Let’s be clear: the Super Smash Bro shadow is everywhere in MultiVersus. At least during his early games. It’s in the patented platform brawler formula and the chaotic batch development. But, unlike the many substitutes that have appeared over the years, what sets this Smash starring Warner Bros. superstars apart is not its fighters, but its promising free-to-play format, its daring cross-platform characters, and that wise approach to the Nintendo game’s greatest flaw: the online experience. All of these factors combine to work to their advantage.
Player First Games, the company behind MultiVersus, is well aware that comparisons to Super Smash Bros. are advantageous to them, and instead of denying it, they use it as a springboard to display as many icons as possible from universes as diverse as DC Comics, Looney Tunes, Cartoon Network, and even Game of Thrones. Characters who have dominated the small screen for decades and continue to captivate new generations while also excelling in the fighting genre
Even Norville “Shaggy” Rogers from the Scooby Doo adventures performs Street Fighter tactics and even releases Super Saiyan powers on television, as shown below.
How can you bring characters from such disparate universes together in a combat game without things getting out of hand or out of sync?
That is precisely one of MultiVersus’ greatest achievements: each of the Warner Bros. stars is addressed in a distinct and individual way, ensuring that they are completely true to themselves. Or, even better, that they are recognised on the screen even when they are not playing.
Not just in terms of special moves, but also in terms of getting Bugs Bunny to constantly remind us of the animations of Tex Avery or Chuck Jones, and that throughout the game, Finn and Jake make the same expressions and employ the same stances as in Adventure Time. Kevin Conroy and Tara Strong provide the voices of Batman and Harley Quinn, respectively. That’s how it should be.
There’s no doubt that Player First Games has done its homework when it comes to bringing Warner characters to a brawler that doesn’t stray too far from the Nintender crossover, which is critical, but the real challenge for the launch and future of MultiVersusreposa is another question: how is the game experience?
MultiVersus is a Smash game that can be played online.
The slogan of MultiVersus says it all: unusual allies, dynamic duos. You won’t miss the classic Super Smash Bros. modes in Warner’s platformer brawler, but the differences in the games’ dynamics within their main mode will quickly manifest themselves on the screen: you can smash buttons until the enemy is off the field of play, but those who best know how to play as a team will rise up with the long-awaited victory.
And there are global icons who are intended to collide in whatever medium through which they transit. Like Batman vs. Superman, even buddies can become ruthless adversaries. Many games have previously demonstrated this. But how can you develop a fighting video game that pits Arya Stark against Vilma de Scooby Doo and Bugs Bunny? Multiplayer not only nails the key, but also makes merging your individual skills the highlight of the game.
A note here: the first difference with Super Smash Bros. is that there is a class system in theory. The Nintendo game oversimplified it and quickly divided it into three genres (spadachn, karateka, and shooter); however, in MultiVersus, the concept takes on new dimensions: Bugs Bunny, the iconic Looney Tunes character, is a magician, as you can pull any nonsense from the hat during the game. Arya Stark (Game of Thrones) and Harley Quinn (DC Comics) are both assassins. Certainly!
From here on out, the playable principle is the same that Sakurai and Iwata conceived for the legendary Nintendo 64. On the screen are four characters, a setting with clearly defined boundaries, and a common goal: to hurl everyone who isn’t a member of our team beyond the edges and eliminate them. So far, it’s everything you’d expect from a Super Smash Bros. knockoff.
Multiplayer games are played with spectacular fluidity thanks to the blessed Netcode Rollback, even in the developing version that we were able to test.
Furthermore, it’s enjoyable to play across platforms; in the same battles, we’ve encountered PC, PlayStation, and Xbox gamers, and it’s as if we were all sharing a sofa.
The fact that everything works so effectively online works in MultiVersus’ favour, and not just in comparisons: the game’s core game system is built on team duels in pairs, which means that, as previously stated, we will not only have to battle our adversaries but also coordinate with our allies.
Using Wonder Woman’s truth ribbon to save him from certain death, but also retaining our adversary using the Amazon’s tactics so that he can show off his tremendous assault and score a bit spectacularly.
MultiVersus creates a chemistry between the fighters and their styles, resulting in additional nuances for the aforementioned classes. However, when they bring certain individuals together in the same team, they go beyond the technical and give us phrases and quips. Finn and Jake from Adventure Time come to mind. Tom and Jerry are now considered a single warrior, and while we control the first, the small mouse shines in special assaults.
Despite the fact that the team mode (and couples) is the core mode of MultiVersus, Player First Games offers all possibilities with 1 vs. 1 options, a Cooperative versus Bots game, and an All against All mode. And, if that wasn’t enough, we can easily and quickly construct personalised games.
Which takes us to the second item of interest: in Multiversus, playing with other players-or against them-is not only encouraged, but also rewarded. Not only because the games are entertaining, but also because we will be able to unlock characters such as Superman, Batman, and Steven Universe.
The game is free and cross-platform, but there is a lot of stuff to acquire.
At this point, it would be dishonest to state that Super Smash Bros. is the only influence on MultiVersus: the game’s interface reveals that Warner and Player First Games have taken direct inspiration from Fortnite’s cross-platform free-to-play game model. A game where you can play for fun as well as for the chance to gain content. And, unlike other Smash games, this brawler offers a plethora of incentives.
