Marvel Cosmic Invasion Review, Gameplay Impressions, Videos and Top Features

Marvel Cosmic Invasion from developer Tribute Games brings old-school arcade beat 'em up to the next generation in a big way. 

An arcade-like, side-scrolling fighter that loops in all of the big-hitters, Cosmic Invasion has the looks of a pick-up-and-play blast, complete with co-op multiplayer. 

With a familiar pixel-art style and the team behind the acclaimed Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Shredder's Revenge, it's hard not to get excited about the tag-fighter bringing arcade action to living rooms and mobile devices like the Steam Deck and Nintendo Switch. 

While the premise sounds amazing like a certain web-slinger, the execution at launch will need to stick the landing to match those, well, cosmic-like expectations. 

Graphics and Gameplay

It's hard not to love carefully created pixel art style like this in a game echoing the nostalgia-ridden arcade machines of years past. 

Cosmic Invasion is a colorful romp befitting of the setting, with fun visual effects peppering the screen during combat and eye-catching backgrounds that always seem to have something noteworthy happening. 

The variety is stunning compared to the mentioned TMNT game, too. Each character has its own array of special moves and effects, whether it's Rocket Raccoon shooting lasers all over the screen, Venom splashing symbiote ick all over the place or something else. The effort has gone from four turtles to 10-plus Marvel icons and it's downright impressive. 

The game's user interface (UI) does just enough in the way of relaying information to both keep things simple and tell players everything they need to know. Similarly, the menus are basic, in a good way. 

From a sound design standpoint, the gang's all here. The vibe is retro, from the impacts of on-screen effects to the soundtrack laced in the background. 

At its most basic, Cosmic Invasion is a tag fighter. Teams of four heroes tackle stages. Up to four players can team up in a co-op session, with each player picking two characters that they can swap between during a stage. 

The inputs are basic, too. The usual stuff like melee attacks, primary attacks and a block or dodge are here. So are hero-specific attacks and special moves players can unleash after building a meter. 

Speaking of hero-specific, even traversal is a love letter to the comics. Tapping jump on Spider-Man makes him web-sling, where others use true-to-form movement abilities. Hitting sprint on Venom makes him fittingly bound across the map. 

That special move meter, as players probably expected, fills up by hitting enemies. Aggression is welcome, to say the least. There are also combo attacks, letting players call the tagged-out character back on screen for a team-up. 

Stages and even boss battles can vary in difficulty, but it's always fun to experiment with teams of heroes to see what works best. Pairing a grappler like She-Hulk with a flyer like Storm can have good results. 

It's a fun romp, to say the least, that encourages experimentation. There's a nice layer of replayability here and an all-ages pick-up-and-play element that is hard to deny.

Story and more 

Cosmic Invasion reaches into a well-trodden, expected bag for this one. 

Cover star Annihilus is the big bag and (get this, right?) he's pulling off a Cosmic Invasion that the universe's mightiest heroes must shut down. 

Along the way, also as expected, players will romp through mainstays like New York and take a trip to the Negative Zone and even a SHIELD Helicarrier, among others. 

The story isn't anything wild, but it hits the expected Marvel stuff. What fans will really appreciate is the little world-building and hints found everywhere. In New York, for example, a Daily Bugle edition mentions a guy by the name of Norman Osborn, describing him as missing. 

Ditto for comic-accurate personas, whether it's quips for the expected members of the cast or She-Hulk fittingly breaking the fourth wall.

For the sake of simplicity, this is the Cosmic Invasion roster at launch:

• Beta Ray Bill
• Black Panther
• Captain America
• Cosmic Ghost Rider
• Iron Man
• Nova
• Phoenix
• Phyla-Vell
• Rocket Raccoon
• She-Hulk
• Silver Surfer
• Spider-Man
• Storm
• Venom
• Wolverine

There are lots of extra goodies to earn along the way, too, which rounds out the package well. A modern-feeling suite of options gives players some control over the experience, too. 

Conclusion 

Marvel Cosmic Invasion is a hit upon arrival. 

Accessible for all ages and fantastically retro-feeling in its design, it feels like a much broader expansion of the TMNT effort, this time with another beloved property, while nailing the mixture of generations it has spanned to date.

Even with the package seeming pretty obvious at face value, it manages to surprise with little attention to detail bits and outright fun factor.

Cosmic Invasion is a love letter to not just Marvel, but the retro genre. It's a powerhouse here to stay, and with any luck, just its origin story, with more to come later.