Tribute Games, creators of Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Shredder’s Revenge, know how to spice up the easily bland beat ‘em up genre like few studios can, and Marvel Cosmic Invasion is no exception. Injecting tag-team mechanics reminiscent of the Marvel tag fighters adds a fun layer of strategy and chaos to this intergalactic smackdown, creating a retro-inspired treat comic fans shouldn’t miss.
When the evil Annihilus hatches a plot to take over the galaxy, a collective of heroes, from iconic names like Spider-Man, Captain America, and Wolverine to space-faring saviors like Phyla-Vell, Nova, and Silver Surfer, stand up to oppose him. As a comic book fan, I appreciate the roster’s diversity in featuring names less-utilized in games like She-Hulk, Beta-Ray Bill, and the more modern Cosmic Ghost Rider. The sprites look great and are animated just as well, and voice performances capture the endearingly cheesy bombast more reminiscent of the source material rather than their TV/film counterparts.
Marvel Cosmic Invasion’s story campaign is a succinct but fun romp through comic lore, featuring varied locations on Earth and beyond. I got a kick out of clipping the wings of Sauron in the Savage Land and taking on Knull and his symbiote army on Klyntar, and the stages are chock full of fun references for comic fans, new and old. The combat retains the genre’s appealing approachability while boasting enough mechanical depth to be more engaging than most contemporaries. Pummeling and air-juggling scores of A.I.M. goons or alien bug warriors feels great, but the kicker is tagging in a partner for a quick assist attack to extend combo strings. This tandem action is simple to execute yet consistently satisfying to pull off. I also like how stage hazards and enemies, particularly the tough boss battles, offer entertaining tests of your defensive abilities, such as blocking, dodging, and parrying.
Characters feel mechanically distinct and true to themselves, and their special abilities encourage strategic play. I love tossing Cap’s shield to ricochet off multiple targets or hurling Beta-Ray Bill’s hammer, Stormbreaker, which spins independently and can stun-lock foes indefinitely until it’s recalled. Telepathically tossing threats into pits as Phoenix always feels empowering, and Rocket’s randomized roster of grenades is a chaotic element of chance. The ability to fly, utilized by heroes like Storm, Iron Man, and others, is a nice remedy for the historically pesky flying enemies.
Mindlessly obliterating everything that moves yields some success (mostly when playing with others), but I appreciate how the sheer number of threats that sport their own effective defenses pushed me to learn my characters and play more thoughtfully. Like fighting games, finding your “mains” becomes key after sampling their various charge attacks, launchers, defensive moves, and special attacks. Though I enjoyed playing as every hero to some degree, Captain America, Spider-Man, Phyla-Vell, Cosmic Ghost Rider, and Silver Surfer became my standouts. However, and to the game’s credit, there’s no real wrong answer when it comes to choosing a hero; they’re all fun in their own, unique ways.
Optional stage challenges effectively encourage a mastery of certain moves and strategies. The reward of unlockable bonuses, like character palette swaps, music tracks, and lore entries, is a sufficient carrot to dangle. Leveling up heroes through play improves their stats and unlocks new passive abilities, adding a nice sense of progression and growth to a typically stagnant genre. I like using my powered-up favorites to overcome tougher adversaries.
Swapping characters and mastering tag team synergies also makes this one of the most enjoyable brawlers I’ve ever played alone, but that’s still not the optimal way to experience this game. Believe it or not, beat ‘em ups are more fun with other people, and having four players controlling eight heroes leaping in and out of battle at once is a raucous blast, whether playing locally or in the well-implemented drop-in/drop-out online play.
Marvel Cosmic Invasion follows in the footsteps of Shredder’s Revenge by offering a smartly modernized take on the arcade games of yesteryear. It’s not the deepest package, nor does it completely shatter this genre’s reliable mold, but anyone bearing a nostalgia for the Marvel arcade brawlers of old will have a great time smacking around villains as Earth’s – and the galaxy’s – mightiest heroes.