Almost all fighters may animate the games with their own unique touch, from aspects to gestures during games, to emblems, player icons, effects by removing adversaries, or the voices of the game presenter. Of course, there are aesthetic components, but this is a fighting game, not a battle royale, and the excitement derives from the players’ imbalance. This implies that there is a form of unlock that has an impact on the game.
Player First Games has adopted a lightweight version of the Smash spirit system to offer each MultiVersus character unique traits based on a key concept: the more you play, the more you can get out of your favourite fighter. Enhancing your character’s improvements and adding distinctive quirks.
The principle is straightforward: each MultiVersus combatant has a character level displayed before the fight begins. That level has no bearing on your statistics or values, but it can alter the skills and properties to which you have access, because it means we’ve unlocked a sequence of enhancements that we can freely equip in designated areas. Before the round begins, show them to all the players.
Because each combatant has his unique set of abilities, we won’t be able to equip the Tazmanian Demon with Batman for logical reasons. That means that if we want to acquire all of the characters’ improvements, we’ll have to play an infinite number of games. On the other hand, levelling up and strengthening a single character without switching between them has been thoroughly studied.
In other words, this may appear to create an imbalance between players on paper. In truth, the way we grow in MultiVersus is intended so that the more we get to know a character, the more we can make the most out of his particular resources, and, as a result, the more at ease we are when it comes to playing.
Which, by the way, is a difficulty that emerges naturally during the games: the range of styles and the care put into their animations when it comes to extending their individuality to the game tremendously helps the whole and, consequently, enriches cooperative techniques with our allies.
And it’s not just that the characters have a distinct repertoire of motions that don’t require complex sequences-all special attacks are conducted in the Smash style, which combines a button with an address-but that they also have incredible mobility. Jumping allows you to do up to six actions in a row: two jumps, two dodges, and two special moves. We can use those six moves in any order we want, giving air combat a lot of variety. Especially when it comes to characters like Bugs Bunny or Jake from Adventure Time, who can do anything.
The second premise that emerges is unavoidable from here on out: to what extent is MultiVersus free and cross-platform?
A Battle Pass system is in place from the outset, with two levels of rewards: free and premium. We will earn coins for each combat, but there are also premium tokens that we understand are paid. To be fair, the premium awards were already unlocked in the version of MultiVersus to which we had access.
On the other hand, the social aspect works just like it does in Fortnite: everything is managed through a Warner account, and we always have our platform connections in sight, as well as our most recent battlemates (regardless of gaming platform) to whom we can send friend requests. Improvising games with friends and strangers is a breeze in MultiVersus.
Which leads us to the million-dollar question: how do you unlock the MultiVersus characters? According to what we’ve seen, you can gain game currency by playing certain games. You can win up to 2,000 coins in only one afternoon, which is more than enough to get Superman, Arya Stark, or Steven Universe Garnet. On the other hand, it should be remembered that those values may change between now and launch.
MultiVersus has taken notice and moves very comfortably between the already established success formulas, but rather than reproducing them in any way, it brings them to its field in an interesting way. Being fully aware that the point between the show, elfanservice, and the lunacy that breathes into its characters, and-above all-a truly satisfying online experience, is where you really find what sets it apart from everything else.
This insane brawler is open to all, and anything can happen.
They say it’s difficult to please everyone, but MultiVersus has set out to achieve just that. He wants fans of Cartoon Network and DC heroes of all ages to play a game together. In reality, there is a filter in the choices that lets us choose whether or not we want the fighters to use unsuitable language. Something that, by the way, is turned off by default, but that exemplifies Warner’s grand ambition: to make a competitive action game that anyone can play.
If you’re coming from Super Smash Bros., you’ll feel right at home here. My streak of 94 percent online victories alternating happily and without hesitation between characters and scenarios is due to how quickly I accommodated those characters that match the madness of cartoons and how I managed to understand myself for the first time with my random allies when playing in teams, as shown below. Something that, based on what we’ve seen, our competitors did not consider.
Beyond the harsh contrast in Nintendo’s unlimited panel of available characters, MultiVersus isn’t all roses when it comes to comparing it to Smash Bros.: Warner’s alternative is essentially the same as the competitive one, which means fewer ambitious and dynamic scenarios, as well as the infamous lack of offline options and modes beyond fighting bots, tutorials, and free training.
In any case, the player is regularly rewarded, making it simple to link one game to the next.
The tried-and-true MultiVersus leaves us wanting more and encourages us to keep playing. Introducing new elements and improving attacks With each combat, we learn from our opponents and, of course, find new pleasure in rescuing an ally who is about to fall by the bare minimum when the victory point is on the line.
MultiVersus is fully aware that surpassing Super Smash Bros. Ultimate is practically impossible, but the timeless charisma of Warner superstars and providing an alternative to fans of the format-even beyond Nintendo-with a good online can open great doors for the initiative, and, in the process, it already draws an especially promising future.
MultiVersus will be available for free on PS5, PS4, Xbox One, Nintendo Switch, and PC throughout 2022, with an open testing phase beginning in the summer and a closed testing phase beginning on May 19 for those who have subscribed to the official website. What new characters might we expect to see before the launch? We’re excited to find out, especially because Warner owns the rights to Harry Potter, Mortal Kombat, and Rick and Morty.
PlayStation 5, PlayStation 4, Xbox One, Nintendo Switch, and PC are all available.
- Platforms: PS5, PS4, Xbox Series X/S, Xbox One, Nintendo Switch and PC
- Multiplayer: Yes, for four players
- Developer: Player First Games
- Company: Warner Bros. Games
- Released: 2022