A small update has come to MultiVersus this week, which doesn’t add much in the way of new content or major, character-specific tweaks. So why am I here talking about it? Well, while the update is small in terms of volume, it could be huge in terms of long term health of the game. This update is the beginning volley of major changes to “whiff recovery,” to address one of MultiVersus’ biggest issues.
So what’s the story here? If you’ve been following MultiVersus since the beginning, you may remember all the controversy about hitboxes and hurtboxes. Basically, moves were hitting in ways that made zero sense compared to their animations. That has been patched up for now (ahead of a bigger planned overhaul in the future), but other standing issues still prevent this very fun game from getting to the next level.
Related: MultiVersus 1.02 Patch Notes: Big Nerfs, Hitbox Update, Police Defunded
“Whiff Recovery” refers to the empty time between a move missing its mark, and the character’s ability to act again. This space determines which moves are “safe” and which ones are “punishable.” MultiVersus had a pretty big problem with an overall lack of whiff recovery, making big, powerful moves (like Shaggy’s side special) way too strong. Missing a big swing should open a player up for consequences, but in MultiVersus that hasn’t really been the case.
So that’s pretty much the scope of this update. If you scroll through the official patch notes website for MultiVersus, you’ll see mostly various notes on whiff recovery added to individual moves. This is a universal measure, meant to address not just a problem with individual characters, but one at a system level. Developer Player First Games is taking the matter very seriously, as there’s just as much a risk of over correcting. This update is a small first step to test the waters, but the effort is considered a work in progress with the usual request for player feedback.
That being said, we also had a new character hit the game, and this is the first update since. Marvin the Martian has the expected dry run adjustments, most of which involve his weight, movement speed and small tweaks in move properties to make them function better as intended. Players should have an easier time transitioning through his side attack combo, and following up the air side special with other moves as designed.
Related: We Ranked the Ranked Ranks to Determine the Top Toast of MultiVersus
Taz can’t eat Marvin’s space ship anymore, which is a real tragedy since it was so hilarious. But it was probably necessary to keep Marvin viable.
