„The perfect Marvel couch co-op game” Marvel Cosmic Invasion will be another hit from veteran beat 'em up developers
Marvel Cosmic Invasion was developed by some of the best beat 'em up developers in the business, and its co-op elements make it a one-of-a-kind party game.
Summer Game Fest was full of so many great beat ‘em up games; it’s a good time to be a fan of the genre. The other day, I wrote about the roguelike game Absolum, which has a demo available now on Steam, and Scott Pilgrim Ex was announced during the Summer Game Fest showcase. Tribute Games, the team behind that Scott Pilgrim game and the previously popular TMNT: Shredder’s Revenge, is working on another huge license: Marvel Cosmic Invasion. During Play Days last week, I had the opportunity to try out a demo and speak with the team. This looks like another win for this veteran beat-'em-up developer.
Marvel Cosmic Invasion is the perfect Marvel party game
The combat in Marvel Cosmic Invasion fits right in with any other classic beat ‘em up game. But a clever decision was to have each player choose two characters right from the start. You can swap between these characters at any time with the press of a button. However, there are also more fun ways to swap. Your second character can be called upon to throw in a quick attack, or the swap can be more dramatic. Instead of just a static swap, the second character can come in swinging, immediately using an attack as you swap. This plays well into the concept that these heroes are working together on a team and using their powers in tandem. It’s a big reason why I also thought the Marvel tag team fighting game, Marvel Tokon: Fighting Souls, announced at the State of Play, was such a great idea.
During the Summer Game Fest showcase, the team revealed two new characters, She-Hulk and Rocket Raccoon. Cosmic Invasion plans to include fifteen total characters, but not all of them have been revealed so far. In previous trailers, we’ve seen Spider-Man, Venom, Captain America, Storm, Wolverine, and two characters I’m less familiar with: Phylla-Vell (a.k.a. Quasar) and Nova. But I did learn more about them because I was able to test out nearly all of the currently announced characters. Unfortunately, She-Hulk and Rocket were not in the demo I got to play.
Captain America & Spider-Man take on Annihilus' bugs.Marvel Cosmic Invasion, Developer: Tribute Games
It's always great to be able to talk to the development team while playing the demo, because otherwise I may not have known that this game is based on the Annihilation series of Marvel comics, featuring a villain called Annihilus. The team explained to me that they wanted to ensure they had an iconic villain with an army of enemies that had a distinct look but were also enjoyable to beat up repeatedly. This is at least partly how they arrived at the idea that these insect-like humanoids would become some of the most common enemies. From what I’ve heard, both Quasar and Nova are major parts of that comic story, which is why they fit right into the game.
Actually hard to tell if this is four players or two players each calling on their secondary characters.Marvel Cosmic Invasion, Developer: Tribute Games
As with many multiplayer games at events like this, I was paired up with a random partner for the co-op. But by the end of it, we were best friends. This is a perfect game for a group of friends to play while sitting on the couch. It’s a drop-in, drop-out system, meaning that if someone needs to get up for a drink or use the restroom, they can leave the game without ending it for everyone. Then, when they come back, they can jump right back in to join the team again. Cosmic Invasion is also designed to dynamically adjust the difficulty based on the number of players actively participating. So, if you have four players, but one person gets up in the middle of a level, the game will adjust on the fly. Tribute Games has really made this the perfect game for a group of friends to play casually.
Let's take a moment to appreciate these animations.Marvel Cosmic Invasion, Developer: Tribute Games
Personally, I had a great time playing as Venom. Most of his attacks show off the incredible pixel art and animations that went into this game. Venom, in particular, is very expressive as well. When he grabs an enemy, he points out where he’s going to throw them like a baseball player calling out the home run. Venom also has an awesome ultimate attack that builds up over time. It hits all enemies in a radius around him as the symbiote's tentacles fly out in all directions. Cosmic Invasion is a perfect marriage of gameplay and visuals.
Something that worries me about the beat-'em-up genre is how the team balances actual skill with button-mashing. I only got to play the game for about half an hour, but in my time, I felt like I was starting to get the hang of some of the characters. None of the combat encounters we ran into felt particularly challenging, but that could have just been the demo. Overall, I get the sense that this will be a great game for casual players, and possibly a great one for fans of the Marvel lore or the game genre. Currently, I can’t speak to how in-depth the combat goes or how much it will impact the gameplay experience to learn everything.
The best shield in the business.Marvel Cosmic Invasion, Developer: Tribute Games
Thanks to Tribute Games, Dotemu, and Gamirror Games for the opportunity to try out an early demo of Marvel Cosmic Invasion. I look forward to playing more of this game at some point. Plus, there are still six more characters to be unveiled. There are so many possibilities that it’s hard to guess who it could be. Marvel Cosmic Invasion doesn’t have a release date yet, but it is still planned for some time later this year. It will be available on Nintendo Switch, Nintendo Switch 2, PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, Xbox One, Xbox Series X/S, and PC via Steam.
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