I tend to enjoy fighting games from afar. I haven’t missed Evo (the biggest fighting game tournament in the world) since 2013. But when it comes to actually playing, I’m what you might describe as a social fighting game player. I play when I’m at a meeting and I’m asked to join; I hardly ever play fighting games alone. So I was surprised that I really enjoyed the open beta for ‘MultiVersus’.
At first glance, “MultiVersus” is a highly polished re-skin of Super Smash Bros. with a battle pass. Replace Mario, Princess Zelda and Mega Man with Bugs Bunny, Arya Stark and Wonder Woman and you get something similar to “MultiVersus”. As with the Smash games, you’ll master the basics in no time; perform special moves by using one special button and choosing a direction. To win a match, you have to hit your opponent until they are weak enough to knock off the map. Easy.
But “MultiVersus”, unlike Super Smash Bros., is built around 2v2 combat. All characters in “MultiVersus” are divided into classes, and each has abilities designed to work with a partner. Every character I’ve played so far also has a unique set of moves and passive abilities.
Wonder Woman is a Tank character; she’s designed to defeat enemies through attrition and protect her allies, but she doesn’t deal much damage. Finn, from Adventure Time, is an Assassin, meaning he is faster and hits harder than other heroes, at the cost of significant squishier. Together, Wonder Woman and Finn form a dynamic duo. Wonder Woman can use her Lasso of Truth ability to draw in an enemy or snatch Finn away from a ring. Finn can use his Sweet Deals! ability to passively buffer his and Wonder Woman’s movement speed. Wonder Woman’s Flying Warrior ability allows her to use her shield to create a platform in the air that Finn can use as a staging post for his backpack attack! to blast an enemy in the sky into the sky.
While this may seem heretical, for me learning a new hero’s playstyle and experimenting with different duo teammates was a lot more fun than ever in Super Smash Bros.
I’ve mainly played as Batman, who is classified as a Bruiser – an in-your-face melee brawler somewhere between a Tank and an Assassin. He seemed like a flexible choice, as the current 2v2 queue will match you with a totally random partner, and indeed it was quite nice to change my approach depending on who I’m working with. If I’m matched up with Harley Quinn (an Assassin), I’ll be more of a helper and set up kills for her. If I’m a duo with Velma (a support), I’ll play aggressive for kills as she heals me and takes out our enemies.
“MultiVersus” is free to play and like many other free to play titles, most of its heroes are locked behind paywalls. But the game keeps a rotating roster of unlocked heroes (the free heroes change monthly) to get you started. As of August 2, the freely available heroes are Finn, Garnet, Superman and Reindog, an original character invented for the game. The rest of the cast is unlocked using the game’s two currencies, gold (which is earned through grinding) and gleanium (which is purchased with real money). Each hero can be bought with 700 glanium or anywhere between 1,500 and 3,000 gold.
Completing the tutorial will unlock Wonder Woman, and completing the seven starting missions will give you 2,000 gold, which is enough to unlock a hero. There is a practice mode called The Lab if you want to test a hero before buying it.
Keep in mind that this game is still in open beta, which means things are a bit shaky. Players have reported occasional instances of lag, unreliable input, and a hilarious bug related to Batman’s Grappling Hook, which causes an instant self-knockout. In the emerging meta, five of the Top 10 “MultiVersus” 2v2 players in the world primarily play Bugs Bunny (and in response, the developers have nerfed him repeatedly) and Finn’s backpack attack! move crushed players in the lower skill brackets.
But all that doesn’t stop “MultiVersus” from being great. It has something for everyone. If you’re a hardcore player looking for an alternative to Super Smash Bros., the “MultiVersus” studio First Player Games has repeatedly pledged to foster a healthy competitive scene. The developer launched a separate Twitter account to promote esports efforts and also announced a $100,000 “MultiVersus” tournament on Evo 2022. The game is also free and cross-platform (PlayStation, Xbox, PC), making it significantly more accessible than other platform fighters.
And if you’re an average Joe Fighting gamer like me, “MultiVersus” is still a smooth, polished experience with beautiful art direction, crazy characters, and chaotic yet deep gameplay. Grab three friends and give it a whirl. It’s a great way to spend a Saturday evening.
And besides, where else do you see LeBron James dunking a basketball in Superman’s face?
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