MultiVersus review: corporate-mandated fighting game fun

digitaltrends.com:

MultiVersus is the new hotness in the fighting game scene since its free-to-play open beta launch on July 26. A giant crossover game for Warner Bros. properties, the platform fighter features a wide range of WB characters, from the snarky rabbit Bugs Bunny to the deadly assassin Arya Stark to the Space Jam: A New Legacy version of real-life basketball player LeBron James.

Yes, that’s an actual sentence that applies to a new video game in 2022.

MultiVersus can feel like a mandated corporate product in many ways with its plain UI, the plethora of microtransactions, and the vast amount of included IP. Thankfully, the developers at Player First Games still crafted a fighting game that’s cooperatively fun at its core, with a take on the platform genre that is wholly unique. If you can get past the more clinical elements of MultiVersus, you’ll find one of the most enjoyable new fighting games for casual players since Super Smash Bros. Ultimate.

MultiVersus is clearly — very clearly –inspired by the Super Smash Bros. series. It’s a crossover platform fighter where movement and platforming are just as important as fighting. That said, it stands on its own with some unique mechanics and a different overall game feel. While many Smash clones try to directly copy the movement of Super Smash Bros. Melee, MultiVersus is more concerned with creating a diverse roster with some mechanics not seen often in other fighting games.

MultiVersus’ characters all have wildly different mechanics and are split into different classes: Brawler, Mage, Assassin, Support, and Tank. Brawlers can deal a lot of damage, Tanks can take a lot of hits, Mages use technical ranged attacks, Support characters focus on buffs and debuff in co-op play, and