Four months out from the release of Marvel Rivals, it’s clear the game is here to stay. NetEase has proven its hero shooter can stand toe-to-toe with the likes of Overwatch, in part through a massive amount of updates, new heroes, and creative modes. But on that last point, it looks like the game’s best days might be ahead of it, with the introduction of what looks to be an unbelievably chaotic mode. That’s right, you’re about to duke it out with twelve Mr. Fantastics in a rubbery mosh pit.
The new mode, titled Clone Rumble, is about the furthest thing you could possibly get from a balanced experience. If you’ve been asking for role lock features, well you’re out of luck, as Clone Rumble is the exact opposite.
In this mode, each team votes on one hero to include in the match, and the two that win are the only characters players can select in that match. That means you might have a gang of Punishers going up against an Invisible Woman brigade. As you might expect, it looks like these matches are going to devolve into nothing but bloodbaths. Just imagine six Punishers filling the screen with rounds from their turrets, or a whole team of Jeffs that do nothing but eat the enemy team.
Clone Rumble starts on March 7, along with a patch that brings a whole bunch of adjustments to characters — which is a bit ironic. Marvel Rivals’ biggest strength so far has been a willingness to experiment and simply throw out the rules. Clone Rumble definitely plays into that strength, letting players revel in the sheer absurdity of the game’s inbalances. It’s rare to see a game that wholeheartedly embraces those flaws.
Marvel Rivals is a perfect hotbed to experiment with the formats of other games, like with the Splatoon-inspired Jeff’s Winter Splash Festival.
In a lot of ways, it reminds me of the old Halo multiplayer games, like Halo 3. During that time Bungie wasn’t afraid to try out some bizarre new modes — like turning players into zombies, or the iconic Griffball mode where you used swords and hammers to compete in crazy sports matches. The way Marvel Rivals embraces absurdity feels quite reminiscent of the glory days of Halo, but my biggest worry is how these events are still only for a limited time.
I’d love to see NetEase make some of these more ridiculous modes a permanent fixture, doubling down on the aspects of the game for people who just want to have fun. Quick Matches and Ranked matches can still retain the competitive spirit, but it’d be great to have permanent options for a discraction. Obviously limited time events are supposed to surge interest and often coincide with patches or updates — but other games have flourished by making limited modes permanent.
Chief among these it Rocket League, one of the wildest ideas for a multiplayer game that’s still going strong years later. Rocket League’s idea of car soccer is unique enough, but over the years it introduced spins on the gameplay to turn it into ice hockey and basketball. Those modes have become perment fixtures, and largely gives even more value to the experience.
Rocket League is the perfect example of having a diverse set of modes, for players of all skill levels.
Having a variety of modes can be especially valuable to a live service game, as it gives players a reason to play no matter if they’re feeling competitive or just want to burn some time.
Clone Rumble is the wildest idea Marvel Rivals has had yet, and I hope it’s indicative that this game will continue to grow and change in big, exciting ways.
