Player First Games opens today, May 19, 2022, the private alpha of Multiversus: a brawler game in which characters with the Warner Bross brand give themselves to a good reason. We have already talked a lot about this highly anticipated title, but being able to try it is always something different and special. We tell you right away that all the promises made in the trailers have been kept. During our Multiversus Alpha test we found frantic action, responsive commands con easy to manage movesand almost all the characters in the trailers ready to be used.
Gameplay
We all know what a brawler is: a multiplayer video game where various characters have a fight. There are already a number of them on the market. What the Multiversus browler is, unfortunately, only the lucky ones selected to access this alpha will know for a while. During the game, in fact, we found ourselves in front of some design variations from the classic formula that we really liked.
One of the most interesting and important variations is that the elimination of the opponent is not considered a pure mechanical fact. The game associates with each player a level of exhaustion determined by the blows it has received. The higher the exhaustion, the farther our character flies when he is pushed off the playfield and the more difficult it will be for us to re-enter so as not to be eliminated. So, a very high exhaustion is not certainty of elimination like when there is a counter that reaches zero. An experienced player may be able to stay in the game even with very high exhaustion and turn the game around.
Moves and combos
Another interesting design choice is the way a player is forced to vary his attack strategy. Indeed, if we keep hitting an opponent in the same way or our hits will start to be less and less effective. This prevents the fact that, if we have a character who is particularly vulnerable to a specific hit, it will not systematically turn into a defeat.
We also particularly liked the dodging dynamics. Beyond being able to choose whether to dodge in place or by moving, continuing to do so will reduce a counter associated with the character. When the counter reaches zero we can continue to dodge, but the chances of being able to avoid a hit will be very small.
Other new and interesting elements of the gameplay, even if a little less visible, are the possibility of making combos also using dodging and the air combat which allows us a large space of upward movement and provides for its specific combos.
Teamplay
Unlike many others, the combat system of Multiversus focuses, as we already know, on the aspects of collaboration. Moreover, by trying it, we realize that the implementation is really successful. In practice, each character can use his own special power to create a synergy with his teammate. This implies that for each pair of characters you can go and develop a unique style of play.
During this test, of course, there was not the physical time to cultivate a couple of characters to understand all the possible combinations of moves. Certainly, when the final version is on the market, there will be pairs of players who will take collaboration to the extreme. What we cannot help but wonder, however, is whether these couples will end up creating synergies that are a bit plastered, and then find us playing with teams that are always the same. It’s still too early to draw conclusionsbut in our opinion the character balancing will be a great challenge for designers.
The business model
The alpha version, at least the one on playstation that we tried, it also reveals some details on how game monetization could be done. This may answer a question many of you are asking.
From the little information, which you see summarized in the image above an internal store is planned, at least for now and Battle Passes (a sequence of achievements with rewards) distinguish between free and premium. So, it seems, that at present both microtransactions and some form of subscription are in sight. To get what and how it is too early to say and, in all honesty, from here to the final product the situation could change radically.
In the end, how did the Multiversus alpha test go?
Bene! We loved it and we already regret that the alpha will only be available until May 27th. The game brings in a number of very interesting gameplay elements and, as far as we’ve seen, the implementation is already very solid. Incidentally, it’s not often that you have an alpha version that never crashed.
If you are passionate about the genre, whether as a casual or competitive player, then this is a title you should definitely keep an eye on.