Why Brawlhalla is a Different Breed From MultiVersus

The platform-fighter genre has been undergoing somewhat of a renaissance in the last few years or so. While Super Smash Bros. has remained at the forefront of the platform-fighter genre since its debut in 1999, a few of its “clones” over the last few decades have managed to carve out their own place in the video game landscape, and that’s become especially prominent in recent years, with Brawlhalla and MultiVersus being two of the biggest standouts of the genre.

Though the vast majority of platform-fighters still pale in comparison to Super Smash Bros. Ultimate, a few have managed to climb their way onto its pedestal. And though they may not stand quite as tall as Smash Bros. Ultimate, games like Brawlhalla and MultiVersus have still managed to attract a sizable following, finding their own unique niches and using them to draw in fans. On paper, Brawlhalla and MultiVersus have a lot in common, but when it comes to these niches, the two have very different approaches to the same concept of crossovers.

The Biggest Difference Between Brawlhalla and MultiVersus

Brawlhalla’s Crossovers Are Simple and Fun Collaborations

Both Brawlhalla and MultiVersus have more than their fair share of pop-culture crossovers, but both games approach this feature quite differently. In the case of Brawlhalla, crossovers have very rarely been the main draw of the game. The very first Brawlhalla crossover came about a year after its initial 2017 release, and saw characters and weapons from Shovel Knight being added as cosmetic skins for Brawlhalla‘s own Legends and weapons.

Over the following six years, Brawlhalla would continue to receive crossovers in a similar vein fairly regularly, with at least three crossover cosmetic packs dropping every year. These have ranged from family-friendly properties like Ben 10, Steven Universe, and Adventure Time, to more adult-oriented crossovers like Hellboy, The Walking Dead, and Castlevania. And despite being almost seven years old now, it seems as though Brawlhalla still has some crossovers waiting in the wings, with its most recent Star Wars collaboration dropping only a month ago.

But while Brawlhalla has had a total of 20 crossovers in its lifetime, it’s never felt as though the game has revolved around these collaborations. The vast majority of these crossovers have been mere cosmetics that are simply laid over the top of Brawlhalla‘s pre-existing characters or environments. Though these collabs have often spread awareness about the game, it’s still Brawlhalla‘s own mechanics, and its own set of 60+ characters that have remained the biggest draws for new players.

MultiVerus’ Crossovers Are its Bread and Butter

While Brawlhalla would still have its own identity if all of its crossovers were suddenly removed, the same cannot be said for MultiVersus. Crossovers aren’t just a core feature of MultiVersus, they’re the entire reason the game exists. A platform-fighter built around the concept of throwing Warner Bros.’ most iconic characters into an arena together, MultiVersus‘ primary gimmick is its crossovers, and the game’s marketing has always put that front and center.

Though MultiVersus‘ fighting game mechanics are good, it’s that crossover concept that’s the game’s biggest draw. This difference in approach doesn’t necessarily mean that one game is better than the other, but it does reinforce the idea that a fighting game should focus on its own mechanics and systems first and foremost.

Brawlhalla

Brawlhalla is a free-to-play 2D action fighter and brawler game featuring a wide variety of online multiplayer modes and matches. Developed by Blue Mammoth Games and published by Ubisoft, this game offers players a large roster of playable characters, numerous fighting arenas, tons of customization, and much more.

Released

October 17, 2017

Genre(s)

Fighting

ESRB

E10+ For Everyone 10+ due to Fantasy Violence

Platforms That Support Crossplay

Mobile, PC, PS4, Switch & Xbox One