Marvel Cosmic Invasion

Last updated
Marvel Cosmic Invasion
Marvel Cosmic Invasion cover art.png
Developer Tribute Games
Publisher Dotemu
Director Fred Gemus
Writer Yannick Belzil
Composer Tee Lopes
Platforms
ReleaseDecember 1, 2025
Genre Beat 'em up
Modes Single-player, multiplayer

Marvel Cosmic Invasion is a beat 'em up game developed by Tribute Games and published by Dotemu. The game was released for Linux, Nintendo Switch, Nintendo Switch 2, PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, Windows, and Xbox Series X/S on December 1, 2025.

Contents

Gameplay

Marvel Cosmic Invasion is an arcade-style side-scrolling beat 'em up video game with a pixelated artstyle. In the game, players control a variety of Marvel superheroes who must battle hordes of enemies in locations ranging from New York City to the Negative Zone to thwart the villain Annihilus' cosmic invasion. [1] The game features both single-player and multiplayer modes, allowing players to team up with three other players in cooperative gameplay. [2] Each player has to select two characters, and they can switch between the two characters anytime during combat. [3]

At launch, the game features a roster of 15 characters. The starting characters are Beta Ray Bill, Black Panther, Captain America, Cosmic Ghost Rider, Iron Man, Nova, Rocket Raccoon, She-Hulk, Spider-Man, Storm and Wolverine, while Phyla-Vell, Phoenix, Silver Surfer and Venom can be unlocked throughout the story progresses. [4]

Each hero has their distinct movement and combat abilities, though each has a primary, hero-specific attack, a regular melee attack, a defend mechanic (either a block or a dodge), and a screen-clearing special move that consumes "focus", gained through landing hits on enemies. [5] They can also perform tag-team moves, which allow the hero character to summon the secondary character to perform a combo attack. [6]

Development

The game was developed by Tribute Games, the developer behind Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Shredder's Revenge , and published by Dotemu. Both studios approached Marvel Games for the opportunity of developing a game set in the Marvel universe. Marvel Games required the team to include 15 playable heroes at launch, leading the developers to assemble a roster that balanced widely popular characters with lesser-known ones. The visual and narrative style draws inspirations from the work of Jim Lee, John Byrne, and Jack Kirby, and the team chose to adapt the Annihilation storyline because it had been unexplored in both video games and other media. Tribute Games described Cosmic Invasion as a "completely different game to build" when compared with Shredder's Revenge, as the characters featured in the game have very distinct movesets and abilities. As a result, it has a larger emphasis on crowd control. [7]

Announced in March 2025, [8] Marvel Cosmic Invasion was released for Linux, Nintendo Switch, Nintendo Switch 2, PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, Windows, and Xbox Series X/S on December 1, 2025. [9] [10] A demo was released for PC on October 1, 2025. [11] [12] [13]

Reception

Critical reception

Marvel Cosmic Invasion received "generally favorable" reviews according to review aggregator website Metacritic. [14] [15] [16] OpenCritic reported that 83% of critics recommended the game. [18]

References

  1. ↑ Schmädig, Benjamin (August 5, 2025). "Marvel Cosmic Invasion brings back 80s TV – but that's not why I enjoyed this co-op brawler". Eurogamer.de. Retrieved August 10, 2025.
  2. ↑ Smith, Jeremy (August 5, 2025). "Marvel Cosmic Invasion Is Exactly What '90s Kids Want it To Be". IGN . Retrieved August 10, 2025.
  3. ↑ Valentine, Robin (August 7, 2025). "Finally, a game that makes Marvel superheroes exciting again". PC Gamer . Retrieved August 10, 2025.
  4. ↑ Yin-Poole, Wesley (July 25, 2025). "Marvel Cosmic Invasion Reveals First Look at Silver Surfer and Beta Ray Bill Gameplay, Confirms Big-Name Voice Cast". IGN . Retrieved August 10, 2025.
  5. ↑ Shea, Brian (August 5, 2025). "Marvel Cosmic Invasion: Picking Up Where Shredder's Revenge Left Off". Game Informer . Retrieved August 10, 2025.
  6. ↑ Cruz, Christopher (August 5, 2025). "'Marvel Cosmic Invasion' Is an Arcade-Style Beat 'Em Up Filled With Deep-Cut Characters". Rolling Stone . Retrieved August 10, 2025.
  7. ↑ Norman, Jim (November 28, 2025). "Feature: "Oh S**t, That's A Great Idea! Why Didn't We Think Of That Before?" - Marvel Cosmic Invasion Devs On Drafting The Ultimate Team". Nintendo Life . Retrieved December 1, 2025.
  8. ↑ Romano, Sal (2025-03-27). "Arcade-style beat 'em up game MARVEL Cosmic Invasion announced for PS5, Xbox Series, PS4, Xbox One, Switch, and PC". Gematsu. Retrieved 2025-03-28.
  9. ↑ Romano, Sal (2025-10-22). "MARVEL Cosmic Invasion adds Phoenix and Invincible Iron Man, launches December 1". Gematsu. Retrieved 2025-10-22.
  10. ↑ Foster, George (2025-10-22). "Marvel Cosmic Invasion Is Just About Making Its Promised Release Window With A December Launch". TheGamer. Retrieved 2025-10-22.
  11. ↑ Marvel Cosmic Invasion - Official Demo Launch Trailer - IGN. 2025-10-01. Retrieved 2025-10-01– via www.ign.com.
  12. ↑ Valentine, Robin (2025-10-01). "One of the coolest games of 2025 is a Marvel superheroes beat-'em-up—and you can play a demo for yourself right now". PC Gamer. Retrieved 2025-10-01.
  13. ↑ Romano, Sal (2025-10-01). "MARVEL Cosmic Invasion demo now available for PC". Gematsu. Retrieved 2025-10-01.
  14. 1 2 "MARVEL Cosmic Invasion − PC Reviews". Metacritic. Retrieved December 1, 2025.
  15. 1 2 "MARVEL Cosmic Invasion − PS5 Reviews". Metacritic. Retrieved December 1, 2025.
  16. 1 2 "MARVEL Cosmic Invasion − Xbox Series X/S Reviews". Metacritic. Retrieved December 1, 2025.
  17. ↑ "MARVEL Cosmic Invasion - Nintendo Switch 2 Reviews". Metacritic. Retrieved December 2, 2025.
  18. 1 2 "MARