If you subscribe to Max or have seen Space Jam: A New Legacy, you know that Warner Bros. (now Warner Bros. Discovery) has a large stable of intellectual properties. MultiVersus takes those beloved characters—from brands like DC Comics, Game of Thrones, and Looney Tunes—and throws them into a chaotic, free-to-play title available on PC, PlayStation 5, PlayStation 4, Xbox Series X/S, and Xbox One. It’s an enjoyable online-focused platform fighter, but frustratingly slow fighting speed and progression pace make it tough to recommend if you’re not a genre die-hard.
(Credit: Warner Bros. Games/PCMag)
Characters and Roster SizeA company doesn’t need to own a huge roster of existing characters to make a successful platform fighter—just look at the long-running Brawlhalla. Still, crossovers help deliver the hype. Fortunately, WB has IP strong enough to rival the likes of Disney, Nickelodeon, and Nintendo to give MultiVersus a very appealing roster. DC Comics may already have a dedicated fighting game (Injustice), but several comic book characters appear here. MultiVersus includes the classic trinity: Batman, Superman, and Wonder Woman. Or you can also play as the Joker or Harley Quinn for clown villainy. Arya Stark from Game of Thrones is a playable character, which hopefully opens the door for other mature HBO characters such as Logan Roy and Tony Soprano. Rick and Morty characters are represented, as are violent villains Agent Smith and Jason Voorhees.
Since 1982, PCMag has tested and rated thousands of products to help you make better buying decisions. See how we test.
MultiVersus has a wide variety of cartoon fighters, too. The combatants include classic characters such as Bugs Bunny and Tom and Jerry, as well as modern Cartoon Network animated stars such as Finn and Jake from Adventure Time and Steven and Garnet from Steven Universe. There’s even an original character, the cuddly Reindog, who fits right in. Since fighting game fans love a good meme, Shaggy from Scooby-Doo is basically MultiVersus’ Ryu, a beginner-friendly martial artist with godly power because the internet demands it. The roster has 26 characters at launch with more on the way.
The handful of stages include the Batcave, a Scooby-Doo haunted house, and a sky arena with a beautiful, orchestral Steve Universe theme remix. Unfortunately, many characters lack home turf. However, every character has voice acting, often from iconic actors like Matthew Lillard and the late Kevin Conroy, which greatly adds to the production value. The dialogue even changes to match the new costumes. Like the modern Mortal Kombat games, MultiVersus’ characters adjust their lines to directly call out specific opponents, like Velma calling Shaggy by his government name, “Norville.”
(Credit: Warner Bros. Games/PCMag)
MultiVersus GameplayIt seems like there’s a new platform fighting game every few months now, but for the time being, the best way to describe these games is still “Super Smash Bros. clone.” Instead of whittling away health bars, you dish out damage to leave foes vulnerable to big hits that knock them off the stage. These games focus more on high-flying mobility than complicated combo execution.In some areas, MultiVersus simplifies that formula even further. You have multiple jumps, normal attacks, special attacks, and defensive dodging. However, you can’t grab and throw opponents and don’t need to worry about unbalanced items. In-game class definitions appear MMO-style to clue you into a character’s general playstyle. For example, Superman is a “tank” who can take lots of damage, while Bugs Bunny is a “mage” who uses flashy, unexpected ranged moves to keep opponents guessing. However, in other areas, MultiVersus is fascinatingly complex. Characters have unique mechanics that take some practice to properly understand and execute. Finn earns cash while fighting, which lets you buy buffs in the middle of a match. Like Phoenix Wright in Marvel vs. Capcom 3, Velma Dinkley searches for clues and shouts big word balloons. And if Taz the Tasmanian Devil lands enough “tasty” damage, the opposing player temporarily turns into a roast chicken who can no longer attack.
(Credit: Warner Bros. Games/PCMag)
MultiVersus also innovates in its cooperative team mechanics. During a 2v2 match, many characters have moves that help their teammates, not just hurt the enemy. For example, if you jump off a stage to aggressively edge guard, Reindog’s tether pulls you back. Or, you can use Wonder Woman’s shield to protect you and your partner. LeBron James receives a new move set when he passes his basketball to a teammate. This creates many synergistic strategies we haven’t seen much in this genre. Note, however, that the game seems to be moving away from this team focus since the MultiVersus beta, as newer characters are much more tuned for solo play.MultiVersus wants to be a more strategic platform fighter than the rest of the field, which is a noble goal; strategy is an underrated aspect that makes fighting games so cool. However, to achieve this, the developers at Player First Games have slowed the pace of the action. In fact, the final release is even slower than the beta, which I find baffling and disappointing.There are some improvements, however. Many moves no longer have aggravating, MOBA-style cooldowns, which was my biggest complaint from the beta. Now, Wonder Woman can whip anyone whenever she chooses. The adjusted dodge mechanics also make attacks more committal, rewarding thoughtful play. Still, the trade-off is a more sluggish game. Bigger character models and a more zoomed-in camera compound this slow-mo sensation. Casual fans may not care, but it hurt my enjoyment as a genre fan.
(Credit: Warner Bros. Games/PCMag)
The developers will surely continue tweaking stats and detailing the changes in patch notes, but there’s an annoying mushiness across the board. Hitboxes aren’t crisp, and the laggy physics feels off, which dulls the impact of otherwise flashy attacks. It’s like going from the highly technical Super Smash Bros. Melee to the more approachable Super Smash Bros. Brawl. Nickelodeon All-Star Brawl 2 is a lot rougher around the edges, but I prefer its faster pace and snappier combat. Of course, Super Smash Bros. Ultimate is still the gold standard. For more on MultiVersus’ action-packed gameplay, check out MultiVersus: Tips and Tricks to Help You Dominate the Battlefield.
Fortnite, MultiVersus, and the Thrill of Crossover Games
Online Battles and ProgressionLike Brawlhalla, MultiVersus is a free-to-play game, and it’s structured like one. As you play, you complete missions (use X character, win Y number of team battles) that unlock new battle pass goodies, such as profile icons or new visual effects when you knock someone out. You also level individual characters to unlock perks to equip in matches, like a third jump or better defense. You can only equip a handful of perks, so at least this isn’t completely a pay to win system. You earn in-game currency to acquire additional characters, but there are also in-game purchases. The Premium currency, Gleamium, costs $5 for a pack of 450. For reference, a single character costs 1000 Gleamium. The free character roster regularly rotates, and you keep progression even for characters you don’t own. Still, trying to make meaningful progress without paying soon turns into a tedious, Fortnite-style grind. When the choice is either “pay money” or “spend days upgrading gems to complete artificially difficult seasonal challenges,” it doesn’t feel like much of a choice. MultiVersus’ main single-player content is called Rifts. On one hand, it’s nice that solo players have something to do, a series a themed challenges that let them practice before taking on other humans. Mini-games, like breaking targets and protecting crystals, keep you entertained between battles. However, Rifts also quickly become more fuel for the grind as many progression rewards are tied into beating harder and harder Rifts. It reminds me of Diablo, but in a bad way.
(Credit: Warner Bros. Games/PCMag)
Regardless, the game lives or dies on the strength of its online multiplayer action. Fortunately, cross-play and cross-progression should keep the audience from fracturing. The game has dedicated servers with rollback netcode, which facilitates smooth online play.MultiVersus has 1v1 and 2v2 game modes. It lets you battle bots, casual players, or ranked players. You can also create custom matches or play in local matches. Unfortunately, you can’t play offline at all, and there’s no way to test out characters you don’t own in the training mode. This seems like a hassle for esports tournament organizers, or any aspiring competitive player.
(Credit: Warner Bros. Games/PCMag)
Can Your PC Run MultiVersus?MultiVersus has a cool, stylized cartoon aesthetic, with bubbly animations and vibrant lighting, that successfully blends its disparate worlds. I especially like the illustrated menu elements. The upgrade to Unreal Engine 5 also spruces up the visuals across the board.To run the game, you need a PC with at least an AMD Ryzen 5 1400 or Intel Core i5-3470 CPU; AMD Radeon HD 7850 or Nvidia GeForce GTX 650 Ti GPU; 8GB of RAM; and the Windows 10 operating system. After tweaking some settings, I got the game to run fine on the Steam Deck. MultiVersus needs a locked frame rate to be playable like any competitive fighting game. In this case, it was 60 frames per second, and both devices held to that standard. It supports Steam Achievements, Remote Play Together, and Xbox controllers.
KOF, Street Fighter, and Super Smash Bros.: We Name the Best Fighting Games
Verdict: A Platform Fighter With PotentialIf you simply want to play as a powered-up Shaggy throwing a sandwich at Batman, then MultiVersus is already a success. The game’s character list and creative moves are highlights, but they’re sullied by imprecise fighting and money-grabbing F2P hooks. MultiVersus is clearly built to evolve over time, but right now it’s a lesser entry in the platform fighter renaissance. For top-tier character brawls, check out Super Smash Bros. Ultimate, our Editors’ Choice winner.For more PC game reviews and previews, check out PCMag’s Steam Curator page. And for in-depth video game talk, visit PCMag’s Pop-Off YouTube channel.
Pros
Entertaining mix of characters, with iconic voice actors
Creative character gimmicks
Online, cross-platform play
Vibrant art style and animations
View
More
The Bottom Line
MultiVersus brings together an eclectic mix of WB characters in a wacky but frustratingly slow free-to-play platform fighter.
Like What You’re Reading?
Sign up for Lab Report to get the latest reviews and top product advice delivered right to your inbox.
This newsletter may contain advertising, deals, or affiliate links. Subscribing to a newsletter indicates your consent to our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy. You may unsubscribe from the newsletters at any time.
