Marvel Rivals has been out for almost two months now and Season One has brought with it a host of changes and updates. Is the wonderfully received game failing after all that?
Better than Ever
Absolutely not! Marvel Rivals is still going strong and anyone who tells you it’s failing after a month is dead wrong (Objectively). With over 644,000 concurrent players, the game is alive and strong and dwarfs most live-service games’ player count. Keep in mind that’s without counting the console players! Outside of the occasional bug and cheater (what game doesn’t have one), the game is doing pretty well for itself.
It’s wonderful to see that even as we near the two month mark, queue times are still so short. Matchmaking is still quick and efficient. It’s gotten to the point that you don’t need to spend the whole day waiting for a game in ranked. Hopefully, this stays consistent as the game updates.
Along with the release of Season 1, players have been given a ton of new skins, events, and even maps and missions. The battlepass surprised a lot of people with what you get and honestly, good on you, Rivals. You earn essentially 8 dollars back of currency from your 10 dollar battle pass and you get 10 skins (One of which is free for non battlepass players). When you compare that kind of content to other games with a battlepass, that kind of value is insane and you can see why players don’t mind getting it.
Additionally, the majority of the 10 skins you get follow a specific theme and they all jive together really well rather than looking like a group of random skins. I can appreciate when a company puts thought into their skinlines and battlepass content. It shows awareness of their player base and the monetization of their game.
Anything Wrong with it?
While the game is great and is still going strong, no game is without its shortcomings. While these are minor nitpicks and general concerns, we’re hoping it improves as the game updates. This is a problem stemming from the fact that the game is new but there’s not enough maps. On multiple occasions, I find myself playing the same map and mission 4 times in a row. I know this will change the more maps come out every season but as of now, it’s a bit of an annoyance.
Strategist ults are way too strong this season. So much so that you will almost always see Cloak and Dagger, Rocket, and Luna Snow in every single game. I think that this is just a balancing issue but it’s not like there’s no outplay to it (except you C&D. Your ult cooldown is too short).
Another main concern is the server connection. I don’t know if it’s just a local issue but there are moments where players will get packet losses despite having a strong connection. NetEase will hopefully improve that as the game goes on.
The Good Parts
Now, with the negatives out of the way, lets go on to the positives. I absolutely love the fact that you have way more time and way more opportunities to grind for in game currency. It’s possible to get skins you want for free by just playing the game and leveling up the regular battlepass.
This is something I wish more games would do. Reward players who play a lot by giving them high quality skins or the opportunity to earn currency to buy cosmetics they want. I always thought the battle pass in season 0 was a little short, but now I see it was just a preview. The battlepasses in seasons to follow are long and come with a ton of rewards.
The game developers has confirmed that the expected rollout of new content is every month and a half. Each new season brings about new content and each season is divided into two halves. For this season, we got Mister Fantastic and the Invisible Woman and Midtown as new heroes and maps in the first half. We’re expecting a new map and The Thing and Human Torch in about two weeks. My small concern about how fast these contents are being rolled out is that quality might dip. If we’re going off of season 1 content, I think they’re doing fine right now. It remains to be seen in the future, however.
Final Thoughts
It’s still a fun game. It’s going to be an uphill battle from here on out but Rivals may have what it takes. There are some concerns but they’re mostly minor in nature. As long as NetEase keeps this up, the game is going to last.
Overall, the game is still such a joy to play and the new events keep the game feeling fresh when you’re burnt out from Ranked. Marvel Rivals has proven that it has what it takes to be the best hero shooter, but now it has to prove that it can stay consistent. Only time will tell.
Here are our previous articles on Marvel Rivals if you want to check them out.
Fundamentals Every Marvel Rivals Players Should Know to Rank Up
Start Marvel Rivals With These Beginner-friendly Heroes
