MultiVersus

Enter MultiVersus: A free-to-play crossover platform fighter that brings together the worlds of WB-owned properties like Looney Tunes, the DC Universe, Scooby- ...

Its 2v2 mechanics are well designed and add new wrinkles to a familiar formula, its roster of characters is a wonderful mix of the new and the nostalgic, and its gameplay is immediately pick up and play friendly while still having plenty of tech for the more hardcore to dig into. Tom and Jerry is one of the most interesting examples, with the player only being in direct control of Tom, but using Jerry as both a projectile and a tool that can be called upon for a variety of other projectiles that can hit from unexpected angles. There are perks that can be equipped to characters that can slightly bolster their stats and add new properties to moves, but those can only be earned by playing with those characters and leveling up their character specific progression track. In addition to that, Steven can also place a healing zone on the ground that heals both him and his partner, he can put out a bomb that can be picked up by his teammate and delivered to the opponents, and he can shoot out a shield projectile that can grant a teammate armor if it passes through them. What this means is that aerial mobility is huge in MultiVersus. There’s no such thing as a character with a bad recovery, because every character has generally the same powerful tools to get back to the stage, and on the flip side of that, every character is also able to be super aggressive off-stage. That alone is enough to grab my attention, but the big question is whether MultiVersus will be able to hold its own with its core gameplay, progression mechanics, and free-to-play monetization plans.

MultiVersus is a new platform fighter from Warner Bros. Interactive Entertainment and Player First Games. Before the closed alpha got underway today, ...

She’s an all-rounder who has a nice blend of close-quarters and ranged moves, and she’s effective in the air too. The customization also extends to a perk system and levelling up each character. It’s already fun for me, a relative newcomer to the scene. It’s a bit of a blow that some of the characters people will be most excited to try, like Superman and Batman, aren’t available at the outset. There’s a deep, deep well of IP for the developers to pull from to build out the roster. The initial roster is solid, with a nice blend of big names and some more unexpected characters. Fingers crossed we’ll see the likes of Beetlejuice, Ace Ventura, Wicked Witch of the West, Gizmo and Daenerys Targaryen down the line. The core mode is a 2v2 battle where teams race to knock their enemies off of the map a total of four times. That’s not a big issue, though, since anyone who takes any competitive game seriously is going to put a lot of time into understanding the intricacies of each fighter. I am not, by any stretch of the imagination, a fighting game expert. The core controls are similar to Smash as well, with attacks and specials each tied to a single button and directional inputs. So, you’ll see the likes of Superman taking on Steven Universe, Harley Quinn fighting Scooby Doo’s Velma and, perhaps most bizarrely of all, Tom and Jerry not fighting each other but instead working as a team controlled by one player.

Steven Universes' Garnet and Adventure Times Jake face the camera in MultiVersus trailer. (Image credit: Warner Bros. Games). If Fortnite and ...

MultiVersus isn't a mindblowing idea for a game—on its face, it's very similar to the recent and kind of terrible Nickelodeon fighting game from last year. If you're not a fan of its colorful sheen—which is unabashedly Fortnite—you probably won't be swayed by anything in MultiVersus. It's a game that requires you to take that leap and bask in its absurdity. MultiVersus deploys its unmistakable characters as a trojan horse for a game that's actually more interested in the intricate dance of an expertly made fighting game made for people who aren't already obsessed with fighting games. That Hanna Barbera attitude, which underlines the playfulness and mayhem in a bunch of cartoon characters beating the snot out of each other, is everywhere in MultiVersus. It gives the entire game a loose, but important, consistency, and has me eager to spend hours with everyone on the roster so far. If you want to stay back and look for opportunities to join the fray, support is the answer. That quick ability to read how a game is playing out is exactly the kind of instinctual strategy and teamwork (for all I know the Velma was aggressive to make up for my initial passiveness) that MultiVersus promotes.

I've spent the past three days playing an early build of MultiVersus, the upcoming platform fighting game with characters like Batman, Bugs Bunny, ...

