Warner Bros. big crossover fighter MultiVersus is shaking up to be a mainstay in the fighting game space. It has more than enough star power from its roster, and a unique, cooperation focused gameplay style that sets it apart from similar games.
Standing in its way though, is a host of issues that make engaging with the game ever so slightly less enjoyable. Having just entered open beta, the game’s full release is still a ways off, so thankfully a lot of these issues have time to be adjusted, but it's important to know what needs to be fixed in the first place.
7 User Interface
In general, MultiVersus has a well-designed UI (user interface). It looks clean and pleasing to the eye, with a fitting color scheme for the game. However, partially due to the game’s massive amount of prompts, buttons and tabs, it all ends up being quite cluttered to a new eye.
This means that often new players won’t even be able to find vital options like how to exit a match or find specific pieces of information. Comparing it to Super Smash Brothers, that game does a great job of color coding and clearly labeling all the menu sections. If Multiversus could just add more intuitive pathing through its menus it would be even more inviting to newcomers.
6 Gameplay Improvements
A lot of players might have issues adapting to MultiVersus due to how different it feels from more popular platform fighters like Smash Bros. and Brawlhalla. While some of this is unavoidable, there are definitely slight adjustments that could improve the feeling of playing the game.
Particularly, the combat can feel very slow due to a large amount of animation commitment behind certain moves, especially with a large number of chargeable attacks. Upping the speed of these moves along with reducing the extreme amount of hitstun they have might let the game feel smoother than it currently does. Currently attacks feel too heavy for how mobile the cast is.
5 Monetization Issues
Monetisation continues to be a controversial topic in the video game industry, especially in the free to play market. While some monetisation is understandable, MulitVersus’ monetization system is currently tilted more towards the predatory side.
For one, the battle pass model arbitrarily locks certain cosmetics behind itself, meaning that even players willing to spend money can’t access them directly. The choice of value in different characters and skills is also arbitrary, with a barely different Batman skin being considered a legendary skin, which means it costs 2000 gleamium, or roughly $20 USD. 20 dollars for a skin that barely changes anything is absurd and can’t be allowed to survive till release.
4 Costume Selection
As a free-to-play game, MultiVersus is likely aiming to make a large chunk of its revenue from cosmetic sales. This is a long proven strategy, as games like Fortnite and League of Legends have found great success with it. If MultiVersus wants to reach similar heights though, their skin selection needs a lot of work.
At the moment, most characters only have 1 alternate skin if any, and the quality of these skins is immensely varied. Garnet players have the option of donning her first fusion look, which has great significance in her history and is very visually distinct from her base skin. Superman players on the other hand, only have a gold pallet swap, when there is a wealth of Superman costumes that could be offered instead. Luckily there are a few more confirmed skins that are yet to be added to the beta.
3 Emote Selection
Emotes are clearly another cosmetic option that MultiVersus is hoping to earn some money off of. These are comparable to purchasable emotes in other games, and sadly so far suffer from the same lack of options as the skin selection.
Just like the skins, most characters only have one unlockable option besides their default, but the quality is a bit more consistent. Garnet again gets a rather good one, which references a memorable Steven Universe gag, but someone like Harley Quinn seems like she could have much more referential or intense emotes than she currently has. And, some of them aren’t even purchasable and are instead locked behind the battle pass.
2 Game Balance
The current issues in the game's balance are understandable considering the game is still only in beta, so a lot of necessary fixes are likely already in the works behind the scenes. However, balance changes from beta to full release can still fall short of what is necessary.
Overpowered or broken characters need to be toned down, but not nerfed into the ground, while weaker characters need a healthy bump so they don’t become the new ones in need of nerfing. Especially since the game has an emphasis on 2v2 battles, extra care needs to be taken to avoid unstoppable character combinations. The perk system also needs some adjustments to not create too much of a gap between new and old players.
1 1v1
As an offshoot of the balance discussion, there is currently a serious issue when it comes to the difference between the game’s different modes. MultiVersus is built for 2v2 fights, but so far this has come at the expense of players who prefer to fight one on one, which is what most players will be used to.
Specifically, the game’s class-based system means that some characters suffer intensely from the game’s cooperative nature. The support focused characters especially, lose a lot of utility when by themselves. While it is fair enough to let 2v2 be the main game mode, it’s important to not let 1v1 fall to the wayside, as this will alienate many players, especially those without reliable multiplayer partners.
MultiVersus is out now on Open Beta for PS4, PS5, XBOX One, XBOX Series X/S and PC.