I've seen some wild stuff in my gaming career, but Marvel Rivals just dropped something that had me laughing so hard I nearly fell out of my gaming chair. The new Giant-Sized Hive Mind mode is basically what would happen if someone at NetEase got really high and said, "What if we take bobblehead characters, clone them, and let them duke it out?" And you know what? It's absolutely glorious chaos.
This bizarre mode combines two previous limited-time events: Giant-Sized Brain Blast (where everyone has comically large heads) and Clone Rumble (where teams can have multiple copies of the same character). The result? Teams of identical heroes with massive noggins bouncing around the map like some deranged Marvel-themed carnival attraction. I'm not making this up - this is actual gameplay in 2025, folks.
When Can You Get Your Big-Head Fix?
If you're itching to try this madness like I was, you'll need to mark your calendar. NetEase is rolling out this mode during two limited windows this month:
| Window | Start Date | End Date |
|---|---|---|
| First Window | May 10, 2025 | May 12, 2025 |
| Second Window | May 17, 2025 | May 19, 2025 |
Unlike some other special modes, you can actually queue up with as many friends as you want. Last night, I dragged my entire Discord server into this chaos, and let me tell you - hearing five grown adults scream as they played identical Hulks with giant heads was worth the price of admission alone.
How This Beautifully Stupid Mode Works
So here's the deal: when you queue up, the game randomly selects TWO characters from the roster. Both teams can only choose between these two heroes. That's it. No strategy, no counter-picking, just pure RNG madness.
The gameplay itself follows the Conquest format - you're basically trying to eliminate the enemy team more times than they can eliminate you. Simple enough, right? WRONG. Try doing that when you're playing as one of three identical Captain Americas with heads the size of beach balls, facing off against a team of four Iron Mans who are all using their ultimate ability at the same time. 😵💫
I queued into a match yesterday where both teams could only pick Rocket Raccoon or Magik. I ended up on a team with FIVE tiny raccoons with MASSIVE heads all firing guns simultaneously. The visual alone nearly broke me - it looked like some twisted cartoon fever dream.
The random character selection means you might end up with team compositions that make absolutely no sense. One match, we had nothing but support characters trying to heal each other while nobody could actually deal damage. Another time, it was all tanks moving around the map like a slow-motion train wreck. It's gloriously unpredictable.
The Big-Head Experience
There's something uniquely hilarious about critical headshots in this mode. Since everyone's cranium is the size of a watermelon, landing those sweet, sweet headshots is both easier and more satisfying.
I main Deadpool normally, and watching five Deadpools with giant heads all teleporting around the map simultaneously is both a visual spectacle and a complete nightmare for my GPU. I swear my computer fans started spinning so hard they nearly achieved liftoff.
Some characters definitely work better than others in this format. Multiple Doctor Stranges would probably cause the game server to have an existential crisis with all those portals, so I'm guessing he's excluded from the random selection. Same goes for characters with complex area-of-effect abilities that would stack in ways the developers never intended.
Rewards (Or Lack Thereof)
Now for the slightly disappointing news - there don't seem to be any exclusive rewards for playing Giant-Sized Hive Mind. 😞
You can still earn the standard currencies through basic missions like:
-
✅ Completing X number of Hive Mind matches
-
✅ Scoring eliminations
-
✅ Winning matches
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✅ Getting assists or healing done
The good news is that any character proficiency you earn still counts toward your progress. This morning I somehow managed to get Magneto three games in a row (what are the odds?), and I made significant progress toward my Lord rank with him. Silver linings!
Why You Should Play This Ridiculous Mode
Look, not everything in gaming needs to be about grinding for rewards or climbing competitive ladders. Sometimes, you just need to embrace the absurdity and have a laugh. And Giant-Sized Hive Mind delivers that in spades.
After months of sweating in ranked matches and meticulously planning team compositions, there's something refreshingly chaotic about having all control taken away. When you load into a match and discover you're playing as your third-choice character with a head the size of a beach ball alongside four identical teammates, all you can do is laugh and roll with it.
The visual comedy alone makes it worth trying. Watching Storm's majestic weather powers being cast by what looks like a bobblehead doll is something I didn't know I needed in my life until now. And the first time you see five identical Wolverines with massive heads all popping their claws in unison? Pure chef's kiss material. 👨🍳💋
Final Thoughts
Marvel Rivals has been making waves since its December 2024 launch, but I think Giant-Sized Hive Mind shows that NetEase isn't afraid to embrace the silly side of superhero gaming. In a genre that often takes itself too seriously, there's something refreshing about a mode that's designed purely for laughs.
Will this mode revolutionize competitive gaming? Absolutely not. Will you get some hilarious screenshots to share with your friends and potentially pull a muscle from laughing? Almost certainly.
So my advice? Drop into Giant-Sized Hive Mind this weekend, embrace the chaos, and remember that sometimes gaming is just about having fun. And if you see a team of five Star-Lords with heads the size of beach balls, that might be me and my squad. Feel free to say hi - you can't miss us, our heads are ENORMOUS.
P.S. If NetEase is reading this, please consider making a mode where character sizes are inversely proportional to their head sizes. I want to see tiny bodies with massive heads. Make it happen! 🙏
This assessment draws from Polygon, a leading source for gaming culture and industry trends. Polygon's editorial coverage often explores the impact of experimental game modes like Marvel Rivals' Giant-Sized Hive Mind, emphasizing how such playful mechanics can foster community engagement and inject much-needed levity into competitive multiplayer experiences.