Marvel Rivals is adding another colorful hero to its roster, adding to its X-Men representation with the neon-wielding warrior Psylocke. But just like the other heroes, this Psylocke is a unique take on the character that sports a brand-new design — influenced by a key comic book run. Psylocke is yet another addition to an already impressively massive roster, a roster that’s completely free to play at launch. It’s starting to look more and more like Marvel Rivals is primed to dominate the hero shooter scene when it launches in December.
Psylocke is the 26th character to join Marvel Rivals, hot off the heels of the reveal of Captain American and Winter Soldier back in August. This version of the character, however, likely isn’t what you’re used to seeing in live-action films. Marvel Rivals’ version of Psylocke is inspired by the comic book run of Demon Days: X-Men, written and illustrated by Peach Momoko. Nicknamed Sai, according to Marvel’s official announcement, she’s a “wandering warrior in feudal Japan who has devoted herself to striking down ancient demons and monsters. Alongside her wolf companion, Logan, Psylocke won't rest until all Yokai have fallen by her psychic blade.”
That description makes Psylocke feel like a pretty effortless addition to the roster, playing into the game’s theme of heroes getting pulled together from across the multiverse. This also means that X-Men has some serious representation on the cast, with the new hero joining Magneto, Scarlet Witch, Magik, and Storm. Ironically, Psylocke also looks to continue Marvel Rivals’ pretty unhidden inspiration from Overwatch.
The melee character looks to have attacks and moves filled with teleportation, quick sword strikes, and stealth — much like a certain hero named Genji. Those similarities, however, are another stark reminder that Marvel Rivals could change the entire hero shooter scene as we know it in December.
The market for hero shooters is undoubtedly oversaturated, with countless new games failing to gain traction against the big hitters like Overwatch, Apex Legends, and Valorant. Just look at the colossal failure of Sony’s Concord, which shut down just two weeks after launch. Releasing a hero shooter right now is risky, but NetEase has already proven with Marvel Rivals that it’s a staunch competitor.
Despite balancing issues, the game’s beta was a huge hit, amassing over 50,000 players on its first day. In Inverse’s preview, we talked about how Marvel Rivals brings the focus of hero shooters back to sheer fun, offering a cast of heroes that all feel wildly unique and exciting. But past that, it adds an extra wrinkle that lets heroes team up for combo attacks, making team composition vital. That was already true with the beta roster, so it’ll be interesting to see how many more options are available in the full game.
Of course, the elephant in the room is the game’s Marvel license, something that instantly gives it more attention than most other games out there. But the smartest thing the team at NetEase has done is provide brand-new designs of iconic characters. That creates an element of mystery and intrigue, as players want to see these new versions of Captain America or Venom in action. There are a lot of little conversations and story details that are built on Marvel’s decades of history. Being Marvel obviously gives the game an advantage, but it’s the smart use of that license that’s going to make Marvel Rivals stick around.
Hero shooters clearly need a bit of a shake-up, between old games growing stale and new games failing to innovate. Marvel Rivals may not be the most original idea out there, but smart use of superheroes backed up by fun gameplay that simply feels good might be all the game needs to win.
