Cyclops, voiced by Ray Chase, who reprises the role from X-Men ’97 and Marvel Cosmic Invasion, blasts his way into Marvel Rivals as the game’s latest duelist (DPS). The iconic field leader of the X-Men brings a lot of group damage potential, combined with some unique maneuverability tools in his kit.
Before we get into the character’s gameplay, there is an element of his visual design I need to rave about for a moment. Throughout a match, Cyclops always has one of his hands by the side of his head. For those unfamiliar, this is to open the ruby-quartz visor he wears, which holds back his optic blasts. For a long time, this was the only way his visor worked. In recent decades, other mechanisms were introduced that made varying degrees of sense, but freed up the character’s hands, making it harder to deny him the use of his power.
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The details in this version of Cyclops prove how much care and respect go into this version of Marvel’s universe.
Despite the slight awkwardness it lends to his run animation, I love that the developers went with this approach. It harkens back to the character’s roots, once more showing that a lot of care and respect go into this version of Marvel’s universe. Now on with the abilities.
Optic Blast is Cylops’ primary fire. It’s a hit scan and fires in a burst, capable of dealing a solid amount of damage. He has eight shots before needing to reload, which can feel small, but is offset by the strong damage output each hit can do.
Scott Summers also has access to a secondary attack called Concussive Beam. This beam fires continuously until released, or its 100 charge points are spent. The beam bounces off targets or the ground and can daisy-chain across several enemies.
While its base distance is somewhat short, about 20 meters, the beam can jump beyond that from its initial target, allowing it a longer reach than it seems. The rate at which it expends its charge, as well as restores it, feels generous, assuring that Cyclops will always be a terror for grouped-up enemies. Finally, the beam also slows Scott’s descent when used in the air.
Cyclops’s power set oscillates between mobility and cooldowns.
Cyclops’ first ability is Ricochet Force. It fires a shot that splits on impact and hits nearby enemies. It also grants him 50 bonus health on use. The ability runs on a cooldown and has a charge counter. It can hold two charges, and hitting enemies with either Optic Blast or Concussive Beam can quicken the recharge.
Propulsion Burst is the first of two abilities Scott has to help move him around. When used, the shot launches the X-Man backward. If he hits an enemy with the shot, they will also be pushed back and have slow applied to them. The shot can be held to make it last longer, providing for more movement and potential damage.
Cyclops’ other movement-based ability is Optic Ascent. When activated, Scott flies straight up in the air, giving him a bird’s eye view of the battlefield. This ability can be combined with Propulsion Force to permit a harder-to-predict retreat. It can also be combined with Concussive Beam.
Since the beam attack slows his descent, the airborne X-Man can pop over a Doctor Strange shield or other hindrance and proceed to beam down any grouped enemies he sees. Of course, during that time, he will be left floating in mid-air, so discretion will be needed when using this tactic.
Cyclops’s ultimate, Ruby Rage, destroys terrain and deals substantial damage to all enemies in his path.
Ruby Rage is Cyclops’s ultimate ability. When activated, the player is given the chance to line up their shot before committing. Once finalized, Scott swings his head up in a straight line, carving a path of destruction from his feet to straight up into the air.
All enemies in the path are dealt substantial damage, and any destructible terrain elements are instantly obliterated. A swathe of debris lines the path, hit for a brief moment before exploding again, dealing out even more damage.
This ability captures Scott’s energy and fully unleashes his mutant power incredibly well. The energy beam is enormous, and the swath of destruction it leaves behind looks fitting for a power that has been described as capable of cracking mountains in half when no restraint is used with it.
Cyclops looks like a fantastic character. His unique mobility is fun and gives him something new for players to master. His focus on group attacks can do a lot of damage, but feel like they can be played around, leaving it up to Cyclops’s enemies to cut off as much of his damage potential as possible.
Marvel Rivals is available to play now on PC, PlayStation 5, and Xbox Series X|S.
