Said heroes include Avengers like Captain America, Black Panther and Iron Man, X-Men such as Wolverine, Storm and Jean Grey (Phoenix), and Rocket Raccoon of the Guardians of the Galaxy. Of course, there’s also Phyla-Vell, Beta Ray Bill, Silver Surfer, Nova, Cosmic Ghost Rider, and more. Each has unique abilities that can be comboed using the Cosmic Swap system.

Along with going it alone, you can team up with three other players in online or couch co-op with drop-in/drop-out support. Marvel Cosmic Invasion is available for Xbox Series X/S, PS5, Xbox One, PS4, Nintendo Switch, PC, and Nintendo Switch 2. Check out our review, where we gave it a nine out of ten, for more details.

Of course, as posited by Marvel, what if Earth’s mightiest heroes joined in on the fight, assembled as all heck? We saw glimpses of this in “What If?”, and for the first time, Tribute Games has brought that incredible conflict into the best possible format: A classic 2D beat ’em up.

This isn’t a straight-up adaptation, though, and while it does feature some “meanwhiles” and “asides,” Marvel Cosmic Invasion is more than just a well-paced action-packed side-scroller. It’s an honest love letter to these heroes, packed with a great combat system and an excellent presentation.

"Because before each mission, you’ll be asked to choose two related heroes. For example, Wolverine and Storm will venture to Genosha to free the Mutants held captive, battling Sentinels and eventually facing Master Mould. Meanwhile – the first of many – Cap and Tony board a SHIELD helicarrier to help fend off an attack from AIM…"

As noted before, Annihilus, previously confined to the Negative Zone, is free and wreaking havoc across the universe. How he’s able to amass so many forces or even bring enemies like the Sentinels and AIM under his sway is eventually answered. From the outset, your job is to face the Annihilation Wave head-on, starting in New York. You’ll choose two heroes from the roster, and while limited at first, you’ll unlock more over time.

Don’t worry, though – the selection is robust enough, starting with Captain America, Iron-Man, Storm, Wolverine, Black Panther, Beta Ray Bill, Rocket Raccoon, She-Hulk, Cosmic Ghost Rider (and yes, that is Frank Castle), Nova, and, of course, Spider-Man. Story Mode is linear in points but branches off in others – you’ll need to complete each node to advance further. It also allows the battle to venture to multiple fronts and tackle different side plots.

Because before each mission, you’ll be asked to choose two related heroes. For example, Wolverine and Storm will venture to Genosha to free the Mutants held captive, battling Sentinels and eventually facing Master Mould. Meanwhile – the first of many – Cap and Tony board a SHIELD helicarrier to help fend off an attack from AIM, eventually going up against the Taskmaster. And while it more closely aligns with the intended narrative, you’re not really missing out on anything by selecting different heroes. Rocket and Cosmic Ghost Rider have no ties to either of the mentioned missions, but if you want to send them in, go right ahead.

There is one caveat: Those specific heroes are required to complete optional challenges, like tossing enemies into pits as Captain America on the helicarrier or ripping ten enemies apart with Wolverine’s Feral throw. A general challenge, like defeating 15 enemies with turrets, is also available and can be completed by any hero, and there are also Cosmic Cubes to collect. Overall, I like this approach – since these challenges are all optional anyway, you can double back later to mop up any remaining.

"While it can take a bit of finagling to execute the combos you want, the combat is delightfully easy to pick up and accompanied by a sumptuous variety of playstyles. Wolverine can lunge at foes and stab, stab, stab or toss them into each other; Spider-Man can pull them close…"

Which brings us to combat, and what a glorious brawl it can be. Cosmic Invasion’s gimmick is the Cosmic Swap system, where you switch between the two selected heroes. This can be combined in truly wicked ways or even to attack in one direction while you focus on another. Launch an enemy into the air with Wolverine and call in She-Hulk to drop an earth-shaking elbow from the top rope.

The same goes for doubling up your damage potential, as they can serve as assists, so long as you have the Focus meter, but the latter also serves as a resource for Ultimate attacks, which cuts down on assist spamming. Sometimes, you’ll want to call in another hero to break from enemy grabs – a clever way, alongside flying-focused enemies, to prompt you to switch, though a strange glitch seemingly causes the grabbed character to lose way more health than they should until you tag out.

