Fighting games have something of a complicated relationship with story modes. Some fighting titles are criticized for their story efforts, which sometimes boil down to visual novel-like cutscenes between AI battles. Others have achieved great things, however, such asSuper Smash Bros. Brawl’s Subspace Emissary, which told a gripping saga of Nintendo characters working together to save the world without including even a shred of dialogue in its 3D animated cutscenes. Considering this range of approaches, one wonders what aMultiVersusstory mode might look like. This new fighting genre darling has mostly prioritized multiplayer in its beta period, but a story mode could still happen.
It just so happens thatMultiVersusalready has a lot of components that set it up for a particularly interesting story mode. For one thing, its full voice acting makes it well equipped to weave a story about Warner Bros. characters together. For another, developer Player First Games is already introducing new lore to this WB crossover that especially meshes well with some of the game’s current and upcoming characters. IfMultiVersusleans into its original ideas and makes the most of the characters and voice talents it has access to, it could present the next standout fighting game story.
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The Potential in a MultiVersus Story Mode
AMultiVersusstory mode has potential chiefly because the game already features original lore. TheSupport character Reindogis the best example of Player First’s original storytelling. He was written up specifically forMultiVersus,rather than pulled from another WB property, and his backstory lays out plenty of lore for the game. Reindog hails from the world of Zanifeer, which was consumed by some force called the Nothing. It still threatens the multiverse, and Reindog intends to battle it and hopefully save Zanifeer. A few otherMultiVersuscharacter bios mention a stand against the Nothing too, so Player First already seems to gearing up for a story arc.
The mysterious Nothing seems like a great antagonist for aMultiVersusstory mode, since it poses a threat that all the playable characters can unite against, much like Subspace Emissary’s villains. A multiversal calamity is particularly appropriate for aMultiVersusstory mode because so many of the playable characters have interacted with the multiverse before.Rick and Mortyfamously includes constant interdimensional jaunts, and DC superheroes are no strangers to alternate realities. AMultiVersusstorymode that makes use of Rick Sanchez’s multiverse expertise could perfectly unite established WB lore andMultiVersus' original content.
Aside from all the lore that supports aMultiVersusstory mode, the game’s thorough voice acting is also a good sign.MultiVersusbrings back a ton of the original voice actors for iconic characters;John DiMaggiostill voices Jake the Dog, Matthew Lillard still voices Shaggy, and so on. WB’s working relationship with all this talent could lead to a fully voiced story mode, rather than something that relies unvoiced cutscenes or text boxes. Getting authentic character interactions from the real voice actors in an entirely original storyline could makeMultiVersus' story mode all the more engaging.
For the time being, it’s understandable that story mode might not be Player First Games' priority. The game still has some polishing to do after its beta launch, and Player First is still working on a lot of fundamental content, such as upcoming fightersBlack Adam and Stripe. Still, a concrete singleplayer store mode should be on Player First’s list of objectives. The teased story ofMultiVersuswould probably be difficult to tell through multiplayer events, and there’s so much potential for a solid singleplayer adventure at hand.MultiVersus' story has tons of advantages in its hands already; it’s all a matter of how Player First presents the battle agaisnt the Nothing.
MultiVersusis available now for PC, PS4, PS5, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X/S.
