What's the best character for a rookie? - Marvel Rivals

As I mentioned in one of my previous posts, a couple of days ago I decided to give Marvel Rivals a try, a hero shooter available for free on next-gen consoles that has been causing quite a stir among fans of the genre.

Although I tend to prefer simpler experiences and often feel that titles of this type are too complex for me, from the very first minute I appreciated Marvel Rivals' production values, not only in the graphics and aesthetics (masterfully utilizing cell shading), but also in the amount of care and detail behind the controls and mechanics of all the available characters.

Inspired by games like Overwatch or the classic Team Fortress, Marvel Rivals features all the character classes we've come to expect: speedsters, tanks, snipers, and healers. And while there's nothing particularly innovative in this area, I think it's great how these classes have adapted to the superpowers of all these iconic characters, allowing us to fly like Iron Man, balance like Spiderman or Venom, or attack with our claws like Wolverine.

Ironically, I feel that the variety of mechanics and controls is what ends up making the learning curve so "complicated" at first, and it can take several hours to find the hero that best suits our needs on the battlefield.

A little frustrated due to my lack of skill, I decided to do some research on the subject online, and I came across several recommendations for which characters are best for those just getting into these dynamic shooters.

While Marvel Rivals indicates each character's difficulty level through a star system (from 1 to 5), in the end, everything is subjective and depends on how we find the easiest to approach each confrontation.

Personally, I feel like a good starting point is to find a character who's effective at medium range, but also has solid options for close-quarters defense. The Punisher, for example, fits this description very well.

However, it's also important to recognize that he's a heavy character, and beyond a zipline he can use, he's not exactly adept at moving quickly around the map, which makes him particularly vulnerable to flying heroes like Iron Man.

In Rocket Raccoon, he found an interesting balance. He's a bit more agile, and I like that he has the ability to set up bases that can fire from a distance.

There are other characters like Venom and Wolverine who benefit from close range, and Wolverine in particular offers a very rewarding gameplay experience with his claws. However, again, I think I prefer the gameplay Rocket offers.

As for characters like Iron Man or Spiderman, they have a lot of potential for more advanced players, but it's difficult to control their flight/balance mechanics when you're a beginner.