While it can take a bit of finagling to execute the combos you want, the combat is delightfully easy to pick up and accompanied by a sumptuous variety of playstyles. Wolverine can lunge at foes and stab, stab, stab or toss them into each other; Spider-Man can pull them close; Beta Ray Bill throws out Stormbreaker and keeps it spinning in place for as long as charges remain; Phyla-Vell’s combos can inflict a damage-over-time debuff; and so on. It’s responsive and, most importantly, captures that arcade feel.

Each character feels worth trying out, though I couldn’t help but feel like some are tuned better than others. Phyla-Vell’s damage-over-time strike is already very good, but she’s also a flyer with a projectile that she can teleport to for a follow-up strike? Then there’s Captain America, who can parry melee attacks and projectiles while also getting unlimited shield tosses. Wolverine, Silver Surfer, Iron Man and Cosmic Ghost Rider have some pretty solid kits as well, but they seemingly represent the clear favorites of the bunch.

"Otherwise, the bosses in general range from pretty balanced to mildly frustrating. Without delving into spoilers, some feel like the right kind of difficulty and damage spike, teaching you to watch out for their patterns and punishing you accordingly."

Granted, that is one of the big appeals of Cosmic Invasion – maybe there’s an even more broken team-up to discover. But a few elements of specific kits felt a little awkward, specifically Spider-Man and Venom. Why not combine their swinging motions and mid-air attacks into one? At the very least, it would feel more intuitive. Then there’s Phoenix’s psionic grab, which feels like it needs a little extra effort to connect.

As for the stages themselves, they’re pretty balanced in terms of length and unique gimmicks, for the most part. Every single one offers something interesting, whether it’s avoiding slowing puddles or taking on different enemy types, and the art direction is simply fantastic. It rarely feels like they’re dragging on, though there’s at least one level that’s longer than most. Which is fine, but I found the final level to also be deserving of that additional length, especially in the final battle.

Otherwise, the bosses in general range from pretty balanced to mildly frustrating. Without delving into spoilers, some feel like the right kind of difficulty and damage spike, teaching you to watch out for their patterns and punishing you accordingly. But then others have invulnerability states that require activating or destroying certain devices to be able to deal damage.

These fights aren’t completely dragged down by the same, but they’re not exactly my favorites. There’s more to like than not, however, and even if the enemy variety does start to wane near the end – a level 2 version of some starting enemies is one thing, but level 3 is slightly pushing it – Cosmic Invasion offers a well-paced blend of stages that hit all the right nostalgia notes and warrant replaying.

"It may have some slight blemishes here and there, but if you’ve been looking for something to complement Absolum and deliver a more traditional retro arcade experience, this is it."

If you don’t care for challenges or any of the cutscenes, hop into Arcade Mode for a more traditional beat ’em up experience with one stage following another. You can also spend any Cosmic Cubes earned to unlock new Corp Files, detailing different characters – heroes, villains and enemies – alongside new outfit colors and each stage’s music.

Speaking of which, I’ve spoken about how gorgeous the environments look, and the same applies to the characters themselves, which animate gorgeously. And as incredible as they look and move, they pale in comparison to the music. From the main menu theme to the heroically immense trawl through New York, all the way up to the final battle with its epic overtones, it’s simply one belter after another, and it deserves so much appreciation.

Marvel Cosmic Invasion is one of the finest beat ’em ups in years, and that’s saying something, even with the pedigree of those involved. It may have some slight blemishes here and there, but if you’ve been looking for something to complement Absolum and deliver a more traditional retro arcade experience, this is it.

This game was reviewed on PC.

Enter Marvel Cosmic Invasion. It’s a full-blown love letter to 90s arcade brawlers, packed with modern twists, a deep roster, and a surprisingly ambitious tag-team system. Whether you grew up smashing buttons at the local arcade or you’ve only recently fallen into Marvel fandom, this game has all the ingredients of a flashy, retro-styled brawler worthy of attention. So before you suit up and take on the cosmic horde with some friends, here are 15 things you should know.

