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When Marvel Rivals was first announced, I thought it was going to be a mindless cash-grab using a popular IP to try and take a piece of Blizzard’s team-based PVP shooter pie (which Team Fortress 2 walked, so these other games could run!). On the surface, it very much looks like Overwatch with a Marvel coat of paint, but upon getting access to the Closed Beta and having played it myself for many hours, this game may feel familiar but more than stands on its own.

Currently, Marvel Rivals has 23 heroes versus Overwatch 2’s 40 character roster, but unconfirmed data leaks are stating that the game will release with 39 heroes, with NetEase Games already promising to add more over time. Among the available heroes within the Closed Beta are fan favorites such as Spider-Man, Venom, Scarlet Witch, Black Panther, Iron-Man and more, an obscure but welcome pick of Jeff the Land Shark, and an original character made for Marvel Rivals – Luna Snow.

Those already familiar with this genre of video games will feel right at home, while still being easily accessible to those who have never played this style of game before. Convey and Capture are you current flavors of matches, with gorgeous maps to run around in, with destructible environments that can cause a shift in strategy in an instant.

In terms of balance, NetEase took the unique approach of making every character overpowered in their own little way, so when everyone is a super power, it still manages to feel like a fairly even playing field. Not sure how much characters will be rebalanced upon the game’s full release, but many have praised this unique approach to handling the situation.

I will say that the game suffers from the same issue that many other online PVP games do, which is matchmaking still not knowing how to properly assign players to teams. I’ve had more than enough matches where it felt like the dodgeball scene in a movie, where the “popular kids” were all picked for one team, while the “losers” were all picked for another, making things feel one-sided either in favor of your team, or against it. Being that this is Closed Beta, and that other fully-released games still have this problem, I’m not too worried about it at this time.

Although Marvel Rivals sticks to the tried-and-true method of having three categories of heroes – Vanguards (Tanks), Duelists (DPS), and Strategists (Support) – each has their own playstyle that can be fun to master. I spent the majority of my time playing as my favorite comic character, Venom, and thankfully found my groove, learning the ins and outs of the character to be as much use to my team as possible, while also being a viable threat on my own.

I really wanted to be good at using Jeff the Land Shark, but sadly I just couldn’t sync with his playstyle. This may change over time, but it goes to show that not all characters will fit each player, at least not right away. Instead, anytime someone was quicker at the draw to snag Venom out from under me, I’d play as Luna Snow, who I had a much easier time playing as, keeping fellow teammates healed, while also taking out a surprising amount of enemies on my own.

One of the things that sticks out to me, and has captured my hear, is the artstyle and animation of characters. Everything feels a lot more dynamic and detailed, compared to similar games, such as the transition from character selection to the match itself, or its conclusion. In terms of character design, most remain fairly true to the concept or typical style of a character, or have taken welcome liberties to their comic appearance. Cosmetics (which can be unlocked naturally through challenges that are completed from standard play) bring forth interesting variants to characters, such as a Steampunk Iron-Man, Spider-Punk 2099, or Outlaw Rocket Racoon. Even the recolors have slight detail changes that are a nice subtle touch to the heroes.

Overall, I’ve really enjoyed my time with Marvel Rivals, more so than I honestly though I would, and eagerly await the full release (which, at the time of writing this, has not been announced) so that I can play it with friends. Hopefully we’ll see more maps, even some more match modes, to go along with the additional heroes we know are already on their way. For fans of Team-Based PVP Shooters, fans of Marvel comic and the MCU, or anyone interested in diving head-first into the genre for the first time, I would highly recommend keeping an eye on Marvel Rivals!