Like many of us at TheGamer, I’ve been playing a lot of MultiVersus over the past few days and I’m absolutely loving it. Aside from Taz mains simply needing to not exist, thanks, its presentation is fantastic, its mechanics are detailed and satisfying, and its roster not only features a ton of great characters, but ones that all feel incredibly distinct from one another and even from other fighting games.
I’ve put some decent time into a few characters on the roster so far and I’ve come away with a few favourites. Steven’s tank-like punches combine well with his ability to create Watermelon clones and Finn’s mobile standard attacks make him stand out, but there’s one fighter who’s not only my favourite on the roster by an Alberquerqe mile, but is also shaping up to be one of my favourites in any fighting game ever - Bugs Bunny.
That’s right, the Daffy Duck simp has fallen in love with his arch-rival. Go figure. Choosing Bugs Bunny as my main in a Warner Bros. fighting game is about as original as choosing SpongeBob in Nick Brawl or Mario in Smash, but I’ve always been a big Looney Tunes fan so I thought I’d stick with him as my first purchased character.
Aside from having some generally good knockback attacks and speed, the best part about Bugs is that he’s so layered and full of tricks, which perfectly represents his character. In a similar vein to how Tom and Jerry work so well because they’re technically fighting each other, not the rest of the players, Bugs feels true to his cartoon self because he’s got a literal box of tricks and more moves than the rest of the roster, which is pretty apt for the rabbit who’s spent decades tricking everyone around him. Basically, he's a massive dickhead to fight, and that's amazing.
Those moves also feel true to Bugs. He’s got a charming kiss that will stun enemies, just like he does to Elmer Fudd whenever he gets the chance, an ACME rocket he can ride through the air just like Wile E Coyote, and all of his attacks have him using a variety of items that just scream cartoon violence, like a mallet, baseball bat, and even a pie.
Ideas like Reindog tethering players and stopping them from falling are some of the best things about MultiVersus, and two of Bugs’ moves exemplify how the game’s systems can work together in surprising ways that shake up the platform fighter genre. The first of these is his ability to create a tunnel, which is basically his big co-op move, as teammates can also travel through it. The tunnel is cool enough on its own, but what’s even better is that items and projectiles will travel through it, which makes another of his special moves, the ability to create a vault out of thin air, even more interesting as it can be launched through that tunnel and come out the other side at maximum velocity.
This tunnel works with so many of Bugs’ moves that it creates some pretty jaw-dropping moments. My favourite MultiVersus match so far was during the closed alpha test, where I created a tunnel by accident and then sent the ACME rocket up into the air. At the time I didn’t realise it actually comes flying back down, which it proceeded to do right into the tunnel I’d just made, which caused it to fly out of the other end and kill the poor Batman on the receiving end.
Although every MultiVersus character has a lot going for them that makes them feel distinct, there’s none that feel quite as dynamic and creative as Bugs. In all the fighters I’ve played over the years, I’ve never seen one that can do quite as many different things as Bugs can and it makes him the most interesting of an already great roster. Now do Daffy Duck, yeah?