Tribute Games has worked on some truly amazing games over the years, but it is the studio’s beat em ups that are most beloved. When the developers were still working at Ubisoft Montreal, they worked on the incredible TMNT game for the GBA and of course Scott Pilgrim Vs The World The Game. As Tribute Games, the studio worked with Dotemu to release TMNT: Shredder’s Revenge, and is working on a Scott Pilgrim sequel, and now Tribute Games and Dotemu have worked together again, this time taking on different iconic characters. Marvel Cosmic Invasion is a new beat ’em up that adapts the Marvel storyline “Annihilation” as if it took place in the 90s, and Tribute games tries some new things.
Playing the demo of Marvel Cosmic Invasion got me hyped for the experience, but the full game has left me with a different perspective as the game feels a bit different, or perhaps I am just noticing issues more the longer I play. When I reviewed the demo, I noted how unique each character felt and handled, and while that is still true, another thing I mentioned no longer feels the same. I noted that the combat felt like a massive improvement over Shredder’s Revenge with combat that felt natural and perfectly flowing, but the more I played the full game, the more the combat felt too slippery and loose.
In Shredder’s Revenge, the combat is tight and refined and the controls feel great. Marvel Cosmic Invasion feels slippery in comparison, as stated above, and part of this is due to the fact that half the cast can fly and needs to have quicker movement in that regard. My hope is that this is touched up over time, because I did overall enjoy a lot about the experience. I did have an issue with online co-op, where trying to play kept causing game issues, and I am not sure what happened with that.
Marvel Cosmic Invasion, clearly feels like a game meant for playing with friends, and the stages are designed around movement. This may tie into the feeling of slipperiness I noted earlier, but to be fair, the game can be quite chaotic when playing with others and so it may have been necessary. The downside is that if you want to play the game alone, you may get overwhelmed a few stages in.
This is not to say the game is bad, as Marvel Cosmic invasion is a massive treat as a fan of 90s Marvel, the Annihilation comics, classic beat em ups and also modern Marvel. Many are comparing Marvel Cosmic Invasion to Konami’s X-Men arcade game and there are some similarities for sure and some shoutouts, but the best comparison is to Capcom’s classic Marvel games, including the Vs series, The Punisher, and the console beat em ups. Character movement is very clearly referencing aspects of those games, particularly in how Captain America and Spider-Man move, while Wolverine also takes some influence from the aforementioned X-Men game from Konami.
It’s the little things in Marvel Cosmic Invasion that make it stand out, such as the multiple smaller references to comics, such as ads appearing in the background for Secret Hospital, a soap opera Mary Jane Watson appeared in during the Spider-Man comics in that period, and Nova having his 90s look. In fact, certain characters will comment on various cameos and background events, and it adds a neat touch to the game that gives it a unique identity. While the game is mostly a love letter to 90s Marvel, there are still inclusions from modern Marvel, including boss battles with recent major villains. There are also cameos from more obscure characters, and a number of deep references that really shows how much love Tribute Games has for the source material.
One key draw in Marvel Cosmic Invasion is the tag mechanic that sees you select two characters and swap between them at the press of a button. You can also summon the other character for a bonus attack, and will need to use the character swapping at key points in order to get out of sticky situations. It works well, and the game will often have challenges for specific characters in each stage, building on the challenges from Shredder’s Revenge, and the game will let you know which characters are needed for the challenges.
Even with stages having challenges for specific characters, it is worth replaying the stages with other characters, just to see how they interact with everything. Some characters like Wolverine and Venom even have unique interactions with each other as well, which goes to show the level of detail Tribute Games has put in Marvel Cosmic Invasion. Of course, this does lead to one of the other negatives and that is that I just did not care for the voice acting overall in Marvel Cosmic Invasion. It just felt lacking and characters like She-Hulk sounded more annoying than anything else.
Each character does feel unique though, and while I may not like She-Hulk’s voice acting, her status as the wrestling style fighter in this game was fantastic, while Silver Surfer offered a very different experience that was equally fun. Half the roster can fly, as mentioned, and this needs to be considered when tackling stages and taking on certain enemies. I would be remiss if I didn’t admit that Beta Ray Bill, a character I was excited for, just didn’t feel all that fun to use, while Storm quickly became a favourite due to what could be done with her in terms of gameplay, and the same with Cosmic Ghost Rider.
While the movement feels slippery, the combat in Marvel Cosmic Invasion is great. There is a real weight to the character attacks, and the different moves you can do, have a lot of variety depending on your inputs. You also have a dodge move that can be used to parry attacks, and special attacks that can be life saving and a super attack that can make all the difference in a fight.
In addition to the campaign mode, there is an arcade mode as well, along with plenty of modifiers to make the game as hard as you want. Some of these must be unlocked in game through the cosmic matrix, and this is also how you unlock other content like additional colour palettes and Nova Corps files. Some of these other colour palettes for the characters will call to mind specific eras of the comics, while others will call to mind other characters.
The art style in Marvel Cosmic Invasion has proven rather divisive among players, to my surprise, with some feeling it does not come close to the classics and fails in its attempts at trying, while others feel the visuals capture the 90s art style Marvel had. I personally am in the latter, and will note that due to technological changes, the classic art style is not easy to replicate fully. I actually think the visuals do a great job capturing the 90s Marvel comics look if not the game look.
In terms of audio, Marvel Cosmic Invasion is a treat and stands with some of the best from Tribute Games, aside from the voice acting that is. The various stages have amazing soundtracks, and the game’s sound effects are amazing. Some of the music is a callback to older games, and that itself is a treat.
Ultimately, while I feel Marvel Cosmic Invasion is a bit too loose and slippery for me, I do acknowledge that this is a game by Marvel fans for Marvel fans. The combat itself is fun and if you can look past the slipperiness, then the weighty combat, love and attention to detail, and amazing presentation are reasons to check out Marvel Cosmic Invasion. I just hope that the issues with co-op can get fixed soon.
Disclaimer: A review key was provided
