Marvel Rivals, a newly announced 6v6 hero shooter starring iconic comic book heroes and villains, will host its first playtest in May, and those interested in putting Marvel's take on Overwatch through its paces can now sign up for a chance to play.
The playtest will be on PC, and players will have access to more than a dozen characters to choose from, including Black Panther, Spider-Man, Magneto, and Scarlet Witch. To sign up, players will need to fill out a registration form and answer questions like what genres they are currently playing the most, their favorite PvP shooters, and how familiar they are with Marvel comics, movies, and shows. Developer NetEase states the focus of the alpha will be to test out game mechanics, identity and resolve bugs, and gather feedback from players. Invites to the playtest will go out via email.
Now Playing: Marvel Rivals - 'Rivals’ First Stand' | Official Announcement Trailer
Judging from Marvel Rivals' first gameplay trailer, those familiar with Blizzard's Overwatch should feel right at home, though there are a few key differences between the two. For starters, Marvel Rivals is played in third-person rather than first-person. Additionally, the maps where the game's heroes and villains do battle are at least partially destructible, which should change the flow of battle from one match to the next. Characters on the same team that have close ties to one another, like Rocket Racoon and Groot, for example, can join together for special Team-Up skills, which should add an interesting wrinkle when forming a team.
In true comic book fashion, the game's story revolves around Doctor Doom and his 2099 counterpart forcing the Marvel multiverse to collide via Timestream Entanglement, with heroes and villains joining forces to prevent the Dooms from achieving their nefarious goals. It's all a nice way to explain the game's roster of characters, many of which are former enemies. For a full breakdown, here's every Marvel Rivals character we know of so far.
Marvel Rivals will be free-to-play, and so far there is no word on whether or not the title will be coming to consoles or when it will release in full. The game can currently be wishlisted on both Steam and the Epic Games Store.
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