Marvel Rivals

A Marvel Rivals match gives you plenty to react to, but I’d keep it to an easy bike ride or a brisk walk because aiming while your body is bouncing is a lot to ask of your thumbs. The heroes are fun enough that I’d want to keep playing, which is not quite the same as saying I’d play well.

Gameplay

The fights get going quickly, and I think that’s what makes Marvel Rivals work better than a lot of games I’d try to fit around exercise. You pick a hero, join a team, and spend most of the match moving toward an objective or trying to keep the other team away from it. There’s not a long story scene waiting between every fight, which is good because I have a limited amount of attention and some of it is being used to remember my legs.

The hero choice matters in a way that makes the matches feel different without making me read a whole book before I can participate. Scarlet Witch is a pretty forgiving place to start if precise aiming isn’t your thing, while Spider-Man asks you to move quickly and make better decisions than I’d want to make while jogging. I like that the roster gives you those different jobs, though I’d expect to spend a few matches figuring out which character feels natural instead of picking a favorite based on who looks coolest.

Team-Up abilities are a neat idea because some heroes can combine their powers, and I think those moments give you a reason to pay attention to who else is on your team. The destructible battlefields add another wrinkle, since a familiar route can change when parts of the map break apart. I wouldn’t say every fight needs me to think about that carefully, but it does help keep the matches from feeling like the same hallway with different superhero outfits.

There’s a lot of action, and that’s useful when you want a game to keep your mind occupied during a workout. You can also get knocked out and spend a little time waiting to return, and those pauses are short enough that they wouldn’t ruin the session for me. They do give me time to wonder why I ran straight at the whole other team again. I may need a different plan.

I’d give yourself a little time in practice before jumping into matches, especially if you haven’t played a team shooter before. There are different roles, abilities, maps, and team combinations to learn, and I don’t know that I’d enjoy trying to absorb all of that while also keeping a steady pace. Once you have a couple of heroes you understand, though, the matches should keep you busy.

Category Score: 3 out of 3

Treadmill and Bike Compatibility

The controller support is full, which takes away one problem, but it doesn’t make the controls gentle. Marvel Rivals is a competitive team shooter, so you’re moving, aiming, using abilities, watching the objective, and trying to notice where the people shooting at you are coming from. That’s already plenty to manage on a couch. Add treadmill movement and my accuracy would probably become a team wide concern.

I’d start on a stationary bike, or with a slow treadmill walk, and choose a hero that doesn’t demand constant precise aiming. Scarlet Witch is a reasonable first try, and I’d avoid Spider-Man until I was sitting still, because quick movement and close range fighting are a lot to coordinate when your hands are already bouncing. There’s no setting that can make a live match wait for you to finish a breath, so I’d keep the workout easy enough that you can still pay attention to what’s happening.

Practice against AI is a better place to test the setup than competitive matches, since you can learn the controls without feeling like you’re letting a teammate down every time you miss. I wouldn’t use the treadmill for ranked play, and even Quick Match could turn into a lot of frantic corrections if you’re running. On a bike, I think the stable position makes aiming more manageable, but you still have to react quickly and there’s no pause button to rescue you. This one asks for a little focus.

Category Score: 1 out of 3

Computer Requirements

You’ll want a gaming PC with a midrange graphics card, rather than a basic office computer, and the game needs a broadband connection. I’d check the graphics card and available storage first, since the minimum calls for a GTX 1060 class card and 70 GB of space, which is enough room to make you look at your drive before you install another game.

Category Score: 2 out of 3

Conclusion and Score

Marvel Rivals is fun and busy, and I’d suggest it for someone who wants superhero team fights while cycling or walking at an easy pace. I’d skip it for a hard run or any workout where you don’t want a live match asking for quick reactions.

Overall Score: 2 out of 3