Let’s Talk: Marvel Rivals!

Hey guys! DJ Harrito back for another entry on the blog, this time I’ll discuss one of my recent addictions: Marvel Rivals!

Marvel Rivals is similar to Overwatch, except I enjoy it way more. I don’t know why, perhaps it’s the recognizable characters? I don’t know much about Overwatch and only really played it for the LE SSERAFIM collab. Speaking of, I’m pretty sure they did another one recently for the release of HOT, but I didn’t bother to come back and play for it, honestly. Regardless, I love playing Rivals with friends as we can take it as easily and competitively as I can. I have yet to play the new season as of writing this article, the Hellfire Gala.

The gameplay is simple: fight against the other team to be the victor. There are different “game modes” per se, but it operates by alternating between them after each match. Sometimes it can be the same one, but I think it all depends on the algorithm.

Regardless, the way the game operates is fun enough to keep me entertained even if I lose. I’m a rager when it comes to games like Rivals. But it’s fun seeing how I’m not the only one like this while I’m losing, as the chat feature in the game reflects most of the players feeling pretty well while playing.

I’m more of a strategist main, meaning I focus on healing more than combat, but there are some that inflict more damage rather than healing. The ones I use are Rocket Raccoon, and from time to time, I use Jeff. Now, I don’t have much experience in playing games like these, but because I feel like I could hop in at any time, anyone could if they want to start playing.

They also update the gameplay a bit by adjusting the play style or buffing up characters by adding more damage or healing capability.

How I like to play the game is what I believe to be more of a laid back play style, staying back while shooting my heal pellets towards my allies, as Rocket is my favorite thing to do because I don’t have to be centerline or even pushing forward to be able to heal. Even if I do get jumped mid-match, Rocket has dashes to escape any dire situation and can wall climb to avoid being hit from below by melee combat users. It does suck though, when a Spiderman or Hawkeye targets you. When they catch you, I can’t tell you how annoying it is to be dragged around constantly by them. That’s why it’s important to have friends at bay while actively healing. I always invite my friends to play with me, and what they usually do is pressure or even target the people who damage me while I heal. As a final resort, I spam the mini-gun in hopes that I hit my shots with my terrible aim, and it often works due to Rocket’s unusually high dps. With it, I’ve even defeated tanks when I’ve been chased so hard! Rocket definitely fits my play style, and I cannot wait to see the future release of new characters such as Ultron in the game. I heard he, too, was a strategist, which is an interesting choice, and I cannot wait to try him out!

This play style changes when I switch to Jeff though, as he’s more oddly built to heal and somewhat damage a bit more. I switch up to be a bit more offensive with him, as I follow the tank around more and give them a movement buff while playing. It’s not something I hate doing, but it’s out of my comfort zone pushing in Rivals. Unlike Fortnite, pushing in Rivals feels more risky to do unless you have a whole team with you, or at least in my opinion. Keeping low is also fun to do because it enables you to apprehend people from behind and get the jump on them. Aside from buffing my allies with the speed adjustment, I also like attacking from afar with the water bullets that Jeff has. Not to mention, he does a decent amount of damage when attacking or targeting a specific person alongside your team.

Pair-up skills also enable fun, matchmaking team compositions. For example, both Rocket and Jeff can ride on Groot’s back when he’s in your team. This can lead to some fun moments where Groot pushes and is heavily undefeatable unless you take the healers out of the picture. Even then, healing yourself as both Jeff and Rocket is possible as this prolongs their life and time in the battlefield, causing an annoyance for others who don’t have a battle strategy ready to face them.

Finally, just have fun playing the game if you decide to play it. I hated it for the first two rounds, but after the third, I got the hang of it. It’s very much like Overwatch, but instead of it being more oriented on a set amount of tanks, healers, and dps, it enables players to create their own possible teams with or without needing a brawler of sorts. Losing in this game can be repetitive though, so don’t get surprised if you didn’t win much of the night because it certainly happens often.

To wrap things up, I’d like to invite anyone who reads this to a round of Rivals. If you are interested in playing, feel free to private message me on my Instagram @DJHarrito or on TikTok with the same handle.

In the meantime, stay safe everyone and let’s end the semester with a bang!