PlayStation All-Stars Battle Royale. Brawlhalla. Cartoon Network: Punch Time Explosion. Nickelodeon All-Star Brawl. Rivals of Aether. Rumble Arena. Shovel Knight Showdown. Slap City. All of these games have debuted in the twenty plus years since a 28 year old Masahiro Sakurai (with the aid of a 39 year old Satoru Iwata - may he forever rest in peace) created Super Smash Bros. and had it debut in January of 1999. They were created with a single concept - making a platform fighter in the same vein as Smash and have it stick around for a while. While the Super Smash Bros. series of games have reached worldwide success, and are still played to this very day - even while I type this - the other games have varied in their success. In this blogger's opinion, the best one from the above list of Smash clones is probably Brawlhalla. Even though I thoroughly enjoyed PlayStation All-Stars Battle Royale on the PS3 and, as such, is my favorite in that list.
Until now...
Enter the newest platform fighter, MultiVersus. Developed by Play First Games (and bankrolled by Warner Bros.), this new, free-to-play (with premium features) Smash clone hosts characters from across several universes. You'll see characters from Looney Tunes, DC Comics, Hanna-Barbara, Cartoon Network and more. And, I must say, it's a blast to play. The game is currently in its Open Beta phase and available for anyone to play across multiple platforms (and cross-play/progression is enabled). I was able to get in to the Limited Access Beta, which was a week before the Open Beta, and have spent time with many of the characters in the roster.
There are many methods to play:
1v1
2v2
Free For All
Local Multiplayer
Humans vs Bots
All Bots
There is also a training mode and a tutorial section that teaches you how to play.
The game itself has seen huge success with it making an appearance at the recently finished EVO 2022 Las Vegas event (and the 2v2 Grand Finals was some of the best I've seen) and claims of players in the millions online.
The game isn't without it's flaws, though. It feels a bit floaty with the characters and connection issues do rise in matches online at times. There are no items, so you are limited to your character's kit, or lack thereof, depending on who you choose, when fighting. You cannot guard or grab so dodging is key as well as fast falling when it comes to high level competition. Hit detection at times is off and can cause issues with input. Certain animations looks a little weird and can have the game feel awkward. Some characters will be able to use their full toolkit while others have their moves on a cooldown, limiting their use. This can seem unfair to lesser skilled players. Some characters are on rotation for about a week so, if you want to play as a character during their non-free off-week, you will have to purchase them with gold that can be earned in game. For example, I wanted to play as Velma online and had to spend the gold I earned playing as Wonder Woman to do so. Thankfully, all the characters can be used in the training mode (called The Lab), regardless of whether or not they have been purchased. While I'm never a fan of premium features in a game, you can enjoy the core aspects of the game (fighting) without spending any real money. I do hope that a way to earn premium currency in game is featured later.
It's obvious that the developers are taking this seriously as there are two new characters on the way, Rick and Morty, one has already been added, LeBron James, and the game has been patched to adjust things for balance and bug fixes. I'm all in favor of it. A developer that cares and takes care of their game will get my time (looking at you SEGA & PSO2). This game has the potential to have a HUGE roster with all the properties that could be tapped in to. There are countless amounts of wish lists online, so much that I'm not going to make one here. I'll just say that I want to see some DC Comics villians (The Joker!?!?!) and maybe a couple more Cartoon Network characters (Samurai Jack, The Power Puff Girls).
The strength of name recognition alone powers the game immensely. Younger players will love to see their favorite cartoon characters and superheroes. For example, my son wants to play as Shaggy while my daughter wants to play as Harley. I was immediately drawn to Wonder Woman while many friends of mine love Velma.
The art direction chosen is fitting for the style of game. Colors are vibrant, backgrounds look well designed and style of the characters makes you feel like you are watching a cartoon that was brought to life. The unique dialogue between the characters is wonderful. For example, the Justice League members have dialogue - whether or not they are allies or foes. Shaggy and Velma have their back and forth, and I just love when Shaggy and Velma are opponents and Velma repeatedly calls Shaggy "Norville". Superman and The Iron Giant have words - all Superman - when they are competing.
The controls for the game are simple enough and can be customized. You can play with the keyboard and mouse (yuck) as well as a controller. Multiple controller types are supported. Though I wish the button display on screen would match the controller I use (a PS4 controller on the Steam version), I find remapping the buttons very simple and easy to do. I personally mapped the buttons as if I were playing Smash with a pro controller. The actual fighting itself becomes easier when doing so. You have standard attacks and "smash" attacks. There are no tilt attacks like in the actual smash games. You have your aerials and specials, too. You have two jumps and can use your "recovery" which is up + special attack twice. You have your dodges, which can be spammed but are less effective when done so and will eventually deplete a meter than needs to recharge if done so. You can dodge twice in the air before touching the ground. If you are familiar with the smash games, you will understand this concept. The layout of screen is also adjustable. You can use the default layout, legacy layout (which is similar to smash), or customize the layout and colors displayed to your liking.
Lastly, outside of simply fighting, there are leaderboards and rankings that are kept. There are also tasks that you can complete while playing to earn points on a season pass. The newest season has recently gotten underway as of this writing and it's a great way to earn rewards. There is also a premium feature where additional rewards and cosmetics and be earned but nothing that would put anyone at a disadvantage for not buying it.
Multiversus is a fun game and looks like it is built to last. While Smash Bros. will be just fine, the other clones may have to watch out, the newest clone is here and it is here to stay and take the throne of best Smash clone. I'll see you all online with Wonder Woman!
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