MultiVersus Review – Packing A Punch

Warner Bros. gave Player First Games its top characters in order to make space for itself within the Smash Bros.-dominated IP crossover-fighter category. MultiVersus is a success where other have failed but there’s still much to be done.

Though LeBron James appears on the roster thanks to his starring role in Space Jam: A New Legacy, the WB roster in MultiVersus doesn’t feel as icky as the roster of that film. Each character is treated with reverence, creating a world where you eventually don’t bat an eye at the fact that Arya Stark from Game of Thrones is stabbing Bugs Bunny.

Smash-like controls conveys the Iron Giant’s powerful, heavy personality just as effectively as Adventure Time’s silly Finn. After I believed I had finally found my main character I was surprised to discover that another character I created inspired me.

There are two types of 1v1 play: Free-For-All and 4v4; however, the majority is based on 2v2 gaming. A character class is a way of showing traits and hints at the potential for team cooperation. Velma may prefer to cover herself with buffs/debuffs and projectiles, but Superman can charge in and take down everyone. There are many options. You could pair up characters to enhance or cover strengths, or go full throttle with two rushdown characters. All of these possibilities can be useful if you have the right people.

This directly impacts the perks system. Character leveling gives you speed boosts and jumps as well as dodging and jumping bonuses. It’s smart to match up perks with your partner for a stacking bonus. For example, Superman’s ice attack and Velma’s can be combined to give you an even greater debuff. Signature perks can be used to enhance character strengths. The team/perk combination options are amazing and have kept me trying new things even in the early stages.

Although the basic mode is strong, there are still a few areas that need to be improved. These include an arcade and ranked modes. Although the maps are standard-sized and meet all layout needs, they lack creativity and depth that rivals a Smash Bros. level. It’s neat to volley enemies off a Batmobile in the Batcave, but stages like a generic, empty coliseum and stock grassy field with waterfall left me wanting more.

Rollback netcodes and the large player pool across all platforms make online gaming a great experience. Never had to wait in line for matches nor deal with lag. Reindog – a new character created for the game – turned invisible a couple of times, but that’s about the extent of my technical problems.

MultiVersus can be accessed on nearly every PC and console, so it is easy to use. This can lead to microtransaction anxiety. Thankfully, the fair economy provides plenty for players who don’t want to pay. Wonder Woman and a rotating cast of characters are free. An early influx of gold pays for another character so you’re set with 6 of 17 in the roster in short order. Although the remaining grind can be slow, it is not difficult. You can play all the characters in your practice area. Payed content is limited to cosmetics, character unlocks instantly, and premium tiers of Battle Pass.

MultiVersus’ current mini Battle Passes, both paid and free, kept me busy all through my time there. It was fun to unlock content but it can sometimes be tedious grinding out bot matches to get certain numbers. Completed seasonal goals annoyingly didn’t clear out for me so I had to dig into the menus and turn past a page of grayed-out items to check my progress constantly.

MultiVersus’ foundation is strong, even though living games can go in unfavorable directions. This could be a crossover phenomenon for many years if it is able to meaningfully release content and smoothen its edges.