| MARVEL Cosmic Invasion | |||
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| Release Date | Gameplay & Story | Pre-Order & DLC | Review |
MARVEL Cosmic Invasion Review Overview
What is MARVEL Cosmic Invasion?
MARVEL Cosmic Invasion is an upcoming retro beat 'em up by DotEmu and Tribute Games in collaboration with MARVEL Games, released on December 1, 2025. Assemble MARVEL’s greatest Super Heroes, including Nova, Spider-Man, Wolverine, Phyla-Vell, Captain America, and many more. Face off against Annihilus and fight against the deadly Annihilation Wave that swarms the galaxy.
MARVEL Cosmic Invasion features:
⚫︎ Classic 2D Sidescrolling Beat 'em Up
⚫︎ Stylized and Vibrant Visuals in a Retro Art Style
⚫︎ Up to 4 Player Co-op
⚫︎ 15 Playable Characters
⚫︎ New Storyline Featuring Uncommon MARVEL Characters
⚫︎ Unique Tag-Team System
For more gameplay details, read everything we know about MARVEL Cosmic Invasion’s gameplay and story.
| Digital Storefronts | |||||
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 Steam |
 PlayStation |
 Xbox |
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 Switch |
 Switch 2 |
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| $29.99 | |||||
MARVEL Cosmic Invasion Pros & Cons
| Pros | Cons |
|---|---|
 Great Variety of Characters Amazing Visuals and Aesthetic Fun and Inspired Gameplay Tons of Unlockables |
One Dimensional Story Shoddy Level Design Weak Character Progression Frequent Voice Lines |
MARVEL Cosmic Invasion Story - 6/10
Similar to the brand, MARVEL Cosmic Invasion features a straightforward plot of a typical superhero group movie. The villain attempts to conquer the world, and the heroes band together to stop him one step at a time. There isn’t much nuance or depth to it overall, as even the characters themselves lack meaningful interactions.
MARVEL Cosmic Invasion Gameplay - 7/10
True to the genre, the game is simple to learn but has a small amount of depth to keep you entertained. There’s also a great amount of variety with each character, as they all have varied move sets and can address some situations better than others. However, it has weaknesses in its overall level design and character progression, as it quickly becomes repetitive and sometimes frustrating.
MARVEL Cosmic Invasion Visuals - 10/10
Visually, the game undeniably looks good in both motion and in aesthetic. It captures the stylized comic-book-style graphics in character design and special effects. It’s also noteworthy that the renditions of the less commonly known characters are well done, making them look close to their original comic appearance, as well as their own unique spin on the characters.
MARVEL Cosmic Invasion Audio - 7/10
While the stellar music and good sound effect mixing are notable highlights of its audio design, some of the voice line mixing can put players off. The frequency of when characters talk overpowers the audio mixing during gameplay, which tends to overpower and affect the gameplay experience.
MARVEL Cosmic Invasion Value for Money - 8/10
The amount of content in MARVEL Cosmic Invasion isn’t jaw-dropping or something that’ll immediately scream value, but it definitely isn’t a ripoff either. The campaign is relatively short, and the replayability takes a hit because of the game’s lackluster level design, which lessens the game’s perceived value. Still, there are unlockables and achievements that dedicated players can pursue, which incentivize players to keep playing. It does, however, have other features, such as local co-op and Game Share, allowing your friends to experience the game without purchasing it.
MARVEL Cosmic Invasion Overall - 76/100
MARVEL Cosmic Invasion isn’t the most amazing beat 'em up game to come out recently. Yet, it holds its own with stylish visuals, great music, and most importantly, fun and approachable gameplay. While certain flaws leave much to be desired, it’s a completely great game that showcases what the genre is best at: amazing short bursts of gameplay that give you tons of options to play with friends.
MARVEL Cosmic Invasion Review: Short, Simple, and Fun For Everyone
Beat ‘em up games are one of the genres that made me start loving video games. In fact, the very first game I ever played was Capcom’s Captain Commando on an old arcade cabinet that my relatives used to have. As I grew older, there would always be random times within a year that I would look for something similar. Streets of Rage, Castle Crashers, and Dragon’s Crown were some of the titles that I’d boot up whenever that desire to just play something simple came up.
