Initially released in 2022, in what ultimately turned out to be only a gigantic open beta, Multiversus made a strong impression. The game from Warner and Player First Games quickly established itself as a very serious competitor to Super Smash Bros, then god king and master of the genre. It must be said that the representatives do not roam the streets, even if a few have tried their luck and come to break their teeth. But at the time, as today, there is only possibly Brawlhalla, the free-to-play from Ubisoft, which timidly holds its own. But until now, there was no David strong enough to take on Goliath. But that was before Multiversus.
After returning to development limbo, Multiversus finally arrives on consoles and PC on May 28, 2024. This time, no backtracking, it is complete, improved and ready to fight. During a small online event lasting a few days, I was able to have access to the game to test the waters for a few hours, in multiplayer, but also in solo. Yes, solo, you read correctly. Since one of the big new features of this second life for Multiversus is the addition of a PvE game mode. But that’s not all that has changed in almost 2 years of additional development hidden in plain sight.
Multiversus is ready to do battle with Super Smash Bros Ultimate
There are several reasons why Multiversus was a hit. Already, there is its roster of characters taken from licenses from Warner Bros and its partner subsidiaries. The base game already offered us a heterogeneous cast made up of DC heroes like Batman, Superman or even Wonder Woman and Harley Quinn, but also other less “general public” fighters, but just as well known. We think in particular of Arya Stark, from Game of Thrones, Rick and Morty, or even the heroes of Scooby-Doo and Adventure Time.
A character specially created for the occasion even slipped into the panel of characters, a Rein Dog who was particularly powerful as a support. More than twenty characters who will be joined by a lot of others. During this preview session, I was able to play with the Joker, the DC super villain who even has an event entirely dedicated to him. He will be one of the main attractions during the next launch of the game, but for this session I have set my sights on another new character who will also arrive immediately after the release… the Joker will be waiting.
Multiversus will speak to everyone
We also note the presence of the Banana Guard, well known to Adventure Time fans. A rather versatile and effective hero. But if there is one character who marked me with his presence and his gameplay, it is Jason Voorhees, the killer from the cult horror film series Friday the 13th. Yes, this savage king of the slasher also joins the roster as a tank. Robust and rather slow, he is still capable of stringing together some well-intended combos and delivering powerful blows. The icing on the cake is that its range of attacks is a festival of easter eggs. A sweeping attack that features a sleeping bag with a poor soul inside, a powerful upward swipe folding a bed to sandwich our enemies, not to mention disappearing into the mist… Movie lovers horror will be delighted, in addition to finding an interesting character there. Other heroes are also announced, such as Agent Smith, the villain of Matrix who will arrive later.
In short, here again, Multiversus speaks to everyone and, for once, it works. The cartoonish artistic direction goes very well and the switch to Unreal Engine 5 allows the rendering to be further optimized. The game is extremely fluid and quite beautiful for its genre. Special mention to the backgrounds of the arenas, sometimes with a lot of detail. Battlefields which will also be adjusted here also for this re-release, and new ones will join the catalog such as Dexter’s Laboratory, taken from the animated series of the same name, as well as Townsville, the emblematic location of Powerpuff Girls.
We are also being told about more events during the games. Dexter’s Laboratory, for example, will change dynamically during the matches, by setting up treadmills or even flying platforms, where in Townsville, it is one of the great villains of the series who will come to mingle with the fight. All cards will have their specificities, but here, it is far too early to say more. It is not in a few hours that we can get to the bottom of the question.
New features everywhere, a game that promises to be very generous
In any case, you will have to get used to the game mechanics so as not to be surprised during the fights. In this regard, Multiversus has revised its copy with a sophisticated and revamped tutorial area. More welcoming, better supplied and more accessible. Perfect for training with all the heroes, especially since even if you have already polished the game in the past, you will have to relearn almost everything here. Many characters have had their combos changed. New moves have appeared, certain animations have changed, the timing is sometimes no longer the same.
Once again, it is difficult to make a precise point on the question in such a short time, but the fighting has definitely gained momentum. The hits have more impact, the effects have been improved and everything seems more visceral, sometimes brutal. An excellent thing which should provide very good sensations. In any case, for now, they are excellent and allow you to have an excellent time. The good news is that the fights are quite readable overall and that the dodging and blocking windows are a bit more permissive. This is perfect for players who have never made fighting games their preferred genre.
And to get your hands on it, in addition to the training mode, you can also try the PvE mode solo or in cooperation. Rifts, that’s their nickname, are sequences of fights and other fun mini-games which will not only earn us several rewards, but also discover sections of history via dialogues in the form of comic frames between two fights. Amusing, although not really transcendent. There is, however, something to do, since just during this game session, I had access to two themed Rifts, one of which revolves around the Joker, and there are several dozen missions that await you each time , several branches and different difficulty modes which will also be a source of rewards.
We are waiting for Multiversus… impatiently
In more ways than one, Multiversus promises to be an extremely generous game and promises a whole bunch of changes. Much on the surface, even more in depth, it has fundamentally the same bases, but visibly seems to have gained momentum during these almost 2 years of additional development. So obviously, this introduction was far too brief to discover the game in its entirety, and it is too early to talk to you about balancing, advanced gameplay mechanics or economic model (let’s just remember that the game will be launched free -to-play on consoles and PC). However, the sensations and this rediscovery very clearly aroused our curiosity. It remains to be seen whether the players will respond a second time.