'Marvel Cosmic Invasion' Review: A Marvelous Beat 'Em Up

Tribute Games is back in their beat’em up bag and offering comic book fans the most ambitious Marvel team-up event since Avengers: Endgame with its new game, Marvel Cosmic Invasion.

Coming out of Summer Game Fest, Marvel Cosmic Invasion was one of the many titles high on my list. Tribute Games holds a dear place in this beat’em up fanatic’s heart thanks to its other fantastic titles like Scott Pilgrim EX and another personal favorite, TMNT: Shredder’s Revenge. 

Many Marvel fans, myself included, have longed for a great beat’em up game featuring Marvel’s roster of heroes and villains, since it’s been a while since 1992’s X-Men: The Arcade Game. 

Tribute Games has finally filled that void with Marvel Cosmic Invasion, which proves they got the sauce when it comes to making beat’em up games. Still, they also understood the assignment when delivering a game that pays homage to an iconic era of Marvel Comics. 

A Comic Book Nerd’s Dream Game

We have all seen scenarios in the comics and films where all of your favorite Marvel superheroes can unite in one video game to take on a villain that is threatening the existence of the entire universe. Still, we have yet to experience that in a video game format.

That was until Marvel Cosmic Invasion. In the game, you get to choose from 15 superheroes, including Marvel OGs like Spider-Man, Captain America, Iron Man, Black Panther, Venom, Storm, Wolverine, and Phoenix, aka Jean Grey.

But as a bonus, Tribute Games decided to go deep in the Marvel vault by making characters like Rocket Raccoon, Phyla-Vell, Nova, Cosmic Ghost Rider (Frank Castle), Silver Surfer, and Beta Ray Bill.

On paper, it looks like a random selection of characters, but I was pleasantly surprised to see how they all fit into the game’s narrative, due to some of them having to be unlocked as you progress through the game’s story.

Speaking of the story, you won’t be taking on Thanos (even though he is in the game), but the big bad in Cosmic Invasion is none other than Annihilus and his Annihilation Wave, and the heroes unite to stop him in his tracks.

Throughout the game, you encounter other known Marvel villains like Beetle, Sentinels, Master Mold, M.O.D.O.K., and more who are under the control of Annihulus thanks to Arthrosian worms.

Cosmic Swapping Adds A New Element To The Beat ‘Em Up Gameplay

At its core, Marvel Cosmic Invasion is a beat ’em up game, but Tribute Games always finds a way to add another layer to make its games more memorable.

Cosmic Invasion features a “Cosmic Swapping” feature that allows you to pull off combos by calling in the other character you selected with the press of a button. You can also do team-up attacks where both characters perform their ultimate attacks at the same time.

What I appreciate the most about the Cosmic Swapping feature is that it invites you to use your other character, rather than just sticking with your first choice until they are knocked out.

You can still play that way, but Cosmic Swapping makes you want to swap your characters in and out on the fly because it’s simply so cool, and also fun pulling off combinations.

No characters feel the same, with Tribute masterfully designing them to feel different to use, allowing for unique pairings that will result in flashy combos if you can time your swaps right.

Each level also has different challenges for you to complete, and they are tied to the characters in your roster. For example, the level involving the Sentinels, there are challenges for you to complete for Wolverine and Storm, because the Sentinels are known villains in the X-Men franchise.

It’s another feature tribute thrown in there to ensure you try out all of the characters.

Final Verdict

Marvel Cosmic Invasion doesn’t stray far from its beat ’em up DNA, but Tribute once again manages to deliver an experience that will leave you completely satisfied.

I couldn’t help but feel like I was playing an episode of my favorite Saturday morning cartoon, or the pages out of my favorite Marvel comic books.

The levels are gorgeous and chock full of easter eggs for you to find, and each character sprite from the heroes to the villains doesn’t lack in detail and jumps off the screen.

Marvel Cosmic Invasion is an absolute blast to play alone or with friends. The challenge system on the levels will also keep you coming back, making its replayability reasonably high.

Cosmic Invasion is also a fun title to pick up and play on the go. It ran perfectly on my ROG Xbox Ally, so I’m assuming it will be just as fine on the Steam Deck.

If you’re looking for another pure beat ’em up experience, Marvel Cosmic Invasion is definitely worth checking out for $29.99. If you have Xbox Game Pass Ultimate, you’re in luck because it will be available on the service on Dec.1, so make sure you assemble all your friends to take down Annihilus and his minions.

*Steam Key Provided For Review By DOTEMU & Tribue Games*