From TMNT to Marvel

Before going through the ins and outs of the gameplay, it’s important to know that this isn’t just some random team slapping together a Marvel beat ‘em up. The publisher, Dotemu, has delivered some bangers this year including the indie hit Absolum and the well-received Ninja Gaiden: Ragebound. Development is handled by Tribute Games—the masterminds behind TMNT: Shredder’s Revenge. Marvel Cosmic Invasion takes what made Shredder’s Revenge so dang fun and adds quadruple the roster and a slew of new features.

Classic Beat ’em Up Fun

Of course, Tribute Games is sticking true to its classic beat ‘em up roots with with its newest game. Marvel Cosmic Invasion absolutely channels the 90s brawler era, both in gameplay and in its zany galactic-spanning Marvel storyline. This is a sidescrolling 2D beat ‘em up in its purest form. Bad guys pop up as you move from left to right, leading to a charismatic boss at the end of a stage. What stands out most, at least to the 90s kid in me, is the range of color exploding across every facet of the visual design.

Sublime Pixel Art

I don’t know what Tribute Games does to make these games so incredible to look at, but they’re clearly working their magic again. I mean, just look at it. The visuals are so vibrant and cartoony that the pixels are practically popping off the screen. The rich color palate and high contrast really works in this game’s favor. But Marvel Cosmic Invasion also displays more environmental diversity than Shredder’s Revenge did, showing us wild fauna and intricate space-stations among other scenes. The 90s Marvel art style is captured sublimely here, and paired with such wonderful spritework, this is a true gift for retro comic and arcade game fans.

Locations

Interestingly, a portion of the game takes place within the Negative Zone. It’s a locale that hasn’t been explored much, if at all, in film or video game format, helping further distinguish the game’s interesting locales. Besides fragmented anti-matter space stations, players will find themselves fighting through a reference-laden NYC. The second level in the demo is none other than the iconic Avengers SHIELD helicarrior, and we see glimpses of the prehistoric Savage Lands and Asgard from Thor from preview footage. It appears that just about every character has their own complimentary stage.

Huge Character Roster

And with such a large roster of Marvel characters to choose from, well, that’s a lot of potential stages. The game promises 15 characters at launch, and let me tell you, it’s quite the eclectic and unique roster. Tribute Games didn’t just go for the safe picks here, no no no, we have deep cuts like Beta Ray Bill and Phylla-Vell. Here’s the rest of the roster: Black Panther, Captain America, Cosmic Ghost Rider, Iron Man, Nova, Phoenix, Rocket Raccoon, She-Hulk, Silver Surfer, Spider-Man, Storm, and Venom.

It’s odd that none of the Fantastic Four appear, especially given the Negative Zone’s involvement, but it’s hard not to suspect future DLC plans there.

Voice Acting

One of the things I love about the large roster is that each hero is fully voiced. Fans of various Marvel cartoons and games will recognize some names here. For example, Wolverine is voiced by Cal Dodd, who did the X-Men Animated Series as well as other 90s shows. Josh Keaton lends his talents as Spider-Man, while the iconic Steve Blum provides that intimidating Venom voice.

In true Marvel fashion, I’m anticipating some iconic voice actor to quip something ominous at the tail-end of the game only to reveal the flaming  hand of Human Torch or something.

Plot: Annihilus and the Negative Zone

The story itself hints at Fantastic Four connections as well. Annihilus is positioned as the main villain, leading the cosmic invasion mentioned in the title. While the Negative Zone debuted in a 1966 Fantastic Four comic, Annihilus and his Annihilation Wave have appeared in multiple Avengers arcs too. Will Nova overthrow him like in the comics? Or will the game throw a Negative Zone curveball and flip the script? We’ll have to play to see how wild it gets.

4-Player Split-Screen and Online Co-op

Thankfully, seeing the story to its conclusion can be done with several partners in 4-player local and online co-op. Just like Shredder’s Revenge, you can join a friend’s game mid-stage with easy breezy drop-in/drop-out play. What’s more, there’s crossplay between platforms.

Cosmic Swap Tag-Team System

One of the most exciting features is the tag-team mechanic. Tribute seems to be borrowing ideas from other games and infusing them into the brawler genre in a way we haven’t seen before. You don’t just select one character before starting a stage, but two. This makes 4-player co-op feel like controlling a Marvel army of sorts, with eight different heroes tagging in and out of combat. Like MVC, you can unleash a special tag-team combo move unique to the pair of heroes you’ve chosen. I know I’m not the only one going to explore each and every tag-team move between all the characters.

