Marvel: Cosmic Invasion

“Welcome to die!”

Developer Tribute stunned fans back in 2022 with TMNT: Shredder’s Revenge, a spiritual successor to the classic TMNT arcade beat’em ups of yesteryear. Now, Tribute is back alongside publisher Dotemu to dive into those beat'em up waters again with the Marvel Comics universe, a license not too unfamiliar with the genre. 

Bent on taking over Earth, Annihilus threatens complete annihilation unless Earth’s mightiest heroes can stop him. The setup is simple, the story even more so. Each level bookends some aspect of this story, but it's honestly just window dressing for the actual gameplay and content you'll likely skip upon any sort of return to the campaign. In fact, much of it feels incoherent to a certain degree. Thankfully, the pixel artwork is extremely charming and does its job.

Before release, Dotemu was teasing the cast, some notable heroes, and a few that rarely get their moment in the spotlight. Characters like Mar-Vell’s daughter Phyla-Vell makes her gaming debut here, as well as the likes of Silver Surfer, Cosmic Ghost Rider, She-Hulk, and Beta Ray Bill, all of whom either have never been playable in a Marvel game or are making their first appearance here. These characters join the likes of Spider-Man. Captain America, Black Panther, Iron Man, Rocket Raccoon, Wolverine, Jean Grey, Storm, Nova, and Venom. All in all, it's an interesting cast for sure. And while Jeff the Land Shark is not playable, despite his rise to fame in Marvel Rivals, he is featured in the background of one specific level.

As good as a roster can be, or the context behind the story, beat’em ups are built around their combat, and Cosmic Invasion doesn't disappoint. Players will select two fighters and can tag between their selections at any time, and even use some of their energy bar to have their tag partner come in for an attack. That same energy bar is also used for a character's special attack, such as Venom unleashing a tendril strike or Captain America spinning his shield around the screen, an attack that is also shared with Beta Ray Bill and Stormbreaker. 

The tag system is great, and when you are in full four-player chaos, you can have eight characters on the screen at once. As each character may have shortcomings, such as not being able to fly or lacking a dodge roll, mixing two characters together that equal out those gaps can certainly make you a dominating force. 

Each character has a wide range of skills and abilities. From Black Panther’s throwing daggers to Iron Man's repulsor blasts, to Rocket throwing out bombs, there is a good variety of ranged attacks, as there are melee-focused attacks from the likes of She-Hulk, Wolverine, and Venom.

Just as some characters can fly, and some cannot, the same holds true for defensive means as well. Some characters can dodge, roll, or block. However, if you perform blocks at the exact moment an enemy attacks you, you can return an attack with a parry. However, the window for this is so minuscule that during the chaos that is about to be thrown down, you'll rarely have the time to focus on getting that parry in. Honestly, it's a mechanic I never once used.

Marvel Cosmic Invasion has both a story campaign and an arcade mode, one you can equip modifiers to once you unlock them. The campaign has a few branching paths, but each level does need to be completed to unlock the next connecting point, which makes the branching split make no sense. Each campaign mission focused on particular characters, but you can use any of the available roster to push through them. 

Characters will earn experience as they battle, leveling them up and granting them more health, among other perks, and eventually a new color variant, apart from the others you can unlock. While there is no game over in the campaign, apart from just dying and needing to try again, arcade mode does end when you die, with limited continues, should you use them.

With sixteen missions, I do wish there was a bit more variety in their structure, such as vehicle levels or something to break up the standard flow from just moving from one side to the other on foot. Each mission is still wildly fun with some excellent bosses, some of which make no sense when you return to them with said character, but a bit more variety here would have done wonders.

Where Cosmic Invasion shines is in its online and local co-op. Featuring cross-play, you are able to find matches extremely easily, and it not only shows the active characters in the mix, but also the percentage of how far they are in the stage. The game supports up to four players, and this makes tracking down collectibles and character-specific missions much easier to do as a result. 

The overall presentation is pretty solid. Character sprites are great, and while the character art is well executed, a few artistic choices are repeated between a few characters. The story sequences between each chapter are fun, but pale in comparison to the opening video, which made me wish that the story cutscenes were handled by that team instead. Don't get me wrong, the presentation of the static images is well done, but just watch the opening cutscene and imaging not wanting more of that. 

Environments are also fantastic, and the color range between them and your roster ensures you rarely get lost in the mix. From atop the Shield Hellicarrier to the depths of the Savage Land, there is a remarkable amount of care put into each stage. It's a shame there are no player markers to keep track of your character when everyone is unleashing hell. Still, Marvel Cosmic Invasion is visually fun, and its style complements the characters, their history, and their designs. 

Marvel Cosmic Invasion is an easy recommendation to fans of the genre and the characters themselves. While additional characters being added via DLC is in a “wait and see” approach, according to Tribute, I can just imagine what could be added to a game that uses its roster in fun ways. Cosmic Invasion is incredibly fun, but it is an experience that is over far too soon.

Developer - Tribute. Publisher - DotEmu Released - December 1st, 2025. Available On - Xbox Series X/S, PS4, PS5, Switch, Switch 2, PC. Rated - (E) Animated Blood, Fantasy Violent, Mild Language. Platform Reviewed - Xbox Series X. Review Access - A review code was provided by the publisher for the purpose of this review.