking on Warner Bros.’s tough license. You probably know the characters that the game offers. We’re talking regulars like Bugs Bunny, Batman, Superman, Tom and Jerry, Harley Quinn, Wonder Woman, and we’ll even fight for basketball god LeBron James or Game of Thrones’ Arya Stark. But we are far from complete. The authors, along with Warner Bros. of course, they want to use the license to the fullest, so we’re sure to have more familiar faces in the future.

Multiversus is betting on a hard license.

Already in August, Rick and his nephew Morty should arrive, and I’m already looking forward to their incorrect statements. Let’s stick with the announcements for now. All characters are voiced and constantly comment on what is happening on the screen. For example. Arya Stark is voiced by her real-life actress Maisie Williams. In the settings, you can turn off the so-called profanity filter, after which the characters use a slightly sharper facial expression, which will be especially appreciated by those of us who have already completed their school years. But don’t expect a lot of profanity. Rather, these are sharper ironic remarks and jokes directed at opponents.

There are currently 17 characters in the game’s roster, and trust me, there are plenty to choose from. Fighters are divided into Bruisers (they fight on the front line and do not go far behind the blow), Tanks (compared to Bruisers, they are slower, but last much longer), Supports (support comrades, but not too much damage), assassins (agile fighters who rely on on your gadgets and insidious tactics) and, last but not least, the magician (lovers of magic and tricks will find something to their liking). Each character is unique and I must admit that it takes a significant amount of time to study them.

For soloists, bands and groups of friends

In addition to group play on the same couch, Multiversus can be played in many other ways. Both locally and online. If you’re more of a solo player, you’ll probably be fine with 1v1. The 2v2 format is great for co-op players. You can train in a cooperative mode against the AI, and if you want to experience real chaos, you can try Free For All, in which four players compete against each other. A separate part is the so-called Laboratory – a training room where you can try out all the available characters. Even if you don’t have them unlocked. Trust me, if you take the Multiverse a little seriously, you’ll spend a lot of time in the Lab. In the future, a Ranked mode will be added to the game, in which we will face off against the entire community.

It doesn’t end at the level

The progress in the game is as follows. For the matches played, you get experience and in-game gold depending on your performance. You pump each character separately, as well as your entire account, and for each new level you get some kind of reward. The characters have a so-called soft cap, which is set at the fifteenth level. After that, you won’t get any level rewards, but your opponents will definitely shake in fear at the sight of the level 30 Bugs Bunny. A very important aspect is the so-called perks, that is, completely passive abilities that you open along with the characters. These are, for example, abilities such as increasing damage when fighting in the air or reducing damage taken.

Bonuses are a very important aspect.

This allows you to choose a build that suits your play style. Most games with perks can be played in a 2v2 format, preferably with friends, because if you both choose the same perk, then the effect is multiplied. Each character can also choose from two personal bonuses. For example. such a Shaggy will automatically switch to Super Saiyan mode after reaching a certain damage level, so you don’t have to activate it manually. Some characters have common abilities, and if you unlock a certain ability for one of them, it will be available to others.

The aforementioned gold coins are used to unlock the characters themselves. The price of the characters ranges from 1500 to 3000. Depending on your skill, it is possible to unlock the fighter of your choice in a matter of hours. No horror. It is also customary for games of this genre that so-called free characters are rotated every week, which can be tested for a limited time. The multiverse is no exception. So if you’re afraid to spend your hard-earned gold on Batman, for example, just wait and see if you like it or not during the free trial period. Another way to unlock characters is to buy one of the so-called founder packs, which contain character tickets. But their price ranges from 40 to 100 euros, which in my opinion is quite expensive. Saving gold coins is not that difficult. Just play and very soon you will get the avatar of your dreams. The authors have done well with the progression system, and players who love unlocking rewards will be pleased.

Without a controller, you will suffer

Playing Multiversus on a keyboard is a nightmare. Personally, I use an Xbox controller for these cases, and if you are going to play on a PC, then I advise you to do the same. The management itself quickly understands. Some characters are more accessible, and some are designed for real magicians, whose reaction speed cannot be compared to fighter pilots. Maybe it’s because I’m already in my forties of my time in the world, but I know I won’t dare to try, for example, Tom and Jerry right away. You will jump, kick, shoot and… fall.

Playing Multiversus on a keyboard is a nightmare.

The goal of the match is to take the opponent out of the arena. And in every possible way. With the damage received, your ability to absorb attacks is reduced, and thus the enemy threatens to send you to another world. This situation is called Ringout, and if you’ve played any other Brawlers, you’re probably familiar with it. The first team to score the required number of ringouts wins (the number depends on the selected game mode). Sounds simple, but trust me, you’ll be sweating it out. Currently, there are only six arenas in the game outside of the Lab (Batcave, Scooby’s Haunted Mansion, Tree Fort, Trophy Land, Sky Arena, and Cromulon Stage), which is extremely small. However, I am not worried and believe that the creators will bring us more soon. Even a relatively long loading of matches will freeze.

Pay to win? Fortunately, no

Multiversus is free to play but, as usual, contains microtransactions. The business model is solid as you can only buy cosmetic items such as character skins, banners, Ringouts, etc. As such, real finance has no impact on the game itself. Thank God. The Season Pass remains a classic, in which you can get selected cosmetic items. The basic version of the Season Pass is free, but for a fee you can purchase the premium version and thus more rewards. You level up your Season Pass by completing up to six daily quests, one of which can be randomly modified. Other changes are paid for with in-game gold. A tried and true formula. However, the skins themselves, in my opinion, are overpriced. Twenty euros for changing the appearance of an avatar is quite a lot, and the game would benefit from a more human approach.

Not just fun

Multiversus has succeeded and its potential is very strong. The authors have relied on a world-famous license and are reaping very tasty benefits. This is evidenced by the fact that over 150 thousand players played the game on Steam in the first day. If we add consoles to that, that’s a really solid number. Especially when we understand what a particular genre it is. The game is certainly not easy, but if you spend time on it, then it will reward you with royal fun and great sensations from defeating opponents. The current disadvantages of beauty are inflated prices for skins, a small number of maps, and rather long loading times for matches. However, the gameplay itself is great. We highly recommend trying Multiversus. At least as the party game with friends mentioned in the introduction. Just please don’t argue with each other afterwards.