Review – Marvel Cosmic Invasion

Before the year closes, how about a Marvel beat ’em up? Well, you can’t miss Marvel Cosmic Invasion, released today by Dotemu and developed by Canadian Tribute Games, the same company that made the wonderful . In other words, in this game we have the same level of care and attention to detail, but going well beyond what is expected in gameplay. The source of inspiration? Certainly Marvel Super Heroes and especially the Marvel vs Capcom franchise.

It’s impossible not to notice the references when it comes to the characters’ animations. Although different in detail, the similarity is noticeable in the pixel art look of the heroes, as well as in the combos and specials of heroes such as Wolverine, Captain America, Spider-Man, Venom, Iron Man and Storm. And that’s a good thing, as it brings back the nostalgia of the golden age of arcades.

15 heroes to master

The first thing to celebrate with Marvel Cosmic Invasion is the number of heroes available to play and get the hang of. Not all of them will be available from the beginning, with four of them unlocked as you progress through the campaign, but the quantity is impressive. And the variety too, as we have some not so well-known characters on the list such as (from the Thor universe), Cosmic Ghost Rider (a version of the Punisher), Nova (Richard Rider) and Phyla-Vell. The rest are all very popular, such as Black Panther, Phoenix, Rocket Raccoon (from Guardians of the Galaxy), She-Hulk and Silver Surfer.

In the gameplay structure we have the basic movements, common attack, charged, running and exclusive (which consumes charges or ammunition), defense/dodge, the possibility of flying (with heroes compatible with this ability), the special and cosmic exchange. The latter allows you to switch between your two chosen heroes at any time, including calling on him as assistance to break the enemy attack, combo or even perform the special as a team. With all these possibilities, the gameplay simply doesn’t get boring.

Each stage, following the pattern of having a boss at the end, has three optional challenges to complete, increasing the replay factor. Your heroes evolve by completing phases, such as increasing health and improving focus. This encourages you to change characters all the time, to get to know each one’s style and evolve them to the maximum level (10).

Marvel Cosmic Invasion offers two modes: Campaign, where your progress is saved, and Arcade, which brings the classic arcade experience with limited lives, continues and no saved progress. We also have the (Cosmic) Vault, where we check the evolutions of each hero and spend the cosmic cubes collected in a matrix to unlock songs, lore files, arcade modifiers and new colors for the heroes (each has 8 palettes). Still in the safe, you can check the achievements achieved and the game credits.

Cosmic level fun

Overall, Marvel Cosmic Invasion works great if you play alone, but it’s much better with friends. Whether local or online, including taking advantage of the fact that the game is cross-play, up to four players enjoy this adventure against Annihilator and his quest to destroy the galaxy. And you don’t need to be a veteran to do well in the gameplay, as everything is properly balanced. The real difficulty is in Arcade mode, for those who want to tackle it.

I liked everything: the graphics, the super polished gameplay, the music and the wide variety of villains that appear, such as Hela and MODOK. Furthermore, the game presents a bunch of Easter eggs for the most attentive fans. Although the campaign ends in less than 4 hours the first time, you won’t have leveled up all the heroes by the end, so it’s worth repeating the dose. Now if you’re a completionist, Marvel Cosmic Invasion can take you up to 30 hours to do everything. Whatever your profile, don’t miss this game!