The history of video games is, to an extent, a history of subtle iterations of other people’s ideas. The interstellar success of Taito’s Space Invaders spawned the entire shoot-’em-up genre, with titles such as Galaxian, Phoenix and Gorf taking the basic idea and adding new features. Later, 1984’s Karate Champ begat the fighting game craze and Tetris brought us falling-block puzzlers. It’s the way things have always worked: adapt, expand, hand on the baton. It’s just that there’s a subtle yet deep gulf between imitation and inspiration… and not all titles manage to cross it.
Marvel Rivals, the latest live service game from Chinese mega publisher NetEase, is Overwatch with Marvel characters. That’s not just the elevator pitch, that’s exactly what it is. A colourful roster of comic book characters with differing skills meets in a series of sci-fi arenas to do team-based battle over a small selection of play modes. Machine-gun-toting vanilla guy Punisher is Overwatch’s Soldier 76 with a hint of Bastion; God-like healer Adam Warlock is the male Mercy; and as a fist-thudding tank, Hulk is just rampaging gorilla Winston with less hair. Gaming site GamesRadar has even provided a handy guide to show players which of the Marvel cast members are most analogous to their Overwatch faves.
