If it’s been an eternity now that Nintendo no longer participates in the race for technology, its works continue to inspire many studios. Mario Kart is the most famous example, obviously, but Super Smash Bros. also has a number of clones. This week, we had the opportunity to preview the closed beta of MultiVersus, the free-to-play game from Player First Games whose existence was leaked last year before the official announcement from Warner Bros. . Games. Since then, the developers have been particularly discreet, no doubt to avoid any comparison with the king before the hour. Our impressions after three days of fights.
As if to evacuate the obvious and focus on what distinguishes it from Super Smash Bros., MultiVersus opens with a tutorial that shows that Player First Games has studied Nintendo’s series. It’s simple: whether on the ground or in the air, the controls are almost identical. We thus find the simple blows, the equivalent of the smash attacks, the classic combos, the different types of jumps, the provocations, the special attacks, the rapid fall, or even the dodges. The developers even hacked the attack reduction system, that is to say that the more the same blow is repeated, the less the damage inflicted will be important. The goal is therefore to encourage the player to vary his attacks to maintain maximum efficiency, knowing that from what we have seen, the penalty is activated after the ninth identical attack. The ultimate goal being the same as in Super Smash Bros. – namely to increase the percentage of the opponent to better eject him from the arena – MultiVersus also allows us to control the angle of flight of our fighter if we suffer a smash attack. More concretely, by tilting the stick in the opposite direction – to the left if one is cleared on the right, upwards if the enemy tries a smash attack downwards – it is possible to stay in the same arena with a high percentage. Unlike Nintendo’s series, MultiVersus has no guard button, hence the need to master all the intricacies of dodging.
Afterwards, it must be admitted that in some of its aspects, MultiVersus lacks relief. We think in particular of the absence of hitstop, which means that we do not really feel the impact of the blows. Same thing for the inertia of the characters who tend to float; between Arya Stark and Superman, the difference in weight is imperceptible.
For example, it is associated with a gauge thanks to which one can visualize the invulnerability which one benefits from each attempt. More concretely, when its level is low – it rises faster when hitting enemies or suffering blows – dodging loses all its effectiveness. Again, this is a mechanic present in Super Smash Bros. There are also offensive dodges to attack the opponent safely, not to mention dodge jumps. In summary, to ignore this technique is to leave with a clear disadvantage against seasoned players. If there is not the slightest shield by default in MultiVersus, therefore, the blows of certain characters still reveal very useful armor to protect themselves or not to be interrupted during an attack. Wonder Woman can move towards her opponent while hiding behind her shield, while Sammy has the ability to charge a straight without taking any damage. The particularity of Steven is that his dodging acts precisely as armor, the latter being able to absorb only three blows. Superman is nothing to complain about either since most of his charged attacks come with armor. Of course, there is a way to neutralize this protection with guard breakers identifiable by a purple glow, some being easier to read/anticipate than others. Note that a priori, some protagonists such as Batman, Garnet or Harley Quinn do not seem to have a guard break, probably for balance issues. We will remember to check this point later.
“WHAT’S NEW DOC’?”
What differentiates MultiVersus from Super Smash Bros. is above all the cooperation – in other words, the 2 vs. 2. Even though the 1 vs. 1 and “Everyone for himself” are among the available modes, Player First Games has developed its fighting game with team play in mind. This is symbolized by the special attacks that can serve the fighter as well as his ally. For example, by crossing paths with his partner, Taz can both increase the duration of his tornado and also temporarily accelerate his sidekick’s movement. For her part, Wonder Woman has the ability to summon three magic shields around herself and her teammate, while Batman can briefly render his friend invulnerable. There’s Bugs Bunny’s rocket that his pal can lean on before executing an attack, not to mention his kiss so that his ally’s next hit shatters any armor. As for Sammy, the sandwich he swings can heal his partner if he is in the way. Impossible not to mention Chien-Renne whose leash prevents his ally from falling into the void while allowing him to send his opponent into the Kingdom of Hades. MultiVersus really pushes players to implement team strategies to benefit from all a bunch of bonuses that can make a difference in tight games, knowing that a cooldown system limits the use of certain techniques, of course .
