In an era of video game clones, it's surprising that there aren't more attempts at creating a competitor to Super Smash Bros. As one of the most popular fighting games of all time, Smash Bros. has been in the gaming conversation since the days of the N64. Yet there are really only a few triple-A alternatives on the market.
A new entry will soon be added to that list, as MultiVersus will enter into open beta later this week. MultiVersus is developed by Player First Games and published by WB Interactive, who also supply the vast majority of the characters on the roster. Iron Giant, Shaggy, Batman, Bugs Bunny, and many more Warner Bros. characters are included in the game's playable fighters, with more characters on the way. The learning curve of each character varies wildly, here are the best ones for beginners to pick up and learn.
10 Superman
True to his comic book counterpart, Superman is a pretty straightforward character to get the hang of. He's considered a "Tank" class in MultiVersus, meaning he can withstand a ton of hits without taking too much damage as a result.
Unlike some other tanks in the game, Superman is a great starting character because of his versatility. He obviously has some strong moves in close like punches and grabs, but he also has a host of elemental abilities such as Ice Breath and Meteor Liftoff which can be used at range and can be fired off quickly, allowing him to deal damage at a safe distance.
9 Finn The Human
Finn, the hero from Adventure Time, is what's known as an "Assassin" class, which essentially makes him a glass cannon. He can't take a ton of damage, but he can definitely dish it out. The best playstyle for this character is to dash in and out of fights, landing one of two hits for big damage then retreating before Finn gets caught in a bad situation.
Finn's passive ability, Fat Stacks, causes coins to drop when he hits an enemy. Picking up these coins will boost Finn's overall damage. It creates an interesting incentive for players using this character to switch their focus from combat to item collecting on short notice, and Finn's speed makes it more than doable. At the end of the day however, the coins shouldn't be a priority, as they can lure players into a bad position when their focus is divided.
8 Bugs Bunny
For players looking for a character that's less "pick up and play" and more of a learning experience, but a low-stress one, then Bugs Bunny is the way to go. He's a "Mage" class, and while his offensive abilities take a while to get used to, he's also very difficult to take down, giving players lots of time to get a feel for his range and placement.
That resilience is due to Bugs' ability Bunny Burrow, which allows him to tunnel underground and traverse the map unhindered for a brief period. This essentially means he can never get overwhelmed, because as soon as he's surrounded Bugs can burrow to safety. It makes him very easy to practice with in live matches, rather than against AI.
7 Jake The Dog
Controlling Jake the Dog may look complicated from the outside, but as Jake himself says: "You don't just read the poetry to understand it, you gotta feel it!" Such is the case with his MultiVersus iteration. Jake is a "Bruiser" class, which means he's all about offense without much in the way of passive abilities. His main quirk is his ability to transform, and all his various transformations may seem overwhelming at first.
Just like with Bugs, the trick here is to rely on the basics and slowly figure out the rest. Jake's standard moves are still very strong and perfectly serviceable as the main tools in a player's arsenal. Focus on those while occasionally weaving in his transformation abilities, and before long they'll all blend seamlessly into his combos with ease. It'll also look really flashy while doing it.
6 Velma
For players jumping in to co-op with a more experienced partner, Velma is the perfect place to start. She's one of the rare MultiVersus characters that takes a "Support" role, which means she's more about helping her teammates that dealing damage herself.
That's not to say she can't do damage. Her ability to summon a police car after collecting evidence from enemies can be devastating. She also attacks and moves very quickly, and she's able to heal her teammates and apply various debuffs to her enemies. While she may not make the flashy plays often, every team is better with Velma on the roster.
5 Harley Quinn
Now that she's done making the new season of her show, Harley took a detour to fight some cartoon characters. One of the other "Assassin" characters in the game, Harley Quinn isn't all that complicated. She has one support ability, her Confetti Debuff, that takes some getting used to but with proper deployment can cause enemies to take damage over time. Other than that she's very cut-and-dry.
She has lots of close-range attacks, a few ranged abilities, and a proximity mine that does a ton of damage when it hits. Actually, all her attacks do a ton of damage. She's an extremely straightforward character that can stack up well against any other character in the game.
4 Iron Giant
Another "Tank" character like Superman, the Iron Giant can take a punch. Actually, he can take several, and barely even flinch. His attack combos are very straightforward, with little to worry about beyond making sure an enemy is in range before hitting them. There is his fuel mechanic, which governs the Iron Giant's mobility and special attacks, but the fuel meter refills quickly, and it's really the only thing players need to worry about when playing as him, aside from some conflicts with his backstory.
The trickiest part about Iron Giant is how big he is. While he can take a lot of hits, his size means he's going to frequently get caught in the crossfire of other battles. It still won't take him down, so it doesn't matter too much, but players might find it frustrating how often they get knocked around playing as this character. Still, when landing just a few hits of his own can launch an enemy off the edge, it makes the minor quibbles about this character matter a lot less.
3 Wonder Woman
Probably the most basic "Tank" character in the game, Wonder Woman is extremely easy to pick up and play right after downloading the game. Her Defence of the Gods ability can shield both her and her teammates from damage, all while building up her Brace meter to unleash a special attack.
The trick with this character is monitoring her cooldowns. Her basic attacks are strong, and she can take a ton of damage so resorting to them isn't the end of the world, but most of her special abilities come with a cooldown timer. If one ability is relied upon too much, it can become an issue.
2 Taz
At this point, Taz is widely considered to be the strongest characters in the game. Despite that, he's deceptively easy to learn. He's a "Bruiser" class that has exceptional mobility, and can debuff his enemies until they eventually turn into food, which he and his teammates can eat to heal themselves.
His most potent ability is his Spin attack, which sends him flying across the map doing huge damage to any opponent in his path. The tricky part is that it moves him so quickly players may occasionally send themselves flying off the map. Avoiding that outcome doesn't take a ton of practice though, and other than that, Taz is a devastating opponent to deal with.
1 Shaggy
Shaggy has been showing up - and kicking ass - in a lot of games lately. MultiVersus is no different. He's not quite the strongest character in the game (he's close), but Shaggy is by far the easiest to learn. He is even the first recommended character by the game itself, given just how simple yet effective his moveset is.
Shaggy is a "Bruiser" class that is extremely fast, allowing him to run around the map with ease. His basic attacks already do a ton of damage, but when combined with his Zoinks! ability (which grants a significant damage boost) he's one of the most dangerous characters around. He likes to get in close, deal a ton of damage, build up his special move, then set that off to deal more damage. Simple. Effective. Shaggy.
MultiVersus enters into open beta on July 26th, 2022, with a full release coming soon. It is available on PS4, PS5, Xbox Series X/S, Xbox One, and PC.