MultiVersus, an upcoming platform fighting game from Warner Bros. Games and Player First Games, is set to correct some long-standing issues other brawl games have failed to address. MultiVersus will be a party brawling game similar to Nickelodeon All-Star Brawl and the Super Smash Bros. series and will have a high bar to surpass given the prestige of Super Smash Bros. Announced in November of 2021, Player First Games revealed several key features included in the upcoming game, like original voice acting and crossplay. These features and more will probably push MultiVersus to the top of the brawler food chain upon its release.
Nickelodeon All-Star Brawl already challenged the platform fighter crown held by the decade-spanning Super Smash Bros. games when it was released in October of 2021, introducing fresh, new tweaks to the fighting game format. The game was well-received and succeeded in doing several things better than Super Smash Bros. This included several features, like a focused roster and free updates, that will also elevate MultiVersus beyond the current limitations of Super Smash Bros. MultiVersus may share key improvements with Nickelodeon All-Star Brawl, but also improves upon features that were missing in Nickelodeon All-Star Brawl, making it a highly-anticipated new entry in the genre.
The Super Smash Bros. games have been considered the cornerstone of platform brawl games, but have never been quite perfect. Though Nickelodeon All-Star Brawl corrected some of its predecessor's issues, its own glaring problems revealed its shortcomings. Essentially, Super Smash Bros. became too big and convoluted over its tenure, while Nickelodeon All-Star Brawl felt too small and unfinished by comparison. MultiVersus appears to be threading that needle with precision, focus, and style.
MultiVersus Will Be Free-To-Play, With Free Updates, Fighters, & Features
Many major game developers are shifting their focus to free-to-play games, and Player First Games will do the same with MultiVersus. MultiVersus will be released sometime in 2022 and will be free-to-play upon release, including free game updates, features, and fighters. This sets it completely apart from both Nickelodeon All-Star Brawl and Super Smash Bros. Nick All-Star Brawl does include free updates and fighters, but it has an initial cost investment. Super Smash Bros. Ultimate costs about as much as any other AAA game, and new fighters require additional purchases within the game.
While the free-to-play model makes MultiVersus instantly accessible to its audience, it does come with its own concerns. Namely, how the game can be monetized for its developers, and how that could impact player experience. It is possible that microtransactions could be implemented, and the game will release with alternate costumes for the MultiVersus characters. Whether these items, future fighters, or other features in the game will come with real-world costs remains to be seen.
MultiVersus Will Have A Tight, Focused Roster
One feature where both MultiVersus and Nickelodeon All-Star Brawl shine is in their tight, focused roster of characters. Super Smash Bros. has constantly expanded its roster of playable characters. Its most recent entry, Super Smash Bros. Ultimate, boasts a whopping 89 fighters.
While the sheer breadth of Smash Ultimate's roster is impressive, it reduces the character selection and mastery process to being practically homework. MultiVersus will have 13 playable characters at launch, with more to be revealed as the game grows. This makes character selection and learning simple and straightforward, instead of wandering through almost 100 characters trying to pick a main fighter.
MultiVersus Will Feature Original Voice Acting
MultiVersus will feature an all-original cast of voice actors, with many famous actors returning to voice their characters. This feature was noticeably lacking in Nick All-Star Brawl and drained some of the personality from the delightfully well-designed Nickelodeon characters in its roster. MultiVersus boasts an all-star cast of talent, including Kevin Conroy as Batman, John DiMaggio as Jake the Dog, Matthew Lillard as Shaggy, Eric Bauza as Bugs Bunny and Tom and Jerry, and Tara Strong as Harley Quinn. This feature lends the game a massive level of credibility and gives the gameplay a hefty dose of well-needed personality.
MultiVersus Will Include Cross-Platform Play
A huge feature holding the Super Smash Bros. games back has been that the games are exclusive to Nintendo's own systems. Because of this, players on other gaming platforms could never get the opportunity to experience the signature Super Smash Bros. gameplay style (until Nickelodeon All-Star Brawl proved otherwise). MultiVersus will bring the brawl-style game to other platforms: it will be available on PC, PS4, PS5, Xbox Series X, and Xbox One, and players will be able to play with others on different platforms than their own. This feature is another step toward including as many players as possible, all but guaranteeing a thriving multiplayer community.
MultiVersus Will Focus On Teamwork & 2V2 Brawls
MultiVersus is also introducing a new gameplay element that feels fresh to the platform brawler genre: a focus on teamwork. Characters will have their own original movesets and will include crucial moves that help fighters on a team in various ways. Batman can drop smoke bombs, disguising ally movements, while Bugs Bunny can create tunnels for players to slink through during matches. Players are already anticipating interesting team-ups, with some speculating Harry Potter, The Joker, and Lebron James will work together to best the competition.
MultiVersus is highly likely to succeed where other platform brawler games have failed. Player First Games has set out to develop a very special kind of fighting game, and all of its announced features appear to have solidified its status even before its release. Offering the game on multiple platforms, making it free to play, and supporting cross-play will make MultiVersus widely available and easily accessible.
MultiVersus boasts an impressive host of characters from a diverse pool of Warner Bros. properties who will all be voiced by their original voice actors, with no telling what heroes and villains will join the roster next. Finally, the inclusion of character-unique teamwork features gives MultiVersus a game-specific mechanic that will set it apart from other platform brawl games. The game currently doesn't have a release date, but there is certainly plenty to look forward to with the arrival of MultiVersus, the next great party fighting game.