Playable Doctor Octopus Concept Wows Marvel Rivals Community

NetEase Games' commitment to releasing a new Marvel Rivals hero every half-season hasn't stopped a talented player from creating their own playable Doctor Octopus. Reddit user WickedCube recently shared a 30-second gameplay video showcasing a remarkably well-realized Doc Ock within the Marvel Rivals engine.

The video, depicting a pre-Hulk Bruce Banner in a testing environment, features a surprisingly fluid and accurate representation of the eight-armed villain. WickedCube's Doc Ock utilizes his tentacles for magnetized movement, allowing for traversal around obstacles and a unique flight mechanic within the game's destructible environments. The character even boasts custom abilities: "Havoc Claw" for melee attacks and "Wrecking Grip" for ranged combat. The impressive creation, boasting over 16,000 upvotes, is a testament to a single developer's skill.

WickedCube, an independent game developer with prior experience at Keen Software House, explained their inspiration: the lack of fully realized 3D playable tentacles in games, coupled with a recent PSN outage and inspiring Doc Ock fan art. The project, developed in Unity, proved a challenging yet rewarding endeavor.

The overwhelmingly positive community response has led WickedCube to plan a YouTube tutorial series and open-source the code on GitHub, making playable versions available on Itch. While WickedCube has no plans to further polish the current model, the ambition to share their creation is clear. The success of this project highlights the community's desire for more Vanguard-type characters in Marvel Rivals, a sentiment echoed by WickedCube's intentions to create playable versions of Nightcrawler and Professor X.

NetEase's Marvel Rivals will receive its Season 1 mid-season update on February 21st, introducing the Human Torch and The Thing, alongside balance adjustments and gameplay refinements. The studio's rapid release schedule, exceeding expectations, underscores the game's impressive potential. However, the community's enthusiasm for fan-created content like WickedCube's Doc Ock demonstrates the boundless possibilities within Marvel's expansive universe.