What to Expect from MultiVersus’ Agent Smith

Highlights

• Agent Smith joins MultiVersus, offering a Matrix-inspired fighting style.
• Players can unlock Agent Smith for free through a Rift event or purchase him with in-game currency.
• Agent Smith’s gameplay features mid-range zoning and flashy martial arts moves from the films.

When MultiVersus relaunched, it revealed several new characters, including DC’s Joker, Adventure Time’s Banana Guard, Friday The 13th’s Jason Voorhees, and The Matrix’s Agent Smith. And while the three former characters made it into the game at launch, fans have been waiting patiently for Hugo Weaving’s malevolent AI to make its way into the platform fighter. Now, with a mere three weeks left in Season 1, players can finally get their hands on Agent Smith.

Smith is the first post-release fighter since MultiVersus relaunched back in May. Developers at Player First Games revealed a gameplay trailer highlighting how the character plays and, unsurprisingly, there’s a lot of zoning and high-octane kung-fu moves pulled straight from the Matrix films. The developers also revealed a way to unlock the character for free before he officially launches on July 23.

How Does Agent Smith Play in MultiVersus?

For a character from The Matrix, Agent Smith’s fighting style has been adapted almost seamlessly from the stylish, flashy action of the source material. His gameplay reveal trailer spotlights several moves, and he plays exactly how one would hope he would as a hyper-kinetic character from one of the most iconic action films of all time. It seems as if Smith’s gameplay represents a unique combination of mid-range zoning with his handgun and the flashy, zero-gravity martial arts he exhibited in the films.

Based on the brief gameplay trailer, it seems most of Agent Smith’s normal attacks involve brutal punches and kicks, while his neutral, down, and side specials involve some use of his pistol. Perhaps the most stylish is when Smith leaps over opponents, shooting them as he travels, and a move where he dives forward in mid-air, firing a single shot ahead of him. These inputs are likely his air down special and air side special. Even Smith’s dodge animation is a loving tribute to the film series; clearly inspired by the iconic “bullet time” sequence that’s been homaged, referenced, and parodied countless times over the years.

One of Agent Smith’s most famous abilities from the films, however, may not be represented in MultiVersus. Everyone remembers the epic fight scene between Neo and the hundreds of Smith clones in The Matrix: Reloaded. So much so that the ability to have duplicates of himself has become one of the characters’ defining traits in pop culture. But footage from the brief gameplay trailer isn’t clear if this is something players can replicate in the game. It’s certainly teased by having multiple Smiths on screen at once, but this could be easily done by having multiple player characters on the stage at once.

How to Play As Agent Smith in MultiVersus

Agent Smith is coming to MultiVersus for all players on July 23. He will be purchasable with both Fighter Currency and gleamium, the earnable and premium currency, respectively. His exact price is currently unknown, likely to be disclosed in the patch notes closer to the character’s official release. But certain dedicated MultiVersus veterans can access Agent Smith up to two full weeks early.

Since the game came back online, there’s been an ongoing event built around finishing the various offline rifts in MultiVersus. By beating each Rift on every single difficulty, players will get access to Agent Smith totally for free, starting two weeks before he drops officially. This means that Agent Smith will start appearing in online matches starting this week.

The Rift event isn’t as easy as it sounds. Currently, Agent Smith is locked behind a 20 Rift grind, which is heavily contingent upon leveling up the various gem modifiers the offline game mode uses. These gems can be leveled up by slowly playing out the Rifts, or by outright buying gem XP for gleamium in the shop. Those willing to grind out the gems/Rifts will be able to play Agent Smith starting on July 8th.