And now, I would say that the desire to play a new beat 'em up game is nearing. And while I do have a couple of choices already, the one I’ve been excited for is MARVEL Cosmic Invasion. With the combination of being a fan of classic beat 'em up games, MARVEL comics, and other arcade fighting games, it was a no-brainer. But is MARVEL Cosmic Invasion worth your time, money, and hype to bring back the brand to beat 'em ups?
Earth’s Mightiest Heroes and Then Some
A tyrannous villain by the name of Annihilus is using his Annihilation Wave to conquer the universe. It’s up to the heroes to put an end to his schemes and save Earth from conquest and annihilation. And that’s pretty much it. It’s loosely based on the Annihilation continuity, where Nova takes center stage against the forces of Annihilus to stop Annihilation Day.
In classic comic book fashion, there’s no deep lore explaining Annihilus’ decision to attempt to conquer the universe, other than that he’s just obviously evil. It’s straightforward and not complicated to make the characters involved in the defense of Earth, which is possibly the biggest highlight of the game thus far.
Aside from the widely popular icons like Captain America, Spider-Man, Wolverine, and Storm, the game also features characters from some of their more obscure comic series, such as Beta Ray Bill, Phylla-Vell, and even Cosmic Ghost Rider, among many more.
And it’s not just the heroes, either. Even the villains included in the game aren’t the ones you’d typically find in the movies, like Beetle, Knull, M.O.D.O.K., Sauron, Master Mold, and more, who make an appearance as boss characters that you’ll have to face off against.
In my opinion, it’s a great way to showcase the diversity of the Marvel universe, especially since these are characters that are unlikely to appear on the big screen. It’s not uncommon for the Marvel games to do this type of thing as well. Older titles like Ultimate Alliance and X-Men Legends were some of the titles that exposed me to more of the Marvel universe before the movies were even out.
The narrative is simple, and it doesn’t have any surprises or any plot twists as you continue playing. It’s a good old-fashioned hero versus evil story that sets up the conflict by introducing more and more characters to the chaos. And honestly? It’s perfectly fine that way.
Classic Side-Scrolling Fisticuffs
But what about the gameplay?
At its core, it’s a fairly standard side-scrolling beat 'em up, but it does have a few tweaks here and there to spice up the gameplay just a bit more. Aside from the common controls of attacks, jumps, and moving left and right, it includes other commands that you’d find in more modern beat 'em ups, like dashing, blocking, dodging, special moves, and more.
Each of the fifteen playable characters also has their own moveset and abilities, alongside the ability to do certain things that others can’t. For example, Nova has the ability to fly and, as a result, can fight against flying enemies much easier than someone like Black Panther, who has to jump and attack to address flying opponents.
However, what really sets the game apart from other beat 'em ups is its unique Tag System. You can use the Tag command to either swap to the secondary character that you chose to bring with you or use while attacking to command them to attack with you. This opens up more combo possibilities in its combat, which really diversifies combat by a lot, especially when you think about finding synergies with each character.
Linear Stage Design Makes For Repetitive Gameplay
Stages are linear and have three challenges for players to accomplish. Most of the time, two of these are related to a specific target to do a specific condition, while the last one is normally related to the stage hazards and how to navigate around them.
Each stage is populated with a variety of different enemies and unique hazards depending on the theme. An example of this is Genosha, where you can hit the energy bombs to drop them on unsuspecting enemies for additional damage.
Another example is in Klyntar, where stage hazards not only slow you down but also have a timed explosion in their place that you have to destroy, which brings us to one of the game’s weaker points.
The linearity of the stages, combined with the lack of enemy variety by the latter half of the campaign, can make for repetitive gameplay. There’s also the matter of certain stage gimmicks just being more annoying to deal with than most, which can easily make things frustrating rather than fun.
Lackluster Character Progression
While the game itself plays well, it’s not without its flaws. Beat 'em up games nowadays have some sort of progression system to keep characters interesting as you keep playing them. However, MARVEL Cosmic Invasion’s character progression pales in comparison to something like Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Shredder’s Revenge.
