Marvel Cosmic Invasion is a mixed bag. On the one hand, if you're looking for a simplistic, easy-to-pick-up, and fun-to-play beat 'em up with a lovely Marvel coat of paint, Tribute's latest will be the perfect weekend videogame to blast through. That said, the game does falter in several aspects that bog the experience down in a disappointing fashion.
Let's focus on the positives first. Marvel Cosmic Invasion nails the gameplay of each of the 15 playable characters. The selection is also a welcome breath of fresh air, as it mixes staples like Spider-Man, Captain America, or Wolverine with more niche or less represented characters such as Beta Ray Bill, Phyla-Vell, and Frank Castle's version of Ghost Rider.
Each follows a different archetype; some, as Venom, come with a parry mechanic that will let you unleash powerful counterattacks, particularly useful against a few cheap bosses you'll encounter throughout the main campaign. The more agile characters have a dodge mechanic (think Spider-Man or Black Panther), and a few more can actually fly, helping you deal with aerial enemies much more easily.
Beyond that, each character has a specific special move that adds an extra, albeit thin, layer of depth. For example, Black Panther throws vibranium daggers that can stun opponents; meanwhile, Cap can throw his shield, juggling enemies that get hit by it. Wolverine has a grab, and Spider-Man throws web balls, so on and so forth. Throwables or projectiles have a set amount of "charges" which recharge over time; however, a few have unlimited uses and can be super cheap tactics to clear out stages, such as the aforementioned Cap's shield.
The real meat of the gameplay comes from the fact that you can control up to two different characters, using their abilities to form really cool combos, similar to the way games like Marvel vs Capcom work. There are different types of assists to make this system seamless. For instance, you can knock an opponent into the air and bring in your second character to continue pummeling them.
It's incredibly fun, and things can get pretty chaotic while playing co-op. That being said, as entertaining as the combat can be, the half-baked attempts at character progression, the stages, and even other seemingly unimportant details like the lack of a proper overworld just dampen the entire experience.
Stages in the game are extremely short. There are 15 total, with a distinct lack of variety in how each plays, despite letting players visit some iconic Marvel locales filled to the brim with easter eggs to spice the backgrounds up.
Most have the same flow and rarely break up the pace with unique encounters; the only two that really stood out as at least having a semblance of a gimmick were Asgard and Fort Galactus. The charm that Tribute Games managed to inject into its previous project, TMNT: Shredder's Revenge, is surprisingly absent. There is no map overworld, being replaced by a generic timeline that presents stages in the most bland, uninteresting way imaginable. Character sprites look solid, but they aren't as animated as the turtles in Shredder's Revenge, giving the impression of feeling much more rigid. If you don't believe me or think I'm exaggerating or nitpicking, you might be right, but Tribute themselves set the bar much higher than what they delivered with Cosmic Invasion.
I mentioned how this game has a character progression system, which, quite frankly, feels like a complete afterthought as the game is shockingly easy, even playing solo. There is a hard mode, but it's restricted to Arcade Mode, which presents a more classic beat 'em up experience, locking you to only two characters for your entire playthrough. The upgrades barely affect how each character functions to the point I simply believe these exist for the sole purpose of padding "features" the game has to incentivize replayability. Most are tied to health and focus bar upgrades, with a single passive ability per character being unlocked.
Arcade Mode is a nice way of experiencing the game, as it includes multiple modifiers to properly challenge yourself and actually make the most of your team synergies. You can toggle options like no autorefill on your Focus Bar, faster enemies, or giving them double HP.
The frustrating part is that, in order to get the most out of Arcade Mode, you have to interact with the Cosmic Matrix. A massive grid filled with a total of 101 rewards, of which 10 are Arcade Mode modifiers. You can earn cubes by playing through stages, but unless you look for a guide online, you are at the will of the RNG gods if you want to get all of them.
Despite all of that, at its core, Marvel Cosmic Invasion will be a ton of fun if you're playing with a bunch of friends to kill some time. Perhaps we couldn't see Tribute at its best since the studio is also developing the upcoming Scott Pilgrim EX, the spiritual successor to Ubisoft's Scott Pilgrim vs The World beat 'em up.
On that final note, for those looking to test out the game share functionality on Nintendo Switch 2, it works flawlessly. It's sad that you can't get six players at the same time in a match as it would've been the perfect use for the feature, but if you have a group of friends all with their systems, then this is also an option to keep in mind.
In any case, this is a no-brainer if you're a fan of the genre and a Marvel enthusiast. Otherwise, waiting for a sale might be the smart play.
