I played MultiVersus for the first time with two buddies over the weekend.
like a big one Super Smash Bros. fan, I was afraid this would be another one Nickelodeon All-Star Brawl-style disappointment, but instead I was pleasantly surprised by the inventive characters and neat team-based mechanics. However, it was not all good. We soon found out that there really wasn’t an option for all three of us to play. Instead, the game currently only supports two- or four-player matches, and there’s not even an option to add a bot if you’re only a three-person group like me.
It’s ironic that one of the official images on MultiVersus’s Steam page shows three variants of Tom & Jerry, as the game doesn’t support three-player matches. Credit: Warner Bros.
To be sure, MultiVersus is technically in open beta, and developer Player First Games says it will eventually add more co-op options. Still, the fact that three player support was seemingly completely overlooked was frustrating, and it got me thinking how local multiplayer options seem to be an afterthought in recent years. Often games that do have multiplayer only seem to have local or multiplayer options, such as Halo Infinite, which only started rolling out campaign co-op after several months, but has no online matchmaking. Other way around, autumn boys, which celebrated its second birthday this week, still doesn’t support local multiplayer.
It’s a shame to see that games don’t have such options, especially since there are others on the market currently that use both locally and online supported multiplayer to great effect. As I mentioned in my review, the recently released Xbox exclusive When dusk falls encourages engagement in a fascinating, unique way: by letting you and the other players mess around with each other. Actually, When dusk falls is an “interactive drama” game where players can connect via a controller or mobile app to vote for decisions, and there’s even a limited-use option to ignore each other. It’s a brilliant way to get everyone involved, and it’s unlike anything I’ve ever seen.
“Of course I understand that not every game warrants multiplayer, especially as someone who mainly plays narrative single-player games.”
This is similar in concept to what Supermassive has done with its own branching story games, such as The Dark Pictures Anthology and the quarry, the latter of which I am now going through. Every year my friends and I play these games for our Extra Life charity streams, and it’s a highlight every time. In the Supermassive titles, each player can control one or more characters and pass the controller when it’s your turn. This mechanic made us have a blast fucking each other and in some cases even killing characters that one of us didn’t like. Not to mention the online support for these modes and extra Twitch-friendly features to engage those tuning in to your stream.
Dusk Falls’ co-op features are among the most innovative I’ve ever seen. Image credit: Interior Night
And these are just “choose your own adventure” games. Last year, the title that took home Game of the Year at the Game Awards was none other than It takes twoan experience that obliged two players to go through a hugely creative, teamwork-focused campaign. This even caught the attention of my mother, who normally doesn’t play games, and she really liked it. The same can be said the year before for: Sackboy: a great adventure, which we played splitscreen over the holidays. And after that MultiVersus session with my friends, we moved on to Nidhogg 2a smart 1v1 multiplayer split screen duel game.
Looking at 2022 games, we also recently got the multiplatform puzzle game Escape Academy, which can be played alone, but is made much more enjoyable by having friends work together to solve escape rooms. these years Lego Star Wars: The Skywalker Saga and the Canadian made TMNT Shredder’s Revenge and Nobody saves the world also offer some good tried-and-true co-op fun for all ages. On the more punitive side of things, Elden Ring‘s drop-in, drop-out co-op – returning from other FromSoftware games – is a great way to get help when you’re stuck.
TMNT: Shredder’s Revenge from Montreal’s Tribute Games is a loving return to classic arcade beat ’em ups. Image credit: Dotemu
Of course, I understand that not every game warrants multiplayer, especially as someone who primarily plays narrative single-player games. That said, I definitely enjoy multiplayer games every now and then, and I appreciate it when developers make the effort to offer new spins on the format.
Hopefully, titles like MultiVersus can follow as multiplayer is one of the many special and unique things about gaming. If you don’t mind my friends and I will go back to the quarry.
Image Credit: 2K Games
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