The process of leveling is similar; just play the character and finish the stage to gain experience points. But the rewards for leveling the character don’t feel impactful or meaningful, as they don’t change or add to the way that character plays. It’s more of just passive stat bonuses like more health, upgrades to their passive abilities, and a new color at the end of it.
The system as a whole feels unrewarding, and it could’ve been so much more interesting if they had more abilities to throw and synergize off of.
Stylish Audiovisuals
In terms of the game’s presentation, it looks amazing as well. The stylistic choice of replicating retro sprites is eye-catching and stunning. Character designs are amazing, with special mention to note each of their vibrancy and how they pop in contrast to the various backgrounds. Additionally, the visual effects and cutscenes also add to the graphical experience, further enhancing the storytelling and gameplay as a whole.
This goes with the audio design as well, as the audio design is great overall, aside from some voice line issues. Notable voice actor performances from Josh Keaton and Steve Blum, as Spider-Man and Venom, respectively, are just some of the stellar performances that really stuck with me during the playthrough.
There’s a particular problem with the game having the characters talk too much during gameplay, and it tends to do more harm than good. It’s good that the characters do have voice lines, and it does add to the overall presentation, but it happens way too often that it tends to drown out every other aspect of the audio design.
Tons of References to Classic Marvel Media
One of the main things that the game advertised was the game’s likeness to the beloved classics of previous Marvel games. Some are more on the nose than others, like Iron Man’s Focus Attack, which looks very similar to his Proton Cannon Hyper Combo in Marvel vs. Capcom. While some are more subtle animations, like Nova’s idle standing animation being quite similar to his Marvel vs. Capcom 3 counterpart.
There’s also the matter of multiple characters appearing as cameos in the background, like Lionheart, Fin Fang Foom, Forge, Jeff the Land Shark, and even Gigantus, among many others. Aside from that, She-Hulk even breaks the fourth wall by acknowledging the cameos that exist in the game.
Is MARVEL Cosmic Invasion Worth It?
Yes! A Great Beat ‘Em Up for Everyone!
To answer the question of: Is it worth your money, time, and hype? The answer is yes, for a multitude of reasons. There’s no doubt that the game has clear flaws in multiple aspects, but it’s also undeniable that the game looks stunning, sounds good, plays great, and has a ton of variety. It also reinforces the specialty of the genre, being great for short gameplay sessions, which is one of the many reasons why it’s a game worth playing.
It’s a game that’s easy enough that anyone can play. Also, it’s worth noting that it’s the perfect time to play it with relatives and friends via couch co-op and online co-op during the holiday season. I would honestly recommend this game to anyone remotely interested in a new beat 'em up game and anyone interested in more lore related to the Marvel universe.
| Digital Storefronts | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Steam |
PlayStation |
Xbox |
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| Switch |
Switch 2 |
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| $29.99 | |||||
MARVEL Cosmic Invasion FAQ
Does MARVEL Cosmic Invasion Have Crossplay?
Yes. The game will have crossplay or cross-platform support.
How to Unlock Characters in MARVEL Cosmic Invasion?
To unlock other playable characters, you must first finish specific stages in the Campaign Mode.
The stage requirements to unlock each character are:
⚫︎ Phoenix — Blue Area of the Moon
⚫︎ Venom — Destromundo
⚫︎ Phyla-Vell — Hala
⚫︎ Silver Surfer — Fort Galactus
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MARVEL Cosmic Invasion Product Information
 |
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| Title | MARVEL Cosmic INVASION |
|---|---|
| Release Date | December 1, 2025 |
| Developer | Tribute Games |
| Publisher | DotEmu |
| Supported Platforms | PC (Steam), PlayStation 5, PlayStation 4, Xbox Series X|S, Nintendo Switch, Nintendo Switch 2 |
| Genre | Action, Beat ‘em Up |
| Number of Players | 1-4 (Online Co-op) |
| ESRB Rating | E10+ |
| Official Website | MARVEL Cosmic Invasion Official Website |
