Marvel Cosmic Invasion‘s The Siege of Castle Doom DLC brings a new roguelite mode to developer Tribute Games and publishers Dotemu and Gamirror Games‘ popular superhero brawler. Along with a new mode to test players, the DLC also adds two new fighters: the Fantastic Four‘s Invisible Woman and the team’s arch-nemesis, Doctor Doom.
Roguelites are a dime a dozen at this point, so coming up with a different twist rather than just making players clear rooms while steadily upgrading their characters is essential for a new take on the genre to hit. Marvel Cosmic Invasion‘s DLC understands this and sets itself apart from others on the market.
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Rather than having players clear a set number of rooms before progressing to a new area, The Siege of Castle Doom DLC tasks them with gathering energy from their battles in order to stop the Lord of Latvaria’s latest scheme. As power charges fill, players unlock stat buffs, and every three completed charges move them on to the next section of the castle. Once nine are filled, the battle against Doom can proceed.
Marvel Cosmic Invasion sets itself apart with The Siege of Castle Doom DLC.
Along with progressing the run once three charges are filled, filling charges also gives players access to run-long stat buffs. Both offensive and defensive improvements are available, along with more tactical elements like slowing Doom’s victory gauge.
The buffs offered here are impactful enough to be felt, but specific enough to force real choice. Rather than offering a broad damage buff, players who want to improve their destructive capabilities must choose between buffing melee, ranged, or thrown damage. Defensive improvements are similarly split, affecting only certain types of damage.
However, it’s not just their strength that Earth’s heroes need to focus on. As they fight their way through Doom’s fortress, the doctor‘s powers grow. Over time, and whenever the heroes take damage, a meter measuring Doom’s strength also fills. At certain intervals, the minions the players fight will get boosts from the bar, and if it ever fills, Doom is triumphant. Clearing certain rooms can set back the bar’s progress.
Players will explore different levels of rewards and enemies to fight against.
This need to advance your victory condition while stunting Doom’s creates an engaging resource management element to The Siege of Castle Doom DLC. Some rooms offer caches of energy for the heroes, or one-time effects that slow or partially drain Doom’s energy. Players must balance pursuing these with opportunities for special attacks and health restoration.
When a run ends, the player is rewarded with upgrade points equal to the number of energy charges they were able to complete. These points can be used to unlock new weapons that can be harnessed in Castle Doom via a recharging meter, as well as other elements that can bring variety to a run. Floating mines can be introduced that bounce around the screen on impact and damage anyone they collide with, for example. Players can also opt to turn off the buffs rewarded by charges in favor of receiving healing, or take on the castle with only one character, but with two lives.
Adding a final layer of replayability to the mode is a wide range of enemy types. Several new Doom Bot enemies are introduced, and every minion type from the core game can appear, though the space bugs are far and away the most common. Certain rooms will even challenge players to clash with an echo of a previously beaten boss from the core game. These clashes can prove quite challenging if the Doom gauge is filled enough to provide significant boosts to the powerful foe.
While the roguelite struggles with clarity, it makes up for it with bold new characters.
The only major place where The Siege of Castle Doom DLC fails is with clarity. Like most roguelites, after clearing a room, the player will be offered several doors to pass through. Each door bears a symbol of what kind of reward it offers, but some of these are not intuitive. This leaves the player flying blind through the fortress until they get a feel for what is behind each symbol.
The new game mode adds two new playable characters. While both are fun, one definitely stands out as not only the best of the pair, but possibly the best character in the entire game. Let’s talk about the First Lady of Marvel, the Invisible Woman.
Having spent a few hours with Sue Richard’s newest video game incarnation, I’m confident someone on the development team is a huge fan of Ryan North and Humberto Ramos‘ current run on the Fantastic Four. Sue feels like she is at the zenith of her power, taking down the waves of enemies Marvel Cosmic Invasion throws at players with ease. Her kit is versatile and strong, and she keeps getting better the more you play her.
The Invisible Woman has a versatile range of attacks.
The weakest part of her kit is her basic attack, a short-range projectile that does low damage. However, this is a small price to pay for her upsides. Her basic combo string ends with a spherical attack that helps clear out encroaching foes from all sides. And her charge attack deploys a spike wall in front of her that both blocks attacks and damages enemies.
Invisible Woman’s charge attack is arguably the single most potent weapon in the game. Beyond its dual role in offense and defense, careful deployment can trap enemies in a damage loop for a few seconds. By setting up the barrier close to a wall, it can knock enemies into the wall, which bounces them back into the spikes, back to the wall, etc. This even works on bosses.
On top of that, Sue’s special attack is a ranged grab that can travel the full length of the screen. The versatility of this is huge, especially when used to lock down some pesky enemies while setting up a convenient wall. Did I mention she can do all this while flying?
Her ultimate attack is also noteworthy. While the orb of damage it initially casts is limited in range, making its damage potential sometimes difficult to maximize, it also puts Sue into an invisible state, making her briefly immune to projectiles.
The Siege of Castle Doom DLC’s other new character may not shine as brightly as his counterpart, but is still fun to play. Doctor Doom’s kit is a bit more straightforward, but does solid damage. His basic melee attacks hit great, and his basic combo string ends with a small, forward-facing AOE attack that Doom can change facing during, allowing for some maneuverability with his finisher.
Doom’s charge attack is interesting, but takes a little getting used to. Flexing his magical might, the villain plants a sigil on the ground that fires a blast upwards when an enemy passes over it. It’s a good move, but the animation makes it a little tricky to tell precisely where the trap will be placed, making it a little awkward at times.
The Siege of Castle Doom DLC offers a fresh take on a familiar model.
The Lord of Latavaria’s special attack is a full-screen ranged projectile that hits for good damage. His ultimate unleashes bolts of energy that cascade in all directions, generally hitting anyone on the screen. Together, these moves make Doom a fun but simple addition to the game’s roster.
Despite their varied playstyles, The Siege of Castle Doom DLC’s characters share the same excellence in presentation that Tribute Games has brought to every other character. Doom’s every attack feels condescending, as if all are beneath him as he struts across each stage. Invisible Woman’s various constructs also shine, as does her invisible version. Also, when flying, Sue is presented as walking across an invisible barrier. Very comic-accurate. She also sports the cheekiest color palette variant with the phenomenal red and black design, harkening to another super family.
Marvel Cosmic Invasion‘s The Siege of Castle Doom DLC is a fantastic addition to the game. It not only brings a side mode that is fresh within the game itself, but also sets itself apart within its genre. Coupled with two new heroes to enjoy, one of whom is especially incredible, fans will find little reason not to check out this great offering.
Marvel Cosmic Invasion’s The Siege of Castle Doom DLC is available for purchase now on PC, PlayStation 5, Nintendo, and Xbox Series X/S.
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Marvel Cosmic Invasion's The Siege of Castle Doom DLC is a fantastic addition to the game. It not only brings a side mode that is fresh within the game itself, but also sets itself apart within its genre.
