I am Multiversus’ biggest hater. I’ve written about Player First Games’ dishonesty when itunceremoniously pulled the game offline last year not once, buttwice, and I spent the lion’s share of our Multiversus 2.0 preview video deriding the horrible optics and player-last choices this studio has made for this game.
When I learned that the relaunch’s first season (I refuse to call it season one) is bringing the likes of Joker, Jason, Agent Smith, and Banana Guard to the roster, I was not moved. The new PVE mode called Rifts - which imitates Super Smash Bros. Melee’s Adventure mode - doesn’t impress me either. After a year away, there’s nothing about Multiversus’ grand return that feels grand to me at all.
But then I saw the new launch trailer, and damn it, they got me. The three minute trailer reintroduces the game through a series of team-up battles, easter eggs, and character reveals. It’s exactly what you want in a cinematic that mashes up all your favorite cartoon characters (plus LeBron James). There is so much joy, personality, and fan service packed into this trailer that it feels impossible not to get sucked into the hype. I’m not ready to forgive and forget just yet, but credit where credit’s due: this trailer was perfect.
And look, I’m as cynical as they come. On paper, Multiversus sickens me. This unholy IP soup that strips all context and meaning from the characters and stories we love, reducing everyone from the Iron Giant to Arya Stark down to avatars that punch each other feels like the death of culture. My partner calls it the Six Flags game, and in some ways that’s giving Multiversus too much credit. At least when you ride Superman: Escape from Krypton at Magic Mountain you actually feel like you’re flying.
On paper, Multiversus’ roster is nonsense. A bunch of semi-relevant characters, many of which have only been stuffed in there to advertise upcoming movies (cough Black Adam) and without that special Nintendo glue that holds them all together. But the new launch trailer makes them fit. It’s full of thoughtful moments that show how much the studio understands these characters and what makes each of them special.
I love the little details, like Finn and Velma shouting “Mathematical” as they high-five, or the Iron Giant stepping in to defend Marvin the Martian from Stripe’s attack. Aliens gotta stick together, after all. Even Wonder Woman fighting a different version of herself is a fun way to take a classic character and fit her into the reality of the game’s world. Multiversus cements its tone in its trailers - a blend of madcap Looney Tunes tomfoolery with a dash of comic book melodrama. By the time Jason and Agent Smith appear as Joker’s minions at the end, you’re already sold.
The trailer is cleverly packed with easter eggs and references to other potential characters, and it’s been fun watching the community sift through it frame by frame looking for evidence that their favorite DC superhero will eventually make the cut. So far people have spotted Aqua Man, Samurai Jack, Raven, Powerpuff Girls, Green Lantern, Daffy Duck, Scooby Doo, and many more. The trailer makes me excited to play the game again, but it also makes me excited for more trailers.
We lost a special part of gaming culture when Super Smash Bros. Ultimate stopped getting new characters. The new character reveal trailers, and the speculation that surrounded them, had been an essential part of Nintendo Directs for years. The “Everyone Is Here” trailer E3 2018 will always be one of the most exciting moments in gaming history, while the Sora reveal trailer in 2021 felt like the end of an era.
I don’t expect Multiversus’ trailers to have the same impact as a Super Smash Bros. character reveal. The way Jason and Agent Smith appeared so briefly as Joker’s henchmen was perfect for this trailer, and for the pedigree of those characters. But if future Multiversus character reveals can capture a fraction of the hype that Smash Bros. reveals once did, Multiversus will have a very bright future. The gameplay has always been great, but Multiversus has an image problem to overcome. This launch trailer is a great step in the right direction.
