Marvel Rivals lets you unleash “environmental destruction” to a certain extent

Marvel Rivals doesn’t only let you shower your enemies with powerful abilities, but apparently, it’s also possible to break things around you.

Marvel Rivals lets you play as various superheroes and villains, but aside from using all of their cool abilities and powers, it turns out the game has an interesting detail that enables you to pull off “environmental destruction.” However, not everything can be destroyed.

In a blog post, devs mentioned: “When we first dreamed up the idea of environmental destruction in Marvel Rivals, we all had visions of world-breaking combat on a scale worthy of Super Heroes. Let’s be real, if the Hulk can’t smash a building or two, is he really the Hulk?”

Hence, they agreed that this had to be a thing in the game. Though implementing it was not “a walk in the park.”

As a team-based pvp shooter, buildings, and structures need to “exist for strategic showdowns.” After all, think of how you’d find cover otherwise when you’re low on health or need to dodge Spiderman.

If everything in the game was destructible, things would just “be reduced to rubble” and turn into a “chaotic battle in large open space.” To combat this issue, devs claimed that they’ve found what they hope is “the perfect balance.”

NetEase

“We meticulously designed and validated the environmental destruction ratios for each level,” they explained.

The way this works is that players can unleash their hero’s “destructive power” to blast open new pathways and turn rubble into cover. 

Meanwhile, certain “essential structures” that “blockade in high levels,” like high platforms, won’t be destructible to ensure the player’s “maneuverability and the strategic nature of team battles.”

Additionally, devs ensured that the aftermath of a player’s destruction won’t “hinder the fluidity of heroes’ movement or mess with their high-flying acrobatics.”

They’ve also mentioned continually designing ways to improve these experiences, like “improving the collision of irregular debris and allowing continuous attacks to break and clear them.”

“Optimizing these experiential issues arising from environmental destruction requires lots of testing, which is why we want to hear from you during this Alpha!”

Marvel Rivals’ Closed Alpha Test has already been made available and if you’re thinking of jumping in on the fun, make sure you know how to access it.