hadn't heard of this one so figured I'd throw it out there. Free to Play.
https://arstechnica.com/gaming/2022/05/multiversus-hands-on-finally-a-compelling-smash-bros-clone/
https://arstechnica.com/gaming/2022/05/multiversus-hands-on-finally-a-compelling-smash-bros-clone/
When we saw the leaks about this upcoming free-to-play PC and console game, which stars various WB and Time Warner intellectual property in a cartoony, Smash Bros.-style arena fighter, we had our reservations. Was WB seriously trying to compete with Nintendo's biggest fighting game by pitting Arya Stark against... Shaggy from Scooby-Doo? Whose dream cartoon face-off is that?
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So far, we've come away impressed and surprised. In a world that didn't necessarily need another Smash Bros. clone, the devs at Player First Games have seemingly cracked the code—and made something that could neatly coexist with Nintendo's massive hit, if not surpass it. (Even better, at first blush, the F2P stuff seems tolerable!)
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None of that matters if the characters don't feel fun while jumping, dashing, and punching, and in great news, the cast thus far includes a satisfying, diverse range of Smash-like archetypes. Even Shaggy from Scooby Doo, who is basically this game's "starter" Ryu or Mario, feels fun for racking up quick-fire karate-inspired combos. Batman's Harley Quinn arrives with some cool toys and surprise moves, like a dash-and-punch-back special attack that puts players into position to confound opponents. Adventure Time's Finn feels like a more refined version of the Dragon Quest Hero from Smash Bros. Ultimate in terms of him managing a "coin" economy mid-battle and using it to either unleash attacks or give himself character-appropriate perks. Tom and Jerry appear here as a single "character," with lots of wacky gadgets and misdirected battling options, and in Smash Bros. terms, they feel more like the battle-hardened stuff of Smash's Olimar-and-Pikmin pairing than the unwieldy-if-amusing stuff of Ice Climber.
Player First Games even goes there with "experimental" characters like Scooby Doo's Velma and Looney Tunes' Taz, who can each pile on character-specific kinds of damage that will put their foe in a vulnerable state; Velma can hit an enemy enough times to collect "clues" about them and have them arrested, while Taz can "season" foes enough to turn them into a helpless roasted chicken.
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Ultimately, there's enough in this closed alpha to make me genuinely excited about Player First Games' perspective on arena fighters.
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(And a voice-acting leak from March that outed Tasmanian Devil's appearance also included voice-acted dialogue from Lebron James, the Iron Giant, Marvin the Martian, and Teen Titans' Raven, in case you want to know how this beast of a F2P Smash rival may shape up before long.)