Everything about the game just clicks together with a surprising magnetism and left me reluctant to put the game down. MultiVersus also has some creative approaches to gameplay that feel unique for a fighting game, which White said has been one of the best surprises during development. For experienced players, White said, "I think the 2v2 experience if you're willing to give it a try is going to feel fresh and new," offering a new way to engage in the genre while still providing "tons of depth and tons of mastery." The unlikely pleasure of Velma pairing up with Batman to form a World's Greatest Detectives team. The biggest challenge for MultiVersus will be standing out in a crowded genre with fans who are very loyal to their games. I've been transfixed with that strategic element of the game -- how abilities and perks and team combinations all fit together. The developers look at win rates across different experience levels and combine that with other metrics like feedback from high-level players and internal tournaments to determine where they need to make changes. Do I pop it at the start of the match, allowing my team to get aggressive? The more damage you deal to a player, the easier it is to knock them around the stage. He spoke about the game with an earnest passion -- the same kind of passion that you'll pick up on in the fine details of the game's art and sound design. You know exactly how far you need to toss someone for a KO, which encourages players to aggressively move off the stage to secure knockouts. (And if you want to dive head-first into that absurdity, just check out the game's first cinematic trailer.)

MultiVersus' closed alpha has arrived, and its community has fallen in love with the newest platform-fighter.

“The dynamics it creates are incredible & absolutely radiates the charm of each character. THRILLED this and the recent trailer is the direction they’re taking! The dynamics it creates are incredible & absolutely radiates the charm of each character. By far the biggest standout is the character interactions & unique dialog that comes with it. “Voice acting, animation, move-sets, replay value, & staying true to characters are all highlights.” Warner Bros’ MultiVersus became available to the public for the first time on May 19, 2022, starting the week-long closed alpha.

To its credit, MultiVersus has the Super Smash Bros likeness down to a tee, with a grid of Warner Bros character icons to choose from such as, errr, Bugs Bunny!

Still, the fact it all costs nothing at all does help to smooth things out in a different way, and from what I've played so far, I think MultiVersus is a cracking Super Smash Bros-like with strong personality and presentation. Another slight rework to the Smash Bros framework is in the UI. MultiVersus pops each character's damage numbers under their person at all times, where Smash Bros stuck them in a static row at the bottom of the screen. Thing is, being a Smash Bros-style game still ends up invoking tough comparison in terms of gameplay feel, and in the long term this could be where MultiVersus falls down. Win or lose with a certain character and you'll net them EXP. Level them up and you'll earn specific perks that you can equip before a match begins, like "10% more damage in mid-air". It's an odd decision, as fighting games like this often tick because everyone's on a level playing field, especially if you're playing online. While it may be easy to dismiss Multiversus as a mere Smash Bros knock-off, the game does do a decent job of trying to iterate on Nintendo's iconic formula. MultiVersus is Warner Bros' spin on a Super Smash Bros-like that's free-to-play and features an all-star mishmash of franchises: Scooby Doo, Game Of Thrones, Adventure Time. Everyone is here!

Critics and fans got their hands on more footage from MultiVersus, and some think it could set itself apart from other fighting games based on good ...

Heavily noted similarities to "Super Smash Bros." aside, the developers appeared to push for a unique experience overall, especially with a dedicated team mode unlike any fighting games before it. In Webster's experience, the game's "real advantage" over "Smash Bros." was in the F2P model and how the game will feature complete cross-play functionality. Makar reported on the game's emphasis on team building, with each character having a unique ability to buff their teammates attack, defense and other capabilities. Andrew Webster of The Verge wrote that "there's very little that's original" regarding how the game plays, but believed it could become "a big hit" regardless. Critics pointed out the similarities to " Super Smash Bros." at length, but with several gameplay twists that set "MultiVersus" apart from the Nintendo franchise, and even " Nickelodeon All-Star Brawl." Other writers, like GameSpot's Jason Fanelli, similarly wrote that the game could "glimpse at the future of fighting games."