It’s been almost a year since NetEase launched Marvel Rivals, 11 months and five seasons of time to grow and move out from Overwatch 2′s shadow. And NetEase did, for a time, but with new Strategist Gambit’s debut in season five, it seems the studio just can’t quite break the habit of drawing a bit too much on Blizzard’s game for inspiration. The blatant similarities between the two were a bit silly when Rivals launched, but now? Now it’s just out of touch with how Marvel Rivals plays.
You’d be forgiven for calling Marvel Rivals an Overwatch clone when it launched, since that’s basically what it was. NetEase’s hero shooter launched with the same game modes and a roster of playable characters split between leaning into Marvel’s Marvel-ness and using the same mechanics as classic Overwatch heroes. Star-Lord is Tracer if Tracer could fly. Scarlet Witch is a Moira-like. Dr Strange and Sigma sure have a lot in common, with their big shields and love of defying gravity. There’s also:
- Hawkeye (Hanzo)
- Black Widow (Widowmaker)
- Rocket Raccoon (shameless Baptiste copy)
- Cloak and Dagger (another Moira-like)
Among several others.
It seemed tacky, but hey, it ain’t easy making a multiplayer game. I get that. And the point of live-service games is that they evolve over time and find their identity in the process, which is what Marvel Rivals started doing. When Emma Frost sashayed onto the scene, she was wholly unlike anything Blizzard had done before — and exactly what Rivals needed. Her aggressive, mobile tactics revitalized the clumsy Vanguard class, so it’s no surprise she has one of the highest pick rates in the game.
Then Phoenix rose up, with a fast-and-fiery kit that stood out from the plodding pace of nearly every other duelist in the game. Blade followed her with a burst-focused style that rewards careful cooldown management, and while Angela might charge enemies like Reinhardt, she’s rocking a dual-form playstyle that completely changes what a Vanguard can do. All these inventive additions felt like Marvel Rivals finally coming into its own, and I assumed NetEase was confident enough to let it keep forging its own path.
Gambit proved me wrong.
I like Gambit. He’s an excellent Strategist that fixes a big problem with the way healing works in Marvel Rivals. He’s also roughly 70 percent the same as Wuyang, Overwatch 2‘s most recent support hero, with a touch of Ana thrown in. Wuyang uses his staff to knock enemies back. Gambit’s Bō does the same thing. Wuyang amplifies incoming healing. So does Gambit. Wuyang’s ultimate wraps an ally in energy before it explodes and stuns enemies. So does Gambit’s, and it even grants allies the same speed and jump enhancements that come with Wuyang’s mobility skill.
The most annoying thing about the similarities (aside from seeing NetEase revert to its old ways) is that they just don’t fit with the way Marvel Rivals works. Enhanced jump ability is highly situational, since height rarely makes a difference on Rivals‘ maps. There’s a high skill ceiling for it, but most of the challenge comes from finding a scenario where it’s actually useful. Even now, close to a year after launch, most of Rivals‘ knockback and launch abilities don’t do much knocking back or launching. Why include it as a major feature in Gambit’s kit? I’m not even that sold on increasing health restoration for allies and decreasing it for enemies (basically Rivals‘ version of Ana’s biotic grenade in Overwatch). The effect ends too quickly to be universally helpful, unless you’re in perfect sync with your team’s other Strategist (assuming a fellow player was considerate enough to play that role).
What is helpful is targeting multiple allies for healing at once with Gambit’s Bridge Boost skill. Damage numbers climb so ridiculously high in Rivals that if your healer looks away from one target for a second to help someone else, the first target’s probably going to die before you can get back to them. Not so with Gambit. His Cajun Charge and Bayou Blast combo lets him target flying enemies or quickly cover ground to escape or help an ally in need, which is exceptionally helpful given how most Strategists suffer from limited mobility. Even Gambit’s primary fire has some handy extra perks built in. He launches a few cards that spread slightly the further they travel, which makes it easier to target moving and flying characters without having to play as one of Rivals‘ few hitscan healers. And it helps Gambit keep himself alive longer, something a lot of Strategists struggle with.
I’m enjoying Gambit and can see him being my go-to Strategist for the foreseeable future. But I’m still left wondering why he had to be so Wuyang-coded when those elements of his kit bring so little to the game. Hopefully it’s just a brief regression and NetEase plays to Rivals‘ unique strengths more appropriately next time.
