On February 21, the Human Torch officially joined the Marvel Rivals roster. Furthermore, players have expressed concerns about the character’s potential impact on gameplay. However, the fighting game’s appeal lies in its roster of powerful heroes who prioritize chaos over balance and fairness, making the fiery Fantastic Four member a perfect fit. In fact, early playtests suggest the character’s pyrokinetic abilities make him a formidable force on the battlefield. As the game’s release approaches, one question remains: will this inclusion bring excitement to the action or disrupt its dynamic?
Marvel Rivals Sparks Debates with Character Inclusion
Since its late 2024 release, Marvel Rivals has achieved remarkable success. Notably, it surpassed 10 million players within its first 72 hours and boasts over 40 million players worldwide. Receiving largely positive reviews, the game reached an average critic score of 78 on OpenCritic. To maintain its momentum, NetEase plans to introduce both the Human Torch and The Thing to its roster of popular heroes. However, although the game has yet to include the Human Torch, some players are already voicing concerns that the hero may be overpowered. Due to competitive live-service games’ commitment to retaining balance, many players argue that the character has an ability that drastically sets him apart from the rest of the roster.
Players have raised questions involving balance due to the Human Torch’s high mobility, flight capability, and Pyro Prison ability, which deals continuous damage across a wide area. One notable example of fans’ concern comes from content creator Cozy Rivals, who recently showcased and complained about the character in action through a social media post. Reflecting widespread agreement, their complaints quickly garnered over 31,000 likes. Despite the growing criticism, NetEase hasn’t addressed these concerns, nor has the developer publicly commented on the feedback. Sadly, the debate surrounding the character’s impact on the game’s balance continues to intensify as players await further updates.
About The Human Torch’s Fiery Abilities
Marvel Rivals classifies the Human Torch as a Duelist, similar to Mister Fantastic, making him a primary damage dealer for his team. Excelling in long-range combat, he leverages his flight and damage-over-time abilities to keep enemies at a distance and dominate the battlefield. While learning his mechanics isn’t overly complex, practice and strategic thinking are essential in mastering his playstyle. Regarding the character’s three-star difficulty rating, players may find playing as the fiery hero relatively easy.
With straightforward abilities, his Primary Attack delivers consistent damage at close range and a wider spread from a distance. Likewise, his attacks allow for massive damage with well-placed headshots. Moreover, players can maximize the Human Torch’s effectiveness by combining his Blazing Blast and Pyro-Prison to control objectives and chokepoints. Mainly, his high-damage ultimate ability, Flaming Meteor, is to be used strategically rather than quickly upon cooldown.
Although the Human Torch is categorized as a Flyer, players may find that he moves relatively slowly. As a result, his Flaming Meteor ability tends to make him vulnerable after usage as it places him within range of melee attacks. Therefore, this attack is best reserved as a finishing move against low-health enemies or to secure kills on multiple targets. Ultimately, players balance aggression with caution to fully harness the hero’s potential and dominate the battlefield.
Earning Human Torch Lord Icon
While boasting one of the most overpowered abilities in Marvel Rivals, the Human Torch’s Lord icon caused disappointment among players. According to PC Gamer, user mylosstoyourgain criticized his Lord icon, commenting on their displeasure on social media. To obtain this, players must complete hero proficiency tasks for each character to unlock the Lord icon. Unfortunately, this may require significant time investment depending on how often the character is played. Although players are supposed to feel rewarded for the effort put into leveling up, the fiery hero’s version may leave them underwhelmed. Despite this criticism, the character’s overall reception, particularly his gameplay and design, remains positive, with many acknowledging the developers’ strong efforts in other areas.
