Marvel Rivalsrecently introduced its Spring Festival update, which includes a “Fortune and Colors” event. Alongside a new event currency, Danqing, players can jump into the latest game mode, “Clash of the Dancing Lions,” to complete the illustration found on the event page. Doing so will yield claimable rewards, includingStar-Lord’s free “Lion’s Mane” costume.
While the latest limited-time game mode has generated a lot of excitement, for some, the soccer (or football, depending on region) mode may feel quite familiar. Reminiscent of physics-based sports games likeRocket LeagueandOverwatch’s popular Lucioball Arcade mode,Marvel Rivalsseems to be continuing to take a page out of Blizzard’s playbook. It remains to be seen if this will continue to be a repeated pattern.
Marvel Rivals' New Game Mode Draws Clear Inspiration from Other Titles
Comparing Marvel Rivals' Clash of Dancing Lions to Overwatch’s Lucioball
This isn’t the first time NetEase Games' super-hero shooter has introduced a limited-time game mode inspired by other well-known games. For instance,Marvel Rivals' 4v4 Jeff game modewas likely inspired by theSplatoonfranchise. As the Clash of Dancing Lions mode is the title’s second mini-game, future modes may also feature similar influences.
The new game mode incorporates several coreconcepts from Lucioball andRocket League. Victory is ensured by having the highest score when time runs out or securing ten points. It follows Rocket League’s standard format of teams of three, a feature also incorporated in Overwatch’s Lucioball. While the points required to win vary by game, ten forMarvel Rivalsand five for Lucioball, the main themes remain consistent. Both Arcade modes last four minutes unless overtime is triggered.
The Key Differences Between Marvel Rivals' Soccer Game Mode and Overwatch’s
One of the most noticeable differences between each hero-shooter’sRocket League-esque modes is the seasonal timing, character selection, and available maps. For instance, Lucioball is typically featured inOverwatch’s Summer Games. Meanwhile,Marvel Rivals' Clash of Dancing Lions mode has arrived just in time for the Chinese Lunar New Year.
Furthermore, despite Lucio being the only playable hero in the soccer mode,Marvel Rivals' selection includes Black Widow, Iron Fist, and Star-Lord. Sadly, there is an apparent lack of wall-riding mechanics, a significant part of whyRocket Leagueand Lucioball remain so popular. ThoughIron Fist can wall runin normal game modes, he cannot do it in this mini-game, perhaps because it would have given him a potentially unfair advantage over Black Widow and Star-Lord. While some are concerned about Star-Lord’s ability to fly with the ball straight to the goal in this game mode, Black Widow retains her sprint ability, though without her jump. Meanwhile, Iron Fist can still dash and double jump to intercept the ball.
“There is an apparent lack of wall-riding mechanics, a significant part of whyRocket Leagueand Lucioball remain so popular.”
Lastly, Lucioball can be played on three custom maps: Estadio das Rãs, Sydney Harbour Arena, and Busan Stadium. For now, Clash of Dancing Lions can only be played on the World Arena of theIntergalactic Empire of Wakanda map. In contrast,Rocket Leaguefeatures a steady rotation of around ten maps for its standard modes, with the limited number of maps for mini-games making sense, as they aren’t meant to be either of the hero-shooter’s main experiences.
Overall,Marvel Rivals' version seems much slower-paced compared to the fast, high-energy, andmechanically demanding gameplay ofRocket Leagueand Lucioball. This could be because players are still figuring out how to make the most of each character’s kit, but it can also be attributed to players being able to carry the ball rather than being based purely on physics and passing. In addition to potential optimization issues, such as buggy interactions with the ball and lag, the community consensus seems to suggest that Clash of Dancing Lions' predecessors were generally more well-received.
