I’m not sure I’d ever have imagined saying to my wife ‘hang on a sec, just gotta help Superman beat up Shaggy and Velma’, and yet here I am, thanks to the latest franchise-mashing media venture Multiversus. A Smash Bros. style brawler that draws in a variety of Warner Bros characters to scrap it out in order to be Daddy Warner’s favourite or something.
It’s not Warner’s first foray into cross-promotional gaming waters. The underappreciated Lego Dimensions blazed a trail a few years ago, letting the likes of Doctor Who, Gandalf, Sonic, and Gizmo from Gremlins live in an interconnected game world fused together by literal Lego kits. Unfortunately, that slightly too complex project failed. Multiversus seems like a less convoluted way to try again.
A cynical man might suggest this game exists only to perpetuate a long-winded hype cycle of ‘look what famous character is coming to Multiversus next’. You just know how crazy people are going to go for that E3 2025 reveal of Joe Friday from Dragnet teaming with Larry David to fight the dynamic duo of Damien Karras from the Exorcist and Eliza Doolittle from My Fair Lady. In fairness to Multiversus, that only happens if the game is good enough, and crucially, successful enough to not be folded like extreme origami before then. Cynical it may be, but I’m suckered in by the potential for Larry David arguing Agent Smith into oblivion one day, so I’m sort of rooting for it to work out.
The first smart move Multiversus makes is to be a free-to-play title, the second is to make it available on practically everything. With the sheer weight of names that can be dropped into Multiversus over time, these facilitate casual players who happen to spot the latest reveal to say ‘hey, I might check that out’ and are able to do so easily.
Things can get pretty hecticAlso important is creating a game that feels both accessible and challenging dependent on skill levels. I’m not yet sure of the latter, but Multiversus ticks the accessible box so far. The recommended way to play Multiversus is in a 2v2 battle (you can go 1v1 as well) on a 2D plane. The objective is to deal enough damage to your opponents that they fly straight off the map and get a ring out. Do this a set number of times before the other team, and you win the round. From there, it’s usually a best of three situation.
The team dynamic is where Multiversus puts some distance between itself and its obvious influence. Players can save one another from peril, and use their moves in tandem to knock opponents flat. It also means you’re no good just looking out for number one. You have to work hard for number two as well. Or face an undignified defeat, In order to get the best out of the game then, there needs to be a bit of a taster session with the roster, which the closed beta has certainly been useful for.
A crucial building block of games like these comes from steady servers and swift Matchmaking. Multiversus may not gave been densely populated when I played it, but you honestly wouldn’t know it from how easy it was to find an online match.
This initial roster contains a dozen characters from Comics, TV, and Film, and all are given a consistent cartoon visual style, which works well in making these very different combatants feel connected to the same in-game universe. The Trinity that is Batman, Superman, and Wonder Woman, are joined by Game of Thrones’ Arya Stark, Adventure Time’s Jake and Finn, Scooby Doo’s Shaggy and Velma, and classic toons like Bugs Bunny. The only unestablished character in here is Reindog, a blue hybrid of a Reindeer and a Dog that is presumably lined up to be a mascot for the game beyond the celebrity parade it will inevitably become.
Remarkably, each character does feel unique once you spend a little time with them. The little personal quirks shine through from taunts to combat animation. Even in the hurly-burly chaos of a fight, you can still pick out individual characters with ease simply because of their movement. They may all have a similar floaty weight to them to ensure you don’t drop like an anvil encased in concrete when you drift off the edge of platforms, but Multiversus still conveys how quick or slow a character is meant to be.
There’s some amusing team ups that actually work.If I could criticize one aspect of the characters it’s that the attacks lack oomph. It’s often akin to a fight between two slightly deflated beach balls rather than a thumping dust-up. I’m not asking for Superman to punch bloody holes in Tom & Jerry, just that you can feel the wallop of heavier hits a little more.
I’m sure the full game will be offering a bit more meat in the bones in terms of modes, because while Multiversus is a fun distraction in its embryonic form, it will definitely need something extra as the months roll on. Sure, there is going to be a Battle Pass incentive to work through and regular challenge lists to tick off, but I’m not sure exactly how much goodwill the vanilla package will be able to muster before boredom drops by.
The important thing in the meantime will be to attract a strong, involved player base at launch in order to ride the inevitable peaks and troughs of a live service game’s life. Multiversus appears to be doing enough to get out the door on a good footing. The fear of what this could have been is warranted because you only have to look at the regurgitated ouroboros husk that was the new Space Jam film to see how badly this cross-media thing can be done. To the developer’s credit, Multiversus is not the gaming equivalent. Not by a long way.
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