Heroes save the galaxy in MARVEL Cosmic Invasion review

If the idea of having to wait until December 2026 to witness a new, gigantic battle involving all the heroes of the Marvel Universe with the arrival in cinemas of the much hyped Avengers: Doomsday, Tribute Games and Dotemu have the solution for you. MARVEL Cosmic Invasion is now available on PC and consoles, an adventure full of clashes that takes Marvel heroes to the far reaches of the galaxy and at the same time celebrates a timeless genre, the arcade beat 'em up. 

In a galaxy far, far away

A never-before-seen threat is lurking in the Marvel galaxy, ready to reach Earth, eliminating all known life forms in its path. The Annihilation Wave, a sect of galactic destroyers led by the fearsome Annihilus, has set its sights on Earth as its next target, and from New York to Wakanda, from the Savage Land to the Negative Zone, the invasion is already underway. To oppose the seemingly inescapable threat of annihilation, a handful of heroes have joined forces to repel the invasion. On this epic summer crossover plot, Tribute Games has grafted a structure deeply indebted to the arcade beat 'em up (another summer classic, come to think of it) but rethought to adapt to 2025 with a series of small modifications, respectful of tradition, but tasty enough to give a taste of novelty. 

The Campaign Mode conceptually follows the classic structure of the scrolling beat 'em up. The adventure is told through a series of levels set in different locations of the Marvel Universe, distributed along a progression path, each introduced by a short introductory video, playable with a pair of heroes chosen from those currently available. So far, all according to the norm. Lives and continue possibilities, however, are unlimited, and indeed you are encouraged to replay the various levels multiple times not only to test yourself with a different hero, but also to improve their abilities and teamwork. By achieving success on the field, each hero translates their contribution in battle into a level increase at the end of the mission, which results in greater combat effectiveness. 

Since the guys at Tribute Games know you, to prevent you from focusing only on your favorites, bringing Spidey and Iron-Man to max level and leaving poor Beta Ray Bill and Nova behind, each mission presents a series of challenges linked to a specific set of characters. The challenges of more advanced levels, however, might feature characters used little before, or just added to the roster through story events (the only way to unlock them), thus making it necessary to power them up in some previous level to bring them to a level suitable for the difficulty proposed by the level (or perhaps to unlock their passive ability). 

Although no one theoretically forbids you from proceeding through the entire adventure with just the Web-Slinger and Tin Head if you so please, if you aim to collect all the collectibles, a bit of pseudo-backtracking is mandatory, though not particularly burdensome. In fact, MARVEL Cosmic Invasion also allows you to play it exactly under the same conditions as a virtual arcade. The Arcade Mode, the second available, is exactly this: the entire adventure playable with limited lives and continues, relying only on reflexes, nerves, and memory to face Annihilus in the final battle. 

MARVEL Heroes vs. Cosmic Invasion

The scrolling beat 'em up, however, is a charming genre, so solid on its own that a few variations are enough to liven it up, without needing to revolutionize it. The game usually plays out elsewhere, on the battlefield and in the shoes of those who tread it. In other words, more than how you throw punches, it often matters where you throw them and with which characters. And in this sense, Tribute Games played its cards very well. The initial roster, well-stocked and varied, draws from different corners of the Marvel Universe (although I imagine there are always limitations related to rights), from great classics like Cap and Wolverine to characters linked to the cosmic dimension (Silver Surfer and Nova), from fan favorites (Rocket Raccoon) to outsiders (She-Hulk), with a keen eye on the present (Cosmic Ghost Rider). 

Each character boasts a sufficiently wide set of moves including combos, focus-related attacks like throws and various beams, passive abilities, blocks/parries, and special attacks, with evolutions over time. Since the selection involves a pair of heroes, it's also possible to perform combined maneuvers, wrestling-style, calling upon your partner in times of need. The characterization is excellent, both from a stylistic point of view (we'll talk about that shortly) and the character's move-set: there's undeniable satisfaction when, as Wolverine, you lunge at an enemy and, holding them firm with your legs, slice them with a flurry of claw attacks. 

The variety of enemies isn't exceptional, but it's partly compensated by the numerous scenarios that vividly map almost the entire extent of the Marvel Universe with bitmap graphics, already offering truly evocative battles in the early levels, such as the one atop a moving S.H.I.E.L.D. helicarrier or the run across the rainbow bridge that alters perspective. 

Although it runs smoothly (but with obviously longer loading times) even on the spare notebook with integrated graphics that I use for writing on the go, MARVEL Cosmic Invasion offers a delightful version of the beloved locations of every Marvel reader, populated by heroes whose movements retain an ancient charm, albeit in a modern key. More generally, MARVEL Cosmic Invasion does an excellent job of bridging the classic and the modern (in the illustrations used for the cutscenes between levels, I seemed to glimpse the contribution of Humberto Ramos and other famous illustrators from the House of Ideas), delivering a fun, colorful, excellently inspired, and carefree beat 'em up, with the possibility of tackling it with a greater level of depth, without compromising its accessibility and immediacy, offering a flood of costumes and customizations as a reward that will delight all true believers. The possibility of playing it with four players (each managing a pair), also online and cross-platform, is the icing on the cake.