You can trust VideoGamer. Our team of gaming experts spend hours testing and reviewing the latest games, to ensure you're reading the most comprehensive guide possible. Rest assured, all imagery and advice is unique and original. Check out how we test and review games here Since its launch, Marvel Rivals has grown with over 40 million players with its vibrant Marvel Universe setting and dynamic 6v6 gameplay. A standout feature drawing widespread praise is its user interface (UI), which blends comic-book style with modern functionality. Players have lauded the UI’s sleek hero selection screen, where animated character portraits burst to life, and the intuitive menus that make navigating the game’s 38-character roster a breeze. However, early UI concepts have emerged through a new behind-the-scenes video series by NetEase called “Art Vision,” which tries to deconstruct the game’s visual design, and its first episode provided a surprising glimpse at a user interface direction that the developers eventually abandoned. While the final game features refined interfaces, this look back exposes a more experimental period centered on a highly stylized, circular approach to hero selection, which was one of the raddest screens to ever exist. Marvel Rivals devs reveal early UI concepts which were scrapped for something more “simple and clear” Marvel Rivals dropped a surprise Art Vision episode that features teases to roles of upcoming heroes like Ultron and an early look at Colossus coming soon to the game. However, the highlight was a prototype hero selection screen designed with a circular, wheel-based arrangement that may have been the raddest one to ever feature in a shooter game. Original Wheel UI Concept with Hulk. Image by VideoGamer. Character description screens looked more like a comic book page. Image by VideoGamer. Original Wheel UI Concept with Doctor Strange. Image by VideoGamer. One of the concepts was even similar to Overwatch. Image by VideoGamer. Previous Next 1 of 4 Previous Next Early UI designs featured gritty, oil-pastel hero portraits, reminiscent of Disco Elysium’s noir style, showcasing characters like Doctor Strange and Storm in a darker, more stylized tone. A radial hero selection wheel was also explored, emphasizing bold 2D art but proving cumbersome for quick navigation. Devs said that these concepts prioritized artistic immersion but were scrapped for a grid-based system to enhance accessibility and speed, better suiting the fast-paced 6v6 hero shooter. While this design has tremendous visual panache, it instantly raises concerns regarding practical applicability, notably the possible inefficiencies of rotating through a vast character roster while under pressure. Navigating this wheel interface, while visually beautiful, could have proven burdensome during critical gameplay moments. Dino, the game’s Art Director, contextualized this experimental phase within the team’s larger UI goals. The goal, he explained, was to combine “modern and adaptable” characteristics with “simple and clear” utility, all while expressing “comic, structural, and geometric sensibilities.” However, the circular theme was not entirely removed. A curving “arc” selector, used during the critical pre-match hero selection phase, is still present. Dino described this element as adding to the “artistic immersive experience.” It’s quite refreshing to see how far Marvel Rivals has come from its early stages, growing its roster each day with its current Season 2 already making waves across the gaming community. Marvel Rivals Platform(s): macOS, PC, PlayStation 5, Xbox Series S, Xbox Series X Genre(s): Fighting, Shooter Related Topics Marvel Rivals Subscribe to our newsletters! By subscribing, you agree to our Privacy Policy and may receive occasional deal communications; you can unsubscribe anytime. Share