So, Phoenix, huh? Popped up in Marvel Rivals. And it might just tempt me to toss Overwatch 2 aside for a while and dive back into NetEase’s hero shooter. Not because I’m some massive Phoenix fan or anything. Honestly, I had to hit up Wikipedia after hearing she’s in season 3. But, well, her move style caught my eye in the trailer. Unlike every other stiff character, she moves like a human — or mutant, I guess. Refreshing change, really.
When Rivals dropped in December 2024, a bunch of folks on Reddit were venting about the sluggish character pace. Some compared it to wading through molasses, while others blamed it on game perspective — Overwatch’s first-person view just feels zippier. I was more in the molasses camp, weary of slow-motion battles. It got irritating, so I drifted from playing.
Then, Overwatch 2 throws in this third-person Stadium mode, and Phoenix breezes along faster in Rivals, or so it seemed. Figured I’d test my hunch about Rivals’ snail pace. Turns out, I was sort of right.
Both games have practice zones with range markers — a solid spot for speed tests, by the way. Tried different characters and yeah, Rivals characters do drag their feet. They take a smidge longer to cover five meters. But here’s the kicker, Rivals’ scaling is wonky. Five meters in Rivals is like 11.5 inches, sorta different from Overwatch’s 10 inches.
“Why’s this matter?” you might wonder. Well, it means Rivals heroes aren’t turtles after all, maybe even quicker, since they cover more ground with about the same steps. It’s a style issue, not speed. Go figure.
Take Cloak, Dagger, Namor, Spider-Man — all gliding around like they’re in Baywatch, with exaggerated moves. Slow-motion fights should be intense, but they’re more ballet-like. Sounds are off too. Winter Soldier’s gun? A muted popgun. Scarlet Witch’s life drain? Boring. It’s all kind of classy but doesn’t scream “superhero,” you know?
Then comes Phoenix. Her attacks crackle with a fiery whoosh and a mini-explosion after three hits. Another skill? Bigger boom. She flits around in a fiery-bird form for quick shifts and mixes it with another skill without a crazy cooldown. When she dodges, she zips instead of doddling, making her animations snappy and urgent. She feels fast even if she’s not (Cloak and Dagger still win in fewer steps).
In short, NetEase got it right with Phoenix. They mixed style with function perfectly. She’s almost like a real fighter, making battles thrilling, which is more than enough to keep me hooked.
