Tribute Games, creators of Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Shredder’s Revenge, know how to diversify the easily tedious fighting game genre like few studios do, and Marvel Cosmic Invasion is no exception. Injecting tag-team mechanics reminiscent of Marvel’s tag fighters adds a fun layer of strategy and chaos to this intergalactic skirmish, creating a retro-inspired treat that comic book fans shouldn’t miss.
When the evil Annihilus plots 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 against him. As a comic book fan, I appreciate the variety in the lineup, which includes names less commonly used in games like She-Hulk, Beta-Ray Bill, and the more newfangled Cosmic Ghost Rider. The sprites look great and are equally well animated, and the voice performances convey an endearingly cheesy bombshell that is more reminiscent of the source material than their TV/movie counterparts.
The Marvel Cosmic Invasion story campaign is a concise but entertaining journey through the comic book, featuring various locations on Earth and beyond. I had a blast clipping Sauron’s wings in the Savage Land and fighting Knull and his symbiote army on Klyntar, and the scenes are full of fun references for comic book fans, recent and ancient. Combat maintains the appealing accessibility of the genre while boasting enough mechanical depth to be more engaging than most of its contemporaries. Hitting and juggling dozens of AIM goons or space bug warriors in the air is great, but the kicker tags a partner for a quick assist attack to extend combo chains. This tandem action is plain to perform and yet rewarding. I also like how the stage hazards and enemies, especially the challenging boss battles, offer fun tests of your defensive abilities such as blocking, dodging, and parrying.
Characters are mechanically distinct and true to themselves, and their special abilities encourage strategic play. I love throwing Cap’s shield to bounce off multiple targets, or throwing Beta-Ray Bill’s hammer, Stormbreaker, which spins independently and can stun enemies indefinitely until summoned. Telepathically throw threats into the abyss because the Phoenix always feels empowered, and Rocket’s random grenade list is a tumultuous element of chance. The ability to fly, used by heroes like Storm, Iron Man and others, is a good antidote to historically pesky flying enemies.
There is some success in mindlessly destroying everything that moves (mostly when playing with others), but I appreciate how the sheer number of threats equipped with their own effective defense mechanisms forced me to learn my characters and play with more caution. Much like fighting games, finding your main character becomes crucial after trying out various charge attacks, launchers, defensive moves, and special attacks. While I enjoyed playing each hero to some extent, Captain America, Spider-Man, Phyla-Vell, Cosmic Ghost Rider, and Silver Surfer became my standouts. However, to the game’s credit, there is no wrong answer when it comes to choosing a hero; they are all fun in their own unique way.
Optional stage challenges effectively encourage you to master specific moves and strategies. The reward of unlockable bonuses like character palette swaps, music tracks, and story entries is enough of a carrot to dangle. Leveling up heroes through gameplay improves their stats and unlocks recent passive abilities, adding a nice sense of progression and growth to a typically stagnant genre. I like to apply my buffed favorites to defeat tougher opponents.
Swapping characters and perfecting tag team synergies also makes this one of the most enjoyable brawlers I’ve ever played solo, but it’s still not the optimal way to experience the game. Believe it or not, fighting games are more fun with other people, and having four players controlling eight heroes jumping in and out of battle at once is a lot of fun, whether you’re playing locally or in a well-implemented drop-in/drop-out online game.
Marvel Cosmic Invasion follows in the footsteps of Shredder’s Revenge, offering a smartly modernized take on arcade games of the past. It’s not the deepest package, nor does it completely break the genre’s reliable formula, but anyone with nostalgia for the ancient Marvel arcade fighting games will have a great time battling villains as Earth’s – and the galaxy’s – mightiest heroes.
