Fighting the Urge to Cash In

As previously mentioned in my last post, my appetite for gaming far outweighs the contents of my wallet, which has made me seek refuge in questionably viable locations of sanctuary.


Like next to these guys, for example

With that in mind, I have been forced to rely on more accessible means to get some fuel to keep the gaming fire roaring, so I have recently had to consider some titles within the spectrum of the GaaS (games as a service) variety to keep nice and warm. One such game that I had forgotten existed, but had some interest in based on my own gaming proclivities is Multiversus, a free to play Warner Bros backed Smash clone that prides itself on the insane crossovers found within.


Christmas came early for Rule 34 artists

Alright, and that was the preview for Multiversus, which is now available for digital download on various gaming platforms. Enjoy the looneyness!

~Pashford



























Of course, I jest. I did feel the need to be sassy however, as I grapple with the reality of so many different facets of writing a preview (of sorts) for what is ostensibly a free download that is indeed a Smash clone. Most of the information of what you’d need is purdy much right there, but in this day and age of gaming, things are just a touch queerer than they use to be, for better or worse.


Thinking back, forget I said anything about queerness being a topical affair

A lot of what makes this game tick is indeed borrowed, but I’m not necessarily chastising the title in any fierce way about it. In the spirit of it taking cues from Smash Bros, the only way it could have gone wrong was hyping itself up as the Smash killer, which was some popular go to shit talking back in the days of more heated console wars. Just because games like Street Fighter 2, GTA 3, or Halo 1 struck gold with a successful formula, doesn’t mean others are banned from having a crack at it. But, in harkening back to an old adage, if you aim for the king, you better not miss.


Or at least miss so bad you become the king of doing so

With that said, Multiversus’ aim is true, even if it isn’t using the highest caliber ammo. Much like Smash, you want to inflict damage upon opponents to increase their HP, in which you can then progressively send them flying farther and farther until finally you launch them careening of the screen. Simple gameplay mechanics, but effective ones. Part of the alluring charm of the Smash Bros approach has always been the bare bones basic mentality of easily approachable gameplay, and Multiversus stays true to this mentality.


When theory and execution join forces, it’s simply smashing

Much like Smash, you have a cast of characters coming equipped with their own personal flair involving move sets. Bugs has got the power of the toonforce, Batman is Batmanning, Jason Vorhees has hilariously over the top and totally inappropriate moves if you know what movies their referenced from. Since it’s WB, you have a pretty awesome stable of characters to choose from, with some pleasant surprises in the form of the Stripe from Gremlins, Samurai Jack, Stephen Universe, and even the Iron Giant.


Multiversus would have immediately garnered an M rating if they were scene accurate in recreating some of Jason’s moveset.

Though, if you’re anything like me, I’m sure you’re wondering why did X character get picked and not Y character? C’est la vie, though i’m sure there is no reasonable world between development time, voice actor cost, and game balance could you ever get a fully fledged roster WB would be able to back. The mind reels trying to conjure the selection screen.


Though Mugen does an adequate job in showcasing what a WB fighting game character selection screen would look like if they offered the full breadth of variety from their entire cinematic backlog…Multiversus 2: now featuring Chariot Racing Horse #7 from 1959 adventure classic Ben-Hur

So the core gameplay loop is pretty much Smash in a nutshell. I know I seem to be on a kick of comparison as of late, but I can’t help but feel it to be an easy bridge of communication to shorthand what you will be getting into. I think the irony of the methodology in doing so is telling in so far as what it ends up doing in reference to the qualitative purposes of propping up the game in question, and I think strictly speaking, Multiversus actually gains more than it loses in terms of good will to be mentioned in the same breath as Smash, truth be told.


They definitely have the quality of star power to compete with Nintendo at the very least, unlike the quality of this image that is trying to convey that very point

With the ability to do all manner of solo, team, or free-for-all battles, either through couch co-op (local only), single player bot matches, multiplayer online, and even a light story mode thrown into the mix to try and present some kind of narrative hook, the game has a relatively varied set of gameplay options for being a free to play game. The catch of course with GaaS is that to unlock the majority of the more interesting content, you’re going to have to pony up some dough.


A reminder of what Chariot Racing Horse #7 looks like from 1959 adventure classsic Ben-Hur in case anyone was still thinking about it from two screenshots ago

As with any fighting game, you’ll be wanting to unlock characters to expand your roster, and like most GaaS titles, it will come at a cost. Whether it be a hefty amount of grinding in-game missions (stuff as simple as wining matches), or dropping some cold hard real life dosh, any character among the several dozen will need some spit shine to attain. I will say I was able to purchase my first character (with in game currency, not real world money) in what felt like only a couple hours of play, which was a little relieving, as each character by themselves cost about 5 real world bucks to obtain. Yes, there are bundles and the like that help subsidize the cost by having multiple characters included, and the real world currency equivalent for the game, gleamium, is usually thrown in to sweeten the deal to get cosmetics and the like, but no one in the multiverse is going to be psyched to hear they would have to drop more than $100 just to get access to the core content of the game, and a greater selection than just the five initial fighters to choose from (Black Adam, Bugs, Finn, Jason, and Shaggy).


Cause we all just live in the Memeiverse now, apparently

I suppose I should mention that like other GaaS games, there is a battlepass you can buy for 10 bucks, which gives you an unlockable character to start, a chance to access a whole host of unlockables through mission awards during the current season, and what looks to be the equivalent gleamium to get the next battlepass for free, which means you can get the ball rolling on unlocking some of the more interesting bits which will eventually feed into unlocking the battlepass for the next season without charge. Definitely a mix of grindy gameplay tactics vs financial strife involving content which would be included for free with other fighting game titles from the start, so it does feel like a lot to swallow in a less than palatable manner.


Like the greasy equivalent of sucking down a load of wieners

So predictably, I like most of the gaming bits of the GaaS experience, but none of the transactionary nature involved with the progress. One of the big hooks as to what makes GaaS titles so viable is there ability to become viral enough to want to urge players to opt in, like having your friends join you in your quest to dominate the online playing field or showing off your cool event SWAG as you rock faces online. Multiversus needs to tighten up it’s progression system/financial machinations to have even a shadow of a chance at trying to wear the same crazy mask of success Smash has enjoyed all these years.


Not all of us have the power to be possessed by a god and rob a bank to afford life’s little pleasures, you know

Having said all of that though, I ended up enjoying what was on offer, which as a GaaS detractor, Smash enthusiast, and general cynic in terms of shallow commercialistic cash grabs, kind of shocked me. You’d think I would be more than happy to drag the game through the mud for it’s wanton display of financially aggressive behavior, completely disregard the core content for it’s floatier imitation of Smash’s tighter controls , and be repulsed by the cheap usage of pop culture references to make a buck. But you know, the whole things ends up actually kind of working, in a fun, fast-casual charmingly engaging regard.

And while at the end of the day, it may not be Smash, it is ultimately some free entertainment.

~Pashford