Cooperation also goes through passive skills. So the Steven Universe armor we were talking about earlier applies to its companion as well. As far as Véra is concerned, it is a matter of filling a clue gauge which, once full, allows a police car to intervene and put one of the opponents out of harm’s way, unless his ally comes to deliver him. Arya Stark, meanwhile, benefits from a damage bonus as soon as she hits her enemies in the back. Finn has the ability to fill his pockets with gold to boost his special attacks, and even charge his punches while moving. In addition to passive skills, MultiVersus offers to select four strengths, three of which are common to fighters. The list is far too long to detail them all, but be aware that you can very well increase projectile speed, damage inflicted, jump height, movement speed, air attack damage, etc. . Cooperation requires, if both players opt for the same type of advantage, the effects are increased tenfold. As for the fourth advantage, it is specific to our character and can, of course, benefit the partner. We let you discover all this by specifying that the class that we choose (hitter, support, mage, assassin, tank) influences the complementarity between the protagonists. Depending on our style of play, that of our teammate and the tactics we want to use, the combinations are multiple.
In terms of production, the game largely does the job, with in particular very neat animations. It’s just a pure delight to observe the gestures of each character, especially those of Taz. Nothing to say either at the level of the arenas – of which certain elements are destructible – which, unsurprisingly, is inspired by the different licenses.
When the first images of the MultiVersus roster leaked, we were intrigued by the mentions “Hybrid”, “Horizontal” and “Vertical” appearing next to the name of each hero. In fact, it corresponds to the facility that has a character to carry out combos and to eject his adversary of the arena in a particular axis. Thus, a “Horizontal” protagonist will be much more comfortable clearing his enemy to the right or left of the screen, while a “Vertical” fighter will do everything to knock out his opponent by sending him up or down. down the arena. To tell the truth, we didn’t really feel the nuance in the first fights we fought, but we imagine that it has an impact on the damage inflicted in a given axis as well as on the positioning of the player opposite. Indeed, this one will necessarily avoid placing himself in an axis advantageous to his opponent. To see on the length, therefore. In the meantime, this closed beta had about fifteen figures including Sammy (Scooby-Doo), Steven Universe (Steven Universe), Garnet (Steven Universe), Arya Stark (Game of Thrones), Harley Quinn (DC), Taz (Looney Tunes ), Finn (Adventure Time), Vera (Scooby-Doo), Batman (DC), Wonder Woman (DC), Tom & Jerry (Tom & Jerry), Bugs Bunny (Looney Tunes), Superman (DC) and Jake (Adventure Time). We should also mention the presence of Chien-Renne, an original character created by the Player First Games teams. Not all of them were available from the start, as five of them (Steven Universe, Garnet, Arya Stark, Superman, and Batman) had to be unlocked for 2,000 gold each.
UNITY IS STRENGTH
Depending on our performance and other factors (accepting a rematch, completing daily missions for example), it may take more or less time to recover the gold coins, knowing that the games in 2 vs. 2 are (a priori) slightly more profitable than the other modes. In addition to scratching gold coins, we also earn XP points which allow both to improve the level of such and such a character (and therefore to access new assets), to boost our level of overall mastery, and to cross the different levels of the Battle Pass (with, of course, bonuses at stake). Being good free-to-play as it is, MultiVersus will naturally integrate elements of microtransaction, but as one would expect – and given that this is such a sensitive subject – this closed beta n didn’t let anything leak out. Fingers crossed that the pay-to-win don’t come to weigh down the experience, because for the moment, the fighting game from Player First Games is rather on the right track. It’s true that they didn’t go far to get their ideas, but there are countless times when studios have plagiarized Nintendo only to crash in the end. There, we are still dealing with something solid while the economic model suggested that ambitions were limited.
Afterwards, it must be admitted that in some of its aspects, MultiVersus lacks relief. We think in particular of the absence of hitstop, which means that we do not really feel the impact of the blows. Same thing for the inertia of the characters who tend to float; between Arya Stark and Superman, the difference in weight is imperceptible. Suddenly, it kills a little the strategic dimension of the aerial game which is however a major component of Smash Bros-like. Finally, despite the fun conveyed by the fights, the rhythm never manages to take off. It’s even slow compared to the frenzy of a Super Smash Bros. Ultimate where you can quickly sink into a whirlwind of attacks so it goes in all directions. Here are some areas of improvement on which the studio will have to work for MultiVersus to be respected by the competition. In terms of production, the game largely does the job, with in particular very neat animations. It’s just a pure delight to observe the gestures of each character, especially those of Taz. Nothing to say about the arenas either (Jake and Finn’s Tree-House, Batman’s Batcave, Scooby-Doo’s haunted mansion among others), even if we hope that beyond the few destructible elements, they will be entitled to real mechanisms in the final version. Note that Player First Games has requested the services of official dubbers/actors to lend their voice to the character they are used to being associated with. Suddenly, it is Maisie Williams herself who is behind Arya Stark, while the iconic Kevin Conroy is necessarily in charge of Batman. There is also Tara Strong who takes care of Harley Quinn, without forgetting George Newbern who has already doubled Superman in the Injustice series. Clearly things were done correctly.
