Summer Game Fest’s Play Days events had games from all walks of life, representing practically every genre out there. NetEase is a good example of this because the company came withMarvel Rivals,Once Human,FragPunk, andRusty Rabbit, and Game Rant was able to spend a little time with each of these games.
It’s worth noting thatRusty Rabbitwas a hands-off demonstration of its core gameplay loop and dungeon exploration, while Game Rant was able to spend a little hands-on time with the others. What’s clear is that each game is shaping up to be a unique entry in the arena of hero shooters (Marvel RivalsandFragPunk), multiplayer survival games (Once Human), and 2.5D action platformers (Rusty Rabbit).
Marvel Rivals
Marvel Rivalsis exactly what everyone thinks it is: it is a hero shooter based on and themed aroundMarvel characters. Teams face off over objectives, some of which are also themed around Marvel heroes - such as an Escort-like objective that revolves around Spider Zero.Marvel Rivalsis easy to imagine in action, but during our preview of the game, one key thing stood out to us. It might be the most newcomer-friendly hero shooter we’ve ever seen. It’ll be new at launch and that’s one factor, but a lot of hero-based shooters are hard to get into after a few seasons simply because there are so many heroes and so much content. However,Marvel Rivalsnot only communicates each hero’s abilities effectively, but it also tells new players how difficult a player is to play.
For example, The Punisher is pretty easy to learn and master, butSpider-Man is much more difficult to learn inMarvel Rivals. This lets players know how much time they need to dedicate to any hero, and how hard it’ll be to play them in the long run. Of course, this same data confirms how good of a hero Spider-Man is and, if someone is good with Spider-Man, they are capable of mind-blowing high-level players. It not only informs someone trying to learn this hero what to expect, but what to expect if they encounter one on the field.
Marvel Rivalshas seen a lot of hype with every reveal, and while it remains to be seen if it can live up to that hype, it’s moving in the right direction.
Once Human
Once Humanis a multiplayer open-world survival game, where players must scrap by to survive, face unique enemies, and take back their world. The map design is filled to the brim with content to engage with, while the general aesthetic is pretty immersive too. There’s a lot to unpack in this game, something we couldn’t truly do in our limited time with it. The combat flowed well, if not exactly something to write home about, but it did have a few unique qualities. Some enemies have mechanical elements they’ll drop that we can then temporarily utilize like a weapon. That was a lot of fun. We worked on clearing an area, and we could have approached it stealthily. However, whenever we turned around, an enemy was behind us. There’s a challenge to playing it this way, but it did seem viable at the very least.
After fighting off these enemies, we ran into another SGF player who was checking the game out. We formed a party, and the devs took us to face a boss. This is whereOnce Human’s combatshined. The huge enemy was super dangerous, constantly forcing us to delve into cover and wait for the barrages to end. It would sometimes pop up to the top of the arena and let loose a dangerous flurry of bullets. Like enemies and their unique weapons from beforehand, it would sometimes drop a massive heavy machine gun we could then steal and unload on it with. At the same time, it would frequently summon adds to split our attention. The boss combat was a lot of fun that we went a little over time (we couldn’t just end with it nearly dead!), but the boss combat put the exclamation point on this demo.
FragPunk
It seems hero shooters are becoming increasingly common, which means any new entry in the genre needs to have some sort of unique draw. ForFragpunk, that’s its card system that can modify a match mid-game, but make no mistake: it’s got the 5v5 hero shooter format down. During our time with the game, we played a single game of “plant the bomb,” which is a best-of-7 match set-up. The first team to win four matches wins the whole game. It took us a minute to find a character that gelled with us, as players can swap between each match, but we took a scan character that reminded us a little ofApex Legends' Bloodhound. Indeed, fans can expect heroes representing all the core elements commonly found in hero shooters - scans, heals, speed boosts, etc. After that, we got to choose our weapon loadout, as well as invest in our cards.
Between each match, players can change any of these, but again,Fragpunk’s card systemis its most unique element. Teams can invest in things like Big Head cards that make enemies easier to hit, cards that let teammates heal each other with bullets, health boosts, vampiric life drains, and more. Some cards are counterplay and cancel each other out, meaning that players have to be aware of their choices and what their opponents choose. Once all of this is selected, the match begins - and in this case, we were on the attacking side for the first three games (planting the bomb) and on the defensive side. We won the four matches, ending the game, but in play, it’s very tactical. Its gameplay feels slower thanOverwatch 2but more tactical as a result, and it’s worth noting that characters have 3 abilities, none of which are “ultimates.” They have limited uses in each match, so players must select how and when to use them for the tactical advantage, creating fun and tense moments.
After the game, we strolled through the menus and found that each hero had small story descriptions. If the heroes are lifeless,a hero shooteris dead in the water, but what’s clear is thatFragPunk’s heroes are full of life. The devs explained a little bit about the overarching lore and said they would be adding more story to each hero (as well as more heroes post-launch), but it’s nailed its foundation. There are a lot of hero shooters coming in the next few months and years, butFragPunkis one to watch.
Rusty Rabbit
When the second Ice Age came, humanity left the world to its next apex creature - rabbits. The tale of Peter the Rabbit was interpreted in new ways, as the rabbits worked their way to the surface and built a new society. Of course, anypost-apocalyptic gameis going to have ne’er-do-well bandits, and inRusty Rabbit, that’s the BBs the players are part of (BB being used for comedic effect because no two rabbits could agree on what it meant). Either way, the protagonist, Stamp, is an old and grumpy man who is estranged from his daughter. That ties into him joining the BBs in their quest to explore Smokestack Mountain, an ancient structure that humans would use to send supplies into space.
The core gameplay loop involves players, as Stamp in his Junkster mech, exploring Smokestack Mountain to advance the narrative, returning to a village for mech and skill upgrades and the like, and exploring optional dungeons as needed. Rinse and repeat. The Junkster mech has a plethora of abilities, close-ranged and longer-ranged weapons, to face enemies as they explore the ruins of Smokestack Mountain. Our demo, as all good demos do, ended with a boss fight. It used all the abilities shown so far, alongside some interesting environment use, and it made it clear thatRusty Rabbitisn’t a one-trick pony.Rusty Rabbithas genuine potential in the2.5D side-scrolling action platformer genre, and those fans should definitely keep an eye on it.
