Review #050 – Marvel Cosmic Invasion

Modern fauxback beat-em-ups are known quantities at this point and Cosmic Invasion doesn’t push the genre into new territory. It has some hooks like being able to select two heroes at once and the Marvel vs. Capcom-inspired tag moves, but if you’ve played any recent brawler you should expect a familiar experience.

The game’s narrative follows a new take on the Annihilation comics, featuring a handful of popular characters like Captain America, Spider-Man, and Wolverine. I like how they sprinkled in a few lesser-known heroes, too—I wasn’t initially familiar with Beta Ray Bill and Nova, for example. All 15 characters, including the ones you unlock as you play the campaign, are all fun to use and have unique move sets.

Stages are standard beat-em-up affair with lots of hazards, enemies, and boss fights. You can also complete level-specific challenges and use the rewards to unlock things like alternate character colours and music tracks. Despite a few annoying bugs I had a fun time punching my way through the game’s story mode. It’s a well made game, it’s just nothing I haven’t seen before.