MultiVersus Review (Ion)
I have a mixed review. While I played the game, I enjoyed it. Now, I can't play it with many of my friends, since it was apparently a beta and is down. Below is what I had to say to PFG, the developers. If they ever relaunch this title, I'll be sure to check it out and update my review accordingly. But until then, enjoy the below rant:
You won "Best Fighter" during the Video Game Awards (that I don't care for, but eh, it is what it is), and then decide to shut the game down for at least 6 months to improve on the game?!
Literally every other developer I've ever seen working on anything that is pre-release will continue to improve and iterate on it alongside community support. That's the whole point of it. It literally eliminates the need for a massive test team and black-box testing.
But instead, this game was 'released'? The advertising I received never hints at anything short of an actual release. Only the Zero Season was pseudo pre-release. I literally have emails stating the official 'Launch of Multiversus', preparing for Seasons 1 and 2, and to stay tuned for all the new upcoming additions to the game. Not a single mention of a beta or early access. Well, aside from the actual Playtest that occurred before it ... released on Steam.
But I regress - when it comes to developing alongside the community:
Why didn't you? Why is there no to no transparency when it comes to all of this? Even if it has to do with licensing, it should at least be mentioned to some extent. Heck, even a monthly or *quarterly* update!
As someone in the industry, I don't have a lot of hope for this game's future... which is a complete shame. As a lover of platform brawlers, this really has the potential to be a great addition to the genre. Maybe even the best one!
I'll keep my finger's crossed, but also remember that a lot of the community's support is on the line when it comes to whether this 'launches' later as an actual success or not. Many of us dropped a lot of money on the game, not for the skins, but because it represented so much potential - it was fun to play online or offline, local or otherwise. It represented generations of characters, and was doing it in a way that no other IP really can pull it off. But now? Out of sight, out of mind.
Best of luck and skill, Player First Games.