Player First Games and Warner Bros Games team up to bring us the new fighting sensation Multiversus.
From Alpha to Beta to official release we got the chance to play Multiversus each iteration from Player First Games and Warner Bros Games. Through the alpha and most of the beta we had only fourteen characters. I say only like it’s a small amount, it’s not but three more have already been added with a fourth on the way soon (we expect during the last week of September). We will break down our thoughts on all that are out currently here shortly.
Before talking about those characters we are going to discuss gameplay, controls and graphics. Graphically the game is crisp and fluid. Controls are smooth as hell and easy to learn allowing you to learn combination moves organically to become a force to reckon with. The only real failing of the game is that there isn’t a story mode of any sort. Hell, Street Fighter, Mortal Kombat and Smash Brothers all had a basic story with them when they first released. Each “season” the game features a battle pass system of rewards where you can earn character skins, emotes and more by earning XP. This system currently gives players MORE than enough time to earn the necessary amount before the season ends. This is for those players like myself that only complete the daily XP challenges and then saves the game for another day. Dedicated players will unlock these rewards long before that happens.
Overall this is a fighting game in the same way Street Fighter and Mortal Kombat are but more family friendly gameplay like Smash Bros or Brawlhalla. There is a secret adult audio mode that is disabled by default that you can turn on if you wish. Other than only a single character so far (Morty) there are really no “bad” words being used by the characters, it’s more of a change to their attitudes. Personally I prefer this because it unleashes sarcasm in my gameplay and some of it is hilarious.
Every game I have ever played before this game that had any sort of battle pass I thought was a waste of my time because the level of grinding required to get all the prizes were insane. That was before I played Multiversus. I love the cosmetic options you can earn like for Shaggy you can play as Uncle Shagworthy (if you were part of the Beta and purchased the premium pass).
You also can’t argue with the price, the game is FREE to purchase and play but most of the characters require in game currency (you can earn or purchase outright) to unlock characters. Never fear though, they even rotate characters so you can try four at a time beyond any you unlocked. If you like fighting games and characters from Warner Brothers then this game is a must for you. I am obsessed and have played daily since the Beta started.
Take a look at a trio of battles between my son and myself, we had a blast!
Now, about them characters, starting with the core fourteen.
The Iron Giant– This is the powerhouse of the game, the definition of the tank. He is literally the only character I’ve seen hit 300+ damage without being knocked off the map. His downside is he is slow and his hitbox is larger than any other character. Online players that typically use him spam his ground slam ability and his uppercut. Both are easy to predict and counter but if they hit it’s gonna hurt.
Taz– Taz was this game’s equivalent of Blanka in that he only had a couple moves that almost everyone spammed the hell out of to the same character. After his recent nerf though he feels clunky and oddly slow for a living tornado but seeing him turn opponents into giant cooked chicken makes it all worth it.
Velma– She has one of the game’s lowest and most powerful “uppercut” type abilities as the movie appears as her throwing a lightbulb above her head as she gets an idea and that lightbulb itself is deadly. She’s fast with some weak hits but between her uppercut and her police car special she should not be ignored.
Arya Stark– For me she is the most difficult to learn and yet the hardest to pin down and hit. By far one of the fastest characters in the game and her moves require accuracy more than button mashing. She has some of the most brutal combos I’ve witnessed and they are devastating. I’ve seen more videos where she has a flawless victory than any other character.
Batman– He can take a hit and is great for closing distances. His batarang is best used to weaken enemies than actually damage them. If you can chain your attacks you can land some devastating combos but those initial hits aren’t going to do much. Button mashing has worked more times with him than not.
Bugs Bunny– Bugs plays very similar to Tom and Jerry where both can be very troublesome to hit. His abilities can land some easy combos that do decent damage but expect to put more hits into your foes as he is one of the weaker characters.
Finn The Human– I am not a fan of Adventure Time and was hesitant to give Finn a try and immediately loved playing him. He is fast, hits hard and can take a beating. His air special up attack is truly devastating.
Garnet– Garnet is a character I have only seen pictures of, never watched Steven Universe before. She is more of a utility character that feels perfect in support, even though she is a bruiser. She hits hard but her attacks are mostly short ranged and require closing the distance but using her to connect to allies she can keep them from falling to their doom or being removed from the map very similar to Reindog and Morty do. This same ability protects her in the same way.
Harley Quinn– Harley is tons of fun to play. Her attacks are comical and she has tons of personality. She’s fast, excels at dodging and her hammer and feet pack a wallop.
Jake the Dog– As mentioned above I didn’t want to play this character due to not liking the show but due to his versatility and so many different move options he’s a lot of fun to play, just not a lot power behind his hits but his speed more than makes up for it.
Reindog– This is the only character that is original to this game and he is freaking adorable. This massive shaggy dog with horns may be support but he backs a major punch. Like Morty and Garnet, he can use his long distance ability to grab allies and pull them back to safety. This ability works to save himself as well.
Shaggy– The Shagster is by far one of my favorite characters to play. His rage ability makes me laugh every time I use it because it essentially turns him into the god mode shaggy from the memes. Even his costumes are great. Less skilled players focus on mostly spamming his side air special which is a flying kick. His hits can be brutal but if you combine his rage with throwing his sandwich you’ll get the most deadly projectile so far in the game.
Steven Universe– Probably my least favorite character to play, but that is mostly due to his short reach. He’s great as a support character but my play style is meant more for a melee or tank fighter. Boosting and healing teammates is not something I do often because I focus mostly on hitting my opponents. That kind of play style Steven does not work for.
Superman– There are some challenges made with certain characters in mind. The challenge that requires knocking out an opponent without being on or above the map itself was clearly made for Superman players. His side special ability when in the air grabs players and throws them to the side of the map. He can easily do this and have jumps left to get back to the map in time before falling himself. He hits hard and some of his combos are easy to learn. Even spamming the same attack and being hit with decay those attacks are still punishing.
Tom and Jerry– I’m sure I’m wrong on this but I swear this duo have more abilities/attacks than anyone else. What is great about using them is they are essentially fighting each other the entire match and your enemies are just collateral damage. They are a lot of fun to play despite the chaos they cause. They are fast, hit hard and can take a hit.
Wonder Woman– You unlock her by completing the tutorials and she is one of the most balanced characters in the game. She is also the only character to have her own daily challenges pop up from time to time where you must block a projectile with her shield (the one for side special attack is the easiest to control for this).
Now the latest three four.
Lebron– Playing against him I felt he was a very week character that was easy to disrupt. Having tried him out for myself I realize this is not entirely the case. The way I play works well against him for most characters but is truly a speedy powerhouse, if you can get a combo off.
Morty– Morty is more of a hybrid. He’s a bruiser but also plays very much like a magic character. His abilities vary greatly between high damage close up hits to ranged attacks that still pack a punch but less than the melee hits. He is fast and excels at dodging. He is a ton of fun.
Gizmo– This adorable guy is the cutest in the entire lineup. His movies are pulled directly from the two movies like his singing, driving an RC car and using a makeshift bow and arrow. He isn’t the strongest hitter but he is difficult to nail down and hit.
Rick-When this game first came out my son asked me who I would hope to see added at a later date, my immediate answer was Rick and Morty. The next day they announced Morty and as of yesterday (9/28/2022) Rick was added to the game. We spent some time with him last night and this morning. He is so much fun to play. The chaos he causes feels like you are living an episode of the show and it is amazing. The only thing missing is all of his crazy and amusing dialogue from the show. The voice actor even sounds just like him!
