For years platform fighters have been a staple in the gaming world. Since 1991, Super Smash Bros has remained the king of platform fighters. Selling over 69 million units, there is no question that there hasn’t been a platform fighter as great as Smash Bros. Until August 15, 2022. 

Back in November 2021, There were rumors of a new platform fighter, one that could dethrone Smash Bros as the king of the genre. That game is Multiversus. 

Like Smash bros, Multiversus is a platform fighter, in which players fight on different stages and attempt to knock each other off the stage. The more you attack your opponent, the more their damage percentage goes up. The higher the percentage, the higher chance of flying off the map. Multiversus game modes include 1v1s, 2v2s, and Free For All. 

A key factor to Multiversus potential success is their character roster. Since the publisher of Multiversus is Warner Bros, the game has access to the thousands of shows and characters in their publisher’s arsenal. On release, the game has 17 characters in their roster, each character coming from different universes. Universes including DC, Adventure Time, Steven Universe, Scooby-Doo, Rick And Morty, and even Space Jam. This is only the base roster, and there’s many more anticipated to come. 

Unlike Smash, there are character classes, making each character have a unique role. The five classes include Assassin, Bruiser, Mage, Support, and Tank. So far I prefer playing as the bruiser class, as it’s the most simple to master. 

Assassins are the high damage and speed of the bunch, making them able to dish out good damage, but also escape from tricky situations quickly. Characters include Finn (Adventure Time), Arya Stark (Game of Thrones), and Harley Quinn (DC). 

Bruisers are the ones meant to be played on the frontlines, having the most simple move set. They are the recommended characters to start with for first time players, and if you practice often with them, they have really clean combo abilities. Characters Include Shaggy (Scooby-Doo), Lebron James (Space Jam), Taz (Looney Toons), Batman (DC), Jake (Adventure Time), and Garnet (Steven Universe). 

Mages are said to be the hardest class in the game to master. Having more ranged and trap abilities, there are a lot of different combos possible. To play this class well you must have good precision with your attacks, or you won’t be using their full potential.  Characters include Tom And Jerry (Tom And Jerry) and Bugs Bunny (Looney Toons).

Support characters are the backbone of a well balanced team. While not having much damage, they have a unique move set that allows them to buff and heal teammates. Giving shields or saving a teammate from a fall, they are very useful in a 2v2 situation. Characters include Velma (Scooby-Doo), Steven (Steven Universe), and Reindog (Players First Games).

Tank characters are… well as implied they are tanks. Having very low mobility, they have very high damage and durability. Making them a target in the game. Characters include Superman (DC), Wonder Women (DC), and Iron Giant (The Iron Giant).

Similar to other successful games, Having combat classes adds a unique team dynamic to the game. For example, if you have a player who plays aggressively as an assassin, it might be a smart idea to have a player who prefers to stay back and support their teammate with heals or shields. 

I’ve been playing this game since the early beta started on July 26, and I’ve enjoyed it since. The game feels so smooth with the combat mechanics and the possible combos to utilize. As soon as you start playing a new character, you start to understand their move set in only 3-4 matches. While in smash it could take hours of practice.

A lot of people, myself included, have very high expectations for this game. It has the potential to be up there on the same level as Smash Bros. So far Player First Games have been excellent and taking it in the right direction.