MultiVersus Review

Super Smash Bros. has been the staple of the platforming fighter genre ever since the release of the original, and it's been the go-to fighter ever since Super Smash Bros. Melee came around. Despite many successors, competitors, and attempts at capturing its same charm, no one has been able to dethrone it... until MultiVersus came around.

Last year, the Warner-Bros.-ledMultiVersus came out to shocking success — it captured the hearts of many players, incorporated franchises that were as wacky and unique as the original Super Smash Bros., and one of the main complaints it received was that there were laggy servers. At the time, it seemed to be the Smash killer everyone's been anticipating, though player retention quickly took a nosedive, the server issues got out of hand, and many left the title. Thankfully, according to developer Player First Games, this was supposed to be a Closed Beta Test, and the game was closed for another year to work on some player feedback, fix the servers, and gear up for its 1.0 release in 2024. Its highly anticipated release is finally here — was the one-year wait worth it?

There have been a few changes to MultiVersus over the course of the one-year development period; some good, some not so much. In the former category, Player First Games has added a single-player/co-op vs AI mode called Rifts, filled with unique mini-games, Gems to acquire, and challenges to overcome. In the latter, however, is a slew of microtransactions and mobile-esque mechanics that could easily become predatory given enough time. Let's start with the first one.

The newcomer mode to MultiVersus is the capability to enjoy a single-player experience. In Rifts, you can bring a friend with you to go out and enjoy a miniature "storyline" as you progress through nodes in varying difficulties to advance. Each round has five optional challenges that you can complete, and by doing so, you unlock rewards in the form of upgradable Gems that will boost you with passive effects.

This becomes the main gameplay loop of this campaign game mode: you complete nodes, finish optional challenges, get Gems, unlock harder difficulties, and then repeat. It's pretty basic, and I acknowledge it can border boring, but from my personal experience, I had a lot of fun being able to play a platform fighter that didn't require me to engage in PvP against other players, instead opting for a PvE environment that feels more friendly to those who aren't as great at the genre. All the while, the unique nodes give different challenges, making the sometimes God-awful AI feel more like a challenge (or, in the case of one of Garnet’s quests… borderline impossible!).

The optional challenges are a definite bonus, forcing you to engage with different playstyles or characters you might otherwise never interact with. Due to the large roster, 26 characters upon release and one addition already announced, it's a breath of fresh air to rest from your main and instead opt to play others, especially in the easier difficulties. When in higher ones, it's also a fun change of pace, with unique builds and synergies to the passives that contribute to other characters, making some things (like projectiles) more viable because of the bonuses you'll get.

Solo, this process can become boring, and Rifts definitely feels more like the type of thing you want to do a bit every day rather than complete in a single one; this is magnified by the inclusion of "Daily Rewards" that you can engage with, incentivising you to return the next day. With friends, though, it becomes a chaotic and more enjoyable mode, giving you the opportunity to combo with them, let them 1v2, or just bash on a poor, unsuspecting NPC that can't survive one of you jumping into the abyss to kill them and the other protecting the ledge.

Surprisingly, I am pretty fond of the Rifts mode, despite the fact thatI've always hated Gem-based progression and single-player campaigns that can otherwise be a bit dull.They're a nice break from having to play PvP, and I've found myself playing moreof Rifts than I do 1v1 or 2v2 because of the variety of characters.

Another new addition that'll encourage you to play the single-player is the Events. These mobile-esque Events give you some things to complete, like defeat bosses in Rifts or level up characters, and reward you with unique skins, premium currency, and the money you'll use to unlock characters. These Events limit you to how much you can actually do them daily, and it gives you a great reason to dip your toes into every area of the game, dabbling a little into Rifts, PvP, and even other characters and roles that would take you out of your comfort zone.

The bad part about all of this is the possibility of predatory microtransactions, and the reason MultiVersus released to Mixed reviews: it's all limiting the player to progress at extremely slow speeds. The chief example of this is the acquisition of characters. With 27 announced, and each one costing 3,000 Fighter Currency, you'll need a total of 81,000 to get everyone, though that's with a few caveats — despite the fact that you do start with a few of the characters already, new ones (currently, The Joker) cost 6,000. Though I have no problem with the slow progression, the amount of Fighter Currency you can get is limited by a few factors.

Of course, you can get Fighter Currency from levelling up characters, the free Battle Pass tiers, and a few of the Events, but your speed will vary depending on what's available at the time. It's not too big of a deal, considering you'll get a few characters at first and a slew of free weekly ones, but when you need to play certain roles or tags for Rifts, it locks the capability to acquire Gems behind not being able to get the character you want... or paying with the premium currency, Glemium, to unlock them. This will all depend on the way Player First Games handles it in the long run, but the upcoming character — Agent Smith from The Matrix — can be acquired for free by engaging with the Rifts and killing bosses; you’ll even get him two weeks in advance if you complete the necessary requirements.

I'll note that starting the game, I've not experienced too much of an issue with this at all. Sure, you may not be able to acquire the characters you want or farm them out, but I currently have eight fighters available to me (including the Banana Guard and Jason, which not everyone will have) and enough Fighter Currency to get two more. Competitively, it does mean you might get locked out of being able to have every character to your advantage, but at the same time, counter-picking isn't a possibility in MultiVersus, and an official Ranked mode isn't even out at the time of writing.

Is it a problem? Not personally. Gleamium has, so far, been a completely optional thing, and if you're willing to be patient and get the points you can acquire through character progression, Battle Pass, and Events, you'll eventually get everyone. Though it feels like an odd choice at first glance, MultiVersusis free-to-play first and foremost, and there isn't a need to get Gleamium to unlock fighters, especially if you're still starting out and are learning all of the characters you do like. There are sufficient free-to-play options in the form of weekly rotations to keep you going for a while, and through enough saving and progressing, you'll be able to unlock anyone without having to spend a cent.

This has been a major point of contention in the community, but not one I've grappled with personally. Playing the Rifts, relaxing with the characters I currently do have, and saving my Fighter Currency for when I desperately need it (like when Finn stops being free this week) has been more than enough to let me get by. Outside of the microtransaction debacle, there is enough content here to come back daily, even without grinding out PvP battles for fun.

That being said, server issues continue to be a minor problem, thoughit's more in the sense of network disconnections than unbearable server lag, and it's a minor complaint as it only occurs every so often, and it happens less frequently the more days go by. A few patches here and there, and the problems will stop. It’s nothing in comparison to the enjoyable platforming fighting, where every character feels unique and has a well-rounded kit — it all makes sense in the grand scheme of their universe and abilities.

I've genuinely had a lot of fun with MultiVersus. Though Player First Games has shown their hand in the way of possibly predatory microtransactions and hiding cosmetics behind paywalls, they ultimately end up being cosmetic and don't change the game overall; it's no different to skins in your favourite MOBA. It's the Super Smash Bros. clone I've been waiting and yearning for, giving me the possibility to come back and play it daily in both PvE and PvP forms, and so long as the microtransactions don't turn predatory and we can get everything through elbow grease, it's an easy recommendation considering its entry fee of "Free".