Skip To...
Playing Marvel Cosmic Invasion felt like unearthing a time capsule. Suddenly, I was seven years old again, asking my mom to lend me a few pennies for the arcade machine that was inside a convenience store next to my house—it was uncanny. Marvel Cosmic Invasion takes everything Tribute Games learned from Shredder’s Revenge and improves it to make it the ultimate arcade beat ’em up that feels like a blast from the past but modern enough to eclipse some of the new beat ’em ups we’ve seen in the market.
Time to Assemble
A Marvel game is only as strong as its roster, at least one with many characters, and Marvel Cosmic Invasion has one of the best in recent memory. While we already know 15 heroes are on the way, only a handful have been unveiled, including the likes of Spider-Man, Venon, Captain America, Wolverine, Nova, and more. Of those, nine were playable in the preview build, and you bet I took each one for a spin.
Before delving into the actual gameplay part, a big shoutout to Tribute Games because it did justice to all of them. Often, many beat ’em up games tend to make characters feel too similar and focus more on enemy variety and boss mechanics. Marvel Cosmic Invasion goes the opposite route and puts emphasis on each character’s move and playstyle. Take Wolverine, for instance. He’s fast, deadly, and can grab an enemy to slice and dice it with his claws before flinging it across the arena. Spider-Man, on the other hand, brings fast punches, swing kicks, and the iconic web-shooters capable of throwing enemies off-balance.
Another highlight of the roster is how it embraces some of the not-so-explored Anhilation characters, while also throwing some favorite ones and some that are entirely unexpected, yet welcome additions. I spent most of my time fighting as Spider-Man and Phyla-Vell, but having She-Hulk around was also excellent. So far, we’ve seen 11 heroes unveiled for Marvel Cosmic Invasion, and with it bringing characters from the source material and some that weren’t part of it, I’m excited to see the ones who will complete the roster. Also, as the comic book nerd that I am, it’s always great to see unexplored stories making it to other media, and Anhilation is one that deserves a spotlight.
Heroic Moves, Deadly Combos
When it comes to beat ’em up combat, Marvel Cosmic Invasion is in a league of its own. It has the DNA of the genre, but it enhances it by adding the cosmic swap mechanics and unique skills for each character.
The Arcade Mode of this preview featured two stages and nine playable characters. When you start the game, you can pick between two heroes in the roster that you can then swap in real-time with the cosmic swap mechanic.
Let’s say you choose Spider-Man and Venom. You can start fighting as the former, throwing punches and webs around, and then swap for Venom at the press of a button. Other combos make the second character assist you in different ways. For instance, if you press your cosmic swap button and the normal attack button, that second hero will throw a combo in the background while you beat the enemy with the character you’re controlling. However, some moves, like the air assist, let you bring the second character with an aerial attack and then take control of them right away.
Furthermore, each character has a special skill and an ultimate of sorts. Take She-Hulk, for example. Her special skill allows her to grab an enemy and do the iconic Hulk-Smash or throw them to the side of the arena. Her ultimate, however, slams the ground and sends shockwaves to her sides, damaging all enemies. And before you ask, yes, you can do all of this in co-op, too.
I played a few co-op matches, which is the best way to experience Marvel Cosmic Invasion, and each player can bring their two heroes. If you time your ultimate abilities right, you can launch them simultaneously for pure pixelated mayhem. I wish the preview had more content, but with two bosses, a lot of enemy variety, and challenging mechanics, Marvel Cosmic Invasion is already looking better than Shredder’s Revenge, and that was a high bar to surpass.
And Arcade Dream
Marvel Cosmic Invasion does an excellent job of bringing the faithful arcade beat ’em up gameplay, but with many new additions that will appeal to more modern gamers. While I was already excited about the game, I am now intrigued to see what other new reveals Tribute Games and Dotemu are hiding.
Regardless of the heroes that make it to the roster, whether they are from the source material or not, I’m sure the team behind the game will do them justice. It’s not common to see a game with so much variety when it comes to playable characters and enemies, and Marvel Cosmic Invasion excels in that regard. Hopefully, that quality and variety will make it to the full launch, which I also hope comes soon because I can’t wait to smack more insectoids with Cap’s physics-defying shield and slice and dice some AIM members as everyone’s favorite mutant.
