I’m not going to lie, I definitely have Marvel fatigue. There are so many projects based on its huge, historical cast of characters, it’s overwhelming to try to keep up with everything. In a way, it all becomes senseless noise because it is such a prevalent part of pop culture now. However, sometimes, a Marvel project, whether it’s a film, TV show, or video game, catches my attention because you can immediately sense that it’s something special, and the people working on it truly love the material they are working with. Right now, that project is Marvel Cosmic Invasion.
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That excitement is mostly due to the companies attached to the title in developer Tribute Games and publisher Dotemu. While this partnership is pretty new, it spawned Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Shredder’s Revenge, a retro-style beat ‘em up based on the beloved TMNT franchise. The 2022 game brought everything fans would want from a modern game based on the heroes in a half shell. After playing roughly 45 minutes of Marvel Cosmic Invasion, it seems Tribute and Dotemu are attempting to bring that same quality to Marvel’s extensive universe.
In my Marvel Cosmic Invasion demo, I played as nine different characters across two levels. Those characters were Captain America, Spider-Man, Venom, Wolverine, Storm, Nova, Phylla-Vell, Rocket Raccoon, and She-Hulk. Each character has their own strengths and movesets. Spider-Man is more agile, with a quick dodge, fast combo, and faster movement, allowing him to gracefully take out foes across the entire screen with ease. In comparison, She-Hulk is slower, but has much more powerful strikes, and can grapple enemies and throw them across the screen.
I really liked how different each character felt. There is a bit of a learning curve, as each player takes control of two characters and can switch them on the fly. In turn, this can extend combos in some interesting and fun ways. However, in the brief time I had with the game, getting my brain to switch from Spider-Man’s fast moveset to She-Hulk’s more powerful arsenal led to more mistakes than I would have liked. But as I got more accustomed to each character throughout a stage, I was able to chain each character together in fun ways, getting over 100 hit combos with ease.
My favorite duo I played with was Captain America and Wolverine. It struck a great balance between defensive and offensive options. Captain America’s shield-throwing and blocking ability was nice to have when dealing with enemies that threw out projectiles. Wolverine’s fast and ferocious melee is very fun as it feels like you can juggle an enemy for a lifetime.
I also really enjoyed playing as Rocket, She-Hulk, Spider-Man, and Venom. I think each of those characters brought something special to the combat that was an absolute blast to engage with. While both characters are fine, I felt Nova and Phylla-Vell were pretty basic in comparison to the rest of the cast. And Storm’s movement was a bit too slow for me to enjoy, but I still enjoyed my time with each character, even the ones I found less exciting. If anything, my time with each character got me hyped to see how Beta Ray Bill and Silver Surfer will play.
Another facet that is great about Marvel Cosmic Invasion right when you hop onto a stage is the art. Choosing to use the character designs of the 90s was a smart move. Most of them are the most beloved versions of the characters, or are some of the most stylized versions of them with distinct characteristics. Seeing these looks in Tribute’s gorgeous pixel art will leave players nostalgic for the Sega Genesis beat ‘em ups, but supported with some modern flair that looks great, even by today’s standards.
Although I played such a small slice of the game, I’m excited to see how Marvel Cosmic Invasion pans out. Based on their previous game, and from what I’ve played, I feel pretty certain that Tribute and Dotemu’s next will be great.
Marvel Cosmic Invasion will release later in 2025 and will come to PS5, PS4, Xbox, Nintendo Switch, and PC.
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Image courtesy of Starz
