MultiVersus‘ the ad did little to inspire confidence that it would be anything but a cheap cash-in platform chaser. Nickelodeon Smash Bros. clone was unfortunately quite weak, so it would make sense for another new developer to fail in the same way. But MultiVersus‘ impressive closed alpha was a pleasant surprise, especially from a visual point of view.

Not only MultiVersus maintain a unique (attractive) visual style for all of its characters, but it does so without losing the personality behind each. Bugs Bunny doesn’t look jarring next to Superman, which is an achievement in itself. The fact that a The iron Throne the character fits aesthetically into cartoons and superheroes shows that this game does its best to fix this Nickelodeon All-Star Brawl couldn’t, without turning any of the distinct characters into bland imitations.

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The character that best exemplifies the visual excellence of MultiVersus must be the Ice Climbers-esque duo fighter, Tom & Jerry. Their attacks are perfectly animated compared to their cartoons, as the pair try to hit each other with hammers and various other comedic weapons for most of their moveset. They almost accidentally hit the opponent as they continue their eternal game of cat and mouse. It’s an inventive style that’s as fun to watch as it is to play, and it comes from someone who never really cared about these characters as a whole.

That’s not to say Tom and Jerry are the only ones with this kind of polish, as there are little details that make each character stand out. The best is Batman’s idle animation, which sees him strike his silhouette pose straight out of Batman: The Animated Series. MultiVersus nails Batman’s brooding pose as he transforms in the dark, as well as his taunt where he pulls various items out of his utility belt, presumably including a spray can filled with shark repellent. These two animations respond to the two types of Batman – the dark and clumsy – which is an apt representation of MultiVersus himself.

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Even the alternate costumes are intriguing to watch. Samurai Batman, Task Force X Harley, Shaggy’s… Uncle Shagworthy? The choices range from the cool to the weird, but they’re so different you can’t help but admire the deep cuts Player First Games makes. Plus, this quirky cast and their wild secondary costumes show that Player First Games and Warner Bros. could probably handle almost any franchise with care. Given the already eclectic variety of the list, there will likely be plenty of beloved properties like Animaniacs and Harry Potter that could very well do in this style, while attracting fandoms of all types.

Yes MultiVersus gets the same level of polish in its gameplay that it has so far in its visual style, it could become the most worthy Smash Bros. still a competitor. The respect shown for the franchises included is amazing, and I can’t wait to see the rest of the roster get the MultiVersus treatment.