Unique Fighting Styles

Beyond tag-team abilities, each hero has a fully distinct playstyle—not just in animations, but in movement, defense, and special traits. Some heroes, like Captain America, can literally block and deflect attacks. Okay, blocking doesn’t sound revolutionary… unless you remember that Shredder’s Revenge didn’t include blocking at all. Captain America can even deflect bullets and ranged attacks off his shield with precise timing. By contrast, Spider-Man spends lots of time airborne, web-slinging and firing projectiles—perfect cover support for a tank like She-Hulk. Marvel Cosmic Invasion has a diverse roster that appears to genuinely support multiple playstyles and team setups.

Dynamic, Combo-Forward Combat

Even though each character plays significantly different, they all share a basic control framework. That layout features a melee attack, jump, dodge, unique move, and an ultimate attack that usually wipes out most enemies on screen (bosses excluded).

Special Moves

These special moves can only be used when you’ve accumulated enough ‘focus’. The focus gauge fills up the more hits you get on opponents, so it fills rather fast. I mean, when don’t you attack baddies in fast-paced beat ‘em ups? So far in the demo, you can use a special move plenty of times per stage, to the point where it becomes a tad easy. Thankfully, there’s multiple difficulties if you want a bit of a challenge.

Playable Demo

I spoke of a demo and, well, anyone with access to Steam can try it out for themselves. Though, for PlayStation or Nintendo users, there’s no demo yet. The Steam demo lets you try out 9 of the 15 heroes across two stages. The online co-op is also available so you and a few friends can test out the 9 heroes and their tag-team combinations before the full game launches.

PC Specs

Being the retro-inspired pixel-based game that Cosmic Invasion is, there’s not a lot of demand on your system’s hardware. Just about any laptop made in the past 10 years can handle this game with ease. At its highest performance and graphics, you’ll need at least a Intel Core i3-540, but that’s not too high-end. And for all us software hoarders, it only takes up 1 GB of space. How’s that for efficient?

Price

The price is also pretty sweet, at only $29.99. Marvel Cosmic Invasion is endlessly appealing for its throwback beat ‘em up design and ease of access and I can’t wait to tear up the enigmatic Negative Zone when this this future beat ’em up classic launches on December 1^st.

For those who never read the comics, the powerful Annihilus is bringing death and destruction to the universe with his Annihilation Wave. However, he’s also enlisted villains like Taskmaster, M.O.D.O.K., Sauron and more to help. Players select two heroes from the roster, including Captain America, Iron Man, She-Hulk, Wolverine, Storm, Cosmic Ghost Rider, and more, to meet them in battle.

You probably noticed I said “two” heroes. That’s because Marvel Cosmic Invasion features a unique mechanic called Cosmic Swap, where you can tag back and forth between heroes. Call them in for assists to augment your damage or build upon your sick combos.

Marvel Cosmic Invasion is available on December 1st for Xbox One, Xbox Series X/S, PS4, PS5, PC, Nintendo Switch, and Nintendo Switch 2. It’s also available on day one for Game Pass. While perfectly playable solo (see for yourself in the free demo), it also supports drop-in/drop-out co-op, both locally and online with crossplay.

You even get the Rocket Pass Premium in Rocket League (remember when that was still a thing?). As for actual game offerings, Moonlighter 2: The Endless Vault will be available via Game Preview on November 19th for Ultimate and PC Game Pass subscribers.

Premium subscribers, meanwhile, can check out Kulebra and the Souls of Limbo and Revenge of the Savage Planet on the same day. They’re followed by Monsters are Coming! Rock and Road and The Crew Motorfest on November 20th. There’s also Banishers: Ghosts of New Eden and Kill It With Fire! 2 on November 25th for all three tiers.

December 1st marks the day one launch of Marvel Cosmic Invasion for Premium and PC Game Pass, while Lost Records: Bloom and Rage will arrive on December 2nd. Of course, Xbox advises checking back on November 20th following the Partner Preview for more news, so expect even more announcements.

Check out the titles leaving the service on November 30th:

• Barbie Project Friendship (Cloud, Console, and PC)
• Lords of the Fallen (Cloud, Console, and PC)
• Octopath Traveler (Cloud, Console, and PC)
• Octopath Traveler 2 (Cloud, Console, and PC)
• SteamWorld Build (Cloud, Console, and PC)

But that’s not all, as the latest trailer also reveals the final two playable heroes – Jean Grey’s Phoenix and the Invincible Iron Man. As you’d expect, the former is capable of incinerating and dashing through foes with flames, while the latter relies on repulsor blasts and the classic Iron Cannon to bring the pain. We also get to see how the Cosmic Swap system works with these heroes (and their voicelines when tagging in).

Aside from Annihilus, Marvel Cosmic Invasion also teases showdowns with Taskmaster, M.O.D.O.K., and Galactus. Master Mold, leader of the ruthless Sentinels, is also spotted at one point, which is incredibly hype.

Stay tuned for more details on the title and check out the free PC demo here. It offers nine playable heroes and two levels alongside local and online co-op.

The demo includes two levels – New York City and S.H.I.E.L.D.’s Helicarrier – and nine playable characters, such as She-Hulk, Wolverine, Storm, Nova, Venom, Spider-Man, Captain America, Rocket Raccoon, and more. Unfortunately, the recently revealed Silver Surfer, Beta Ray Bill, Black Panther and Cosmic Ghost Rider aren’t included.

It also offers support for couch and online co-op alongside the Steam Deck, so you can take it on the go. Marvel Cosmic Invasion launches later this year for Xbox One, PS4, Xbox Series X/S, PS5, PC, and Nintendo Switch. The story sees Earth’s mightiest heroes (and anti-heroes) teaming up to battle the threat of Annihilus in side-scrolling beat ’em up scenarios.

The full game promises 15 playable heroes and the Cosmic Swap mechanic, allowing one player to choose two and swap between them at any time.

Voiced by James Mathis III (who also played the character in Marvel Rivals), Black Panther specializes in melee attacks but can also deal ranged damage with sonic daggers. Brian Bloom plays Cosmic Ghost Rider, who’s essentially The Punisher but with fiery chains to wreak havoc. Interestingly, he becomes a major player after Thanos destroyed the Earth.

Thus far, the side-scrolling beat ’em up offers the likes of Captain America, Nova, Spider-Man, Wolverine, Phyla-Vell, Venom, Storm, Rocket Raccoon, She-Hulk, Beta Ray Bill and the Silver Surfer. With 15 characters to choose from, two more remain to be revealed, so stay tuned for one last reveal in the coming months. Fingers crossed for Star-Lord and Super-Skrull.

Marvel Cosmic Invasion releases for Xbox One, Xbox Series X/S, PS4, PS5, PC, and Nintendo Switch this year.

The Silver Surfer is the former herald of Galactus and appears throughout Marvel Comics when intergalactic threats emerge. Beta Ray Bill acts in a similar vein, having worked alongside Thor and utilizing Stormbreaker. Both characters wield cosmic powers and have fought to thwart Annihilus and other threats in the Annihilation Saga.

Of course, that’s not all, as Tribute Games and Dotemu announced the voice cast for Cosmic Invasion. Brian Bloom plays Captain America and Silver Surfer, while Steve Blum plays Venom and Beta Ray Bill. Matt Mercer voices Nova and Annihilus, Cal Dodd plays Wolverine, and so on.

Marvel Cosmic Invasion is out later this year for Xbox One, Xbox Series X/S, PS4, PS5, PC, and Nintendo Switch. Check out the previous trailer, which showcases Rocket Raccoon and She-Hulk.

As you’d probably guess, She-Hulk focuses on melee strikes and overwhelming strength, hulking up at one point to strike multiple foes. Some moves are evocative of professional wrestling, from spinning heel kicks to elbow drops. Rocket Raccoon relies on comically oversized weapons, launching rockets and other projectiles, though he can get up close for claw strikes.

Marvel Cosmic Invasion is coming to Xbox Series X/S, Xbox One, PS4, PS5, PC, and Nintendo Switch. It supports local and online co-op with a drop-in/drop-out system. Thus far, nine heroes have been revealed (including Wolverine, Captain America, and Storm), with six more to go, so stay tuned for more announcements leading up to its launch.