REVIEW: ‘Marvel Cosmic Invasion’ Delivers An Enjoyable Tribute Of Classic Beat ’em Ups

Marvel Cosmic Invasion, a side-scrolling beat ’em up action game, developed by Tribute Games Inc., and published by Dotemu and Gamirror Games, tasks one to four players with stopping the Annihilation Wave from rampaging across the cosmos. To do this, they will take control of some of Marvel Comics‘ most iconic characters, and a couple of surprises, as they battle through pixel art levels that are filled with fun action and nods to Marvel’s expansive world.  

At the core of the gameplay for Marvel Cosmic Invasion is classic beat-’em-up fare. As players move through the level, they stop frequently to clear areas of enemy combatants. Each player gets to pick a pair of heroes they can tag between, so they can select complementary choices that will provide lots of options. Despite the game allowing for any combination to work, it’s highly recommended that at least one pick be a flyer. Flying enemies are a nuisance to deal with otherwise. 

Basic attacks, charge attacks, specials, ultimate moves, blocks/dodges, and assists make up the roster combat options. These can take a plethora of forms, from Black Panther’s spinning dive kick to Storm’s summoning cyclones. Each kit feels fitting for the character it’s sculpted for.

The fighting in Marvel Cosmic Invasion pops off frequently, thanks to the hard-hitting nature of the combat.

The fighting in Marvel Cosmic Invasion pops off frequently, thanks to the hard-hitting nature of the combat. Numerous abilities send enemies pinballing around the screen, colliding with their comrades. Launching enemies, swinging around, and blasting projectiles keep the action fun and fast, never letting it devolve into an endless punch fest. 

The only place where all the action shows cracks on the player characters’ side at times is in many of the cast’s ultimate attacks. While they always look fun and usually land impressive hits, whether or not some of them hit at times is a struggle to predict. This makes unleashing these powerful effects a bit of a guessing game. With the need to charge the Focus Bar to use them, having one seemingly miss an enemy when hits were scored before is disappointing. 

The other place where Marvel Cosmic Invasion struggles to land is in its boss battles. There is an uneven difficulty curve among the game’s level-capping conflicts. A boss requiring multiple attempts is sometimes followed up by one that barely constitutes a challenge. This gives the foes an uneven feeling. 

Each of the 15 playable characters feels unique as they smash, fly, and blast their way through the game’s levels.

Bosses are also the one area of Marvel Cosmic Invasion that feels particularly designed for multiplayer. Not so much due to their challenge, but the amount of health they sport. At several points in the fight, many bosses will gain a shield bar over their health. This bar must be exhausted before their health can be chipped away at again. This can make some genuinely fun bosses wear a bit thin if tackled solo. 

Providing variety in encounters is an ample environmental element that mixes things up. Projectiles launched from the background, pits, or moving obstacles keep players on their toes as they clear each area of foes. These environmental hazards help bring locations to life. Helping to make each stage feel like its own character.

The variety extends to another element of Marvel Cosmic Invasion, which makes it shine: the character selection. Each of the 15 playable characters feels unique as they smash, fly, and blast their way through the game’s levels. She-Hulk‘s wrestling-inspired moveset sees her throwing and dropkicking enemies around. At the same time, cosmic characters like the Phoenix glide around, launching firebirds at her foes and stopping enemies with their telekinetic might. Each character has enough uniqueness to stand out, without being so distinctive that it feels cumbersome to try out someone new as the game progresses. 

Marvel Cosmic Invasion captures the energy of a classic comic book adventure.

This ease of learning is a good thing, since the developers at Tribute Games clearly want players to give everyone a try. As the heroes fight through swarms of enemies and overcome daunting bosses, they are tasked with accomplishing special missions in each level. While anyone can complete some of these tasks, most require a specific hero to fulfill. These are generally reasonably challenging, with only a couple requiring multiple attempts. These tasks are completely optional but do unlock some fun items.

The cast of playable characters also varies greatly, thanks to their abundance of personality. From Cap’s focused intensity to Spider-Man’s quips, every character brings their familiar attitudes towards this new adventure. However, the standout is easily She-Hulk (Elysia Rotaru, Avowed). Frequently breaking the fourth wall with comments like, “Street food! A classic,” and “My Focus Bar isn’t charged enough for that,” Jennifer Walters pops off with every line. 

The largely fun gameplay is paired with a bright and vibrant visual presentation that fits perfectly. Marvel Cosmic Invasion captures the energy of a classic comic book adventure. Even some of the plot’s more nonsensical moments feel forgivable because that’s how it would go in a comic crossover event like this. 

Feeding into the fun energy of Marvel Cosmic Invasion are the abundant cameos and Easter eggs.

Feeding into the fun energy of the game are the abundant cameos. From the boss selection spanning the Marvel catalog to supporting characters making cutscene appearances and background Easter eggs throughout some levels, the team clearly loves the Marvel Universe. It delves into it, making the game feel fully immersed in the world it presents. 

Marvel Cosmic Invasion offers players two ways to tackle the game: campaign and arcade. Campaign lets players have endless retries at each level, so progress is never lost. While Arcade Mode seeks to replicate the style of play it is named after. Limited lives and continues force players to play their best as they try to reach Annihilus in a single run. 

As characters are used, they gain experience that will see improvements to their health, focus bar, damage, and more. These buffs are present in both game modes, so if tackling arcade feels daunting at first, wait until you get your best characters fully leveled.

While players conquer their foes and complete special missions, they unlock nodes on the Cosmic Matrix. These nodes can bring color palette swaps for characters, music tracks, dossiers about various elements of the game, and modifiers to raise or lower the difficulty of Arcade Mode. These unlocks are fun to collect, and the last one brings genuine change to the gameplay experience.

Marvel Cosmic Invasion delivers fast, fun action with only a few hiccups. Despite these stumbles coming with some of its biggest moments, the game still offers a lot of good times, especially if you are a Marvel fan. 

Marvel Cosmic Invasion is available now for Nintendo Switch, Xbox, PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, and PC.