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In just a few short months since its launch in December 2024, “Marvel Rivals” has become one of the most-played hero shooter games. With a focus on already well-known and beloved characters from the Marvel comics, it is no wonder the game is one of the most talked about third-party shooters in recent times, as it is enticing to Marvel fans and beyond.
With the “Marvel Rivals” season two, the Hellfire Gala update, which went live on April 11, the player base is the most active it has been since season one. Inspired by the 2021 “X-Men” comic series, the update brings new hero outfits, a fresh environment and more beloved Marvel characters.
“Marvel Rivals” continues to capture the hearts of Marvel fans with this new update. However, it fails to measure up content-wise compared to previous big updates in the game. Only two new heroes/villains joined the roster during season two, as opposed to the entirety of the Fantastic Four catalog joining last season.
Included in this update were three new team-up abilities, allowing players to become stronger through character synergy. The most notable of the new abilities is the Mental Projection team-up, including the new character Emma Frost. By having her on the same team as Magneto or Psylocke, her health increases while giving these two teammates access to new abilities.
This update’s size is questionable compared to Season 1, especially when considering the Hellfire Gala itself. Hosted by Frost and mimicking the real-life Met Gala, the Hellfire Gala became a yearly X-Men comic event between 2021 and 2023. This exclusive invite-only event acted as the biggest mutant celebration in the Marvel comic universe.
In “Marvel Rivals,” a Vanguard hero is a frontline tank built to take hits, protect teammates and control the battlefield. In the first half of the second season’s update, the roster of heroes is expanded to include telepath Frost as a Vanguard hero who utilizes a diamond-based form to unleash powerful abilities she does not have in her standard form.
This dynamic switch between her near-indestructible diamond form and telepathic abilities shows attention to detail in designing her skill set. “Marvel Rivals” pays proper homage to her comic book self by allowing her different powers to shine.
It did not go unnoticed that Frost’s default design uses the same color scheme as two other heroes in “Marvel Rivals.” Characters Invisible Woman and Dagger both have the same white with blue accents color scheme that Frost was designed with. This oversight may fade as more heroes are added, but it is still a questionable early design choice.
In the comics, Frost rarely wears an outfit designed to have more than one color on it. The single color palate may be considered too simple for a hero shooter, but it is not blue when she has an accent color. Her all-white outfits earned her the nickname the White Queen, but they were gold when she had color accents.
The “Marvel Rivals” developers could have avoided the current same-color schemes by using golden accents. This may be a small problem, given the access to costumes and a large cast of characters, but it feels lazy in this update. When Frost is a highlight in the first half of this season, the oversight of the same color scheme hurts worse.
Frost is the biggest highlight of this update. The new map is good but does not grab attention as a new character to play would. Having repeat color schemes to this extent is a glaring flaw for games that thrive from their new character drops. It is a flaw that thicker thighs on one of the characters will not fix forever.
Overall, this season does not feel like a true season update when looking at the content it brings. If anything, it looks like an off-season where not much is happening while the developers prepare for a bigger season.
Season two feels like a waste of the grand party, so this update was used for inspiration. Hopefully, this does not hint at an off-season every-other-update as a trend, and the developers were just buffering in response to the game’s rapid growth.
Jessica’s rating: 3.5/5
”}]] In just a few short months since its launch in December 2024, “Marvel Rivals” has become one of the most-played hero shooter games. With a focus on already well-known and Read More