Developing the melee heroes in Marvel Rivals was a challenge for the developers.
NetEase Games reports on the challenges in developing Marvel Rivals.
As stated in an interview with GamingBolt, it was particularly close combat heroes like the Hulk, Spider-Man or Thor who posed the biggest hurdle in design due to their inadequate execution of the moveset.
“One of our biggest challenges was to design and effectively portray a number of superheroes who primarily engage in close combat, such as the Hulk, Venom, Magik, Black Panther, Spider-Man, Thor and others.”
“While each of them has unique skills, their shared focus on close combat presented a significant design hurdle. Since this is a team-based fighting game, mishandling this close combat dynamic could result in battles lacking depth, becoming chaotic and less fun,” said NetEase Games.
By playing around with moves and abilities, new possibilities were created for Hulk or Venom.
The developer says: “However, the wide-ranging abilities of Marvel characters gave us a wealth of opportunities to explore and exploit. For example, for the Hulk, we developed and recreated his extraordinary jumping ability, which allows him to knock flying enemies out of the sky, making him a nemesis for aerial heroes and adding a unique dimension to his fighting style.”
“Venom’s symbiote traits have been enhanced to give him close-combat abilities that complement his primary focus on close-quarters combat. Likewise, Spider-Man’s agility has been fully utilized, allowing for seamless combat at both close and long range, giving players the ability to adapt their fighting style to the needs of the battle.”
“This approach ensures that each character feels mechanically polished and provides an engaging gameplay experience.”