MultiVersus, as the name implies, is a game where characters from different worlds come together to battle it out. For what purpose, we’re not sure, but it makes for a hugely entertaining platform fighter nonetheless. If you grew up watching Tom & JerryFor example, hearing the cat’s iconic scream as it is hurled from the arena is almost guaranteed to bring a smile to your face. While playing the closed alpha test of the last few evenings, there are so many fan-pleasing touches like this that give this free-to-play title a boost.
Really, the main hook of the game is the cast of playable characters, and Warner Bros. clearly doesn’t skimp on that front. The aforementioned cat-and-mouse duo is just the beginning; they are joined by Looney Tunes Bugs and Taz, Shaggy and Velma of Scooby Doo fame, and an array of DC heroes and villains, including Superman, Batman, and Harley Quinn. While players of a certain age will love some of these older faces, more modern characters fill out the alpha test lineup: Finn and Jake or Adventure TimeSteven Universe and Garnet, and Game of Thrones’ Arya Stark makes the selection. When you look at the fighters together, it’s an impressive, varied roster, even if there’s little coherence between them.
Fortunately, all questions about context fall by the wayside once you’re in a match. The core mode is 2v2, with the game built primarily with a certain level of co-op in mind. Characters have one or two moves that also benefit their teammate, the idea being that you maximize your chances of winning by coordinating these skills. It’s a nice twist on this subgenre of fighting games, but in practice it’s not clear how exactly these moves work together. Our experience has shown that everyone plays this as if it were Super Smash Bros. is, which is fine, but the co-op angle is so easily lost amid the chaos.
That’s a shame, because there are some nice ideas in there. Shaggy can essentially become Super Saiyan, and when he does, he drops Scooby Snacks, which heal whoever picks them up. Wonder Woman has a shield dash move that blocks projectiles, and if she passes an ally with the shield up, they receive armor. Tom can put down a mousetrap, and it can be made more powerful if an ally picks up Jerry and then runs over the trap. There are many ways you and a teammate can help each other, but without studying the move lists closely, it feels a bit too complicated.
Fortunately, characters also work well on their own, and the action is fast-paced, engaging, and surprisingly technical. Characters each have access to different regular and special moves, and the best part is that everyone feels different. Fighters fall into different classes, but their movesets are unique and fun to explore. Importantly, each character’s personality emerges – for example, many of Taz’s attacks make the enemy “tasty”, a debuff that will eventually turn them into a fried chicken, temporarily unable to attack. Some fighters are quite unusual, such as Velma’s reliance on her intelligence rather than traditional offenses.
There’s a good balance between in-depth combat and simple fun, resulting in a game that feels satisfying to play – there’s certainly a skill ceiling to aim for, but even casual players will enjoy the novelty of taking Batman off the stage. launch with Bugs Bunny’s hammer. Alternative modes that we get to play are Free For All and 1v1, and they are all fun variants. We should also mention that the online experience has been smooth for us. That rollback netcode seems to work wonderfully well, as we haven’t encountered any latency issues.
Since this is a free to play game, it is naturally built on the idea of keeping you locked into the experience. By playing matches, you will be rewarded with in-game currency, XP and goodies from the Battle Pass. In the alpha, coins can be used to unlock more fighters, while completing daily and seasonal missions will promote the Battle Pass. You earn XP per character, with their Mastery Level increasing as you use them, unlocking even more items. Some of these have gameplay implications; Perks can be applied to your fighter, giving you and your teammate various passive buffs. As an economy, it all hangs together well enough, although the different menus can be a bit confusing. There are no microtransactions in the alpha, although they will of course appear in the full game, so it remains to be seen if they will have any impact on the core experience.
So on a basic level, MultiVersus seems to have it where it counts. From what we’ve played so far, the characters have been treated well with fun, unique moves and a polished presentation (voice lines, what a luxury!). The battles themselves are engaging, fast paced stuff and matches are over pretty quickly which makes it quite addictive as well. We’re still some way from the final product, but the potential is clearly there for Warner Bros. to create a riveting, ever-expanding brawl with massive appeal.
For more information about the MultiVersus Closed Alpha Test, click through the link. Will you be checking out this early look at the game? Choose your fighter in the comments below.
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