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What could be better than having a bunch of Warner Bros. characters in brawl-style play? Make it free to play and include crossplay, an interesting battle system, and lots of content that is constantly being updated. All that and more is MultiVersusthe title that brings together great franchises in one place and plans to take on the king of pushing games.
At LEVEL UP we had the opportunity to test the Alpha version a few days ago and we learned about some of its features. We also chat with Ian Rapoport, the game designer behind MultiVersusand we want to share all this with you.
VIDEO: MultiVersus: is it better than Smash Bros.?
It is logical to think that the competitive mode is the traditional 1vs1, but in MultiVersus everything is better as a couple. The game was designed to create teams of 2 characters that play a role in battle and can help each other. This adds strategy to encounters and generates synergy between certain characters, so you’ll have to choose well to take advantage of the qualities of each one. When asked about this feature, Ian Rapoport commented:
Ian Rapoport: “Absolutely. 2v2 is our priority, but we’re going to include a 1v1 mode and we’ll have a free mode for all players. As for 2v2, we really wanted to push new and exciting opportunities in a high-end fighting game. platforms. Having the ability to team up with a partner. For example, Wonder Woman, who is a defender, will use her shield a lot to protect her ally from physical attacks and projectiles. She will be able to soak up all damage as a tank and convert into more powerful attacks.
In a fight alongside an ally when facing 2 opponents at the same time, the different mechanics of the characters will be very important. For example, Bugs Bunny can dig a tunnel to quickly maneuver on the battlefield. The interesting thing is that his ally can also use that tunnel at any time to flee from danger or get on top of his enemies. So there will be a lot to explore to have the best team.”
There is an effort to make a difference with this modality, which, added to other aspects such as the possibility of equipping improvements and passive skills, offers a different competitive scheme:
Ian Rapoport: “We also have a perk system that will allow players to customize their strategy and have additional bonuses, be it damage, defense, movement speed… even some unique ability. At the time of battle they will be able to select perks for themselves, but they will also share them with their allies.”
As it is a free to play game, it is normal that the fear arises that at some point it will become a Pay to win. According to the Player First Games development team, that is not the intention. In Multiversus You will be getting rewards that will be cosmetic and will be constantly updated.
Ian Rapoport: “We want to maintain competitive integrity throughout the game. We don’t want you to need to pay to win, pay for power. We’ll unlock perks through gameplay, and we want to make sure that everyone has an equal opportunity to unlock perks. We also you will be able to unlock characters through the game. You will not be able to pay more to get an advantage in the game.”
The influence of other games like Super Smash Bros. Ultimate It’s obvious, because the objective is the same: generate a high percentage of damage on the opponent and throw him off the platform to earn points. After playing some online challenges of MultiVersus, we find advanced mechanics. The first thing we notice is that there are no grips and no lock button either; at the moment, the only one that has this option is Steven Universe. Instead, it is possible to dodge, which helps to avoid attacks, and this same action is used to recover and is a good resource to move faster around the screen.
We also noticed that when using this dodge close to the ground diagonally, the character does a kind of bounce and, when repeated, moves at full speed, similar to the wavedash that became so popular in Super Smash Bros. Melee.
Ian Rapoport: “We’ve taken a lot of inspiration from different platform fighting games and even fighting games in general. We have a lot of techniques that may be familiar to players who know the genre. Some of them have our own twist. We have a lot of movement options available through the combination of dodging with jumping and thus moving your character forward with a kind of slingshot to gain a lot of distance very quickly.
The charm of platform fighting games is that they adapt to the experience of each player. Here, it doesn’t matter if you just want to play with Batman and face Super Man or if your dream is to get together with friends to beat up Steven Universe; in MultiVersus you can do that and more.
Ian Rapoport: “We’re going to have a character roster that’s constantly growing over the life of the game. So far, we’ve added Velma and announced Taz who’s included in the Closed Alpha test. Let’s not forget the Iron Giant, who will be available later in the year during Open Beta The addition of new characters as the game progresses will be a very important part of MultiVersus“.
It’s nice that each fighter is well represented and full of references. One of the most notable cases is Shaggy, who has apparently achieved Ultra Instinct and uses it as an attack. Let’s remember that all this came from a meme and is now part of his identity. We also hear Wonder Woman yell “come over here” as she pulls her enemies with the lasso of truth and Jake the Hound yell “James Baxter” as he transforms into a horse. There are also similarities in the design of some characters’ attacks; for example, Jake can transform into heavy objects like Kirby, and Shaggy has an attack much like the Shoryuken. This shows the creative freedom of its developers when using the licenses and their attention to detail.
Ian Rapoport: “You have to look at the media and we try to adapt all of this to the platform genre and its characteristics. It’s been really exciting for us to be able to incorporate elements like the Shaggy memes and his transformation. He has loved seeing the reception he has had with different players.
And yes, we want to keep the community excited and also make sure they keep their interest in the game. Players feel heard because situations like Shaggy’s have been popular for a long time. They asked for it.”
In this mode and in Battle Royale, we notice that there are a bit strange items, which even seem to be there almost by obligation. There are also elements in the stages that affect the flow of the fight, such as smoke screens and some obstacles. If you prefer to fight fair, you can disable these items before starting the match, but you cannot customize them. It’s all or nothing, at least for now.
Ian Rapoport: “Some characters will have items as part of their unique moves. For example, Bugs Bunny has moves focused on using items and getting other items for his ally. Some of our scenarios will be a bit more traditional, others will be in the form of arena where everyone will inevitably hit each other and others will have unique mechanics. We still have these features in development. I can’t speak to the current state of these options, that is, you can turn different stage mechanics on and off. I know many Players prefer to turn off stage mechanics and be more competitive, but all of this is still in development.”
The pairs format opens up a panorama of possibilities, but it can also be a risk if certain advantages are abused. This mode is so important to the developers, that they even announced that MultiVersus will be present at EVO 2022 with 2 vs 2 mode. The game is also expected to have some new modes and events.
Ian Rapoport: “We’ll definitely have events as the game comes out and runs its course. I can’t really talk about what those specific events will be just yet, so you’ll have to stay tuned and stay tuned, but we’ll be at Evo as part of a tournament.”
If you want to know the latest news about MultiVersusyou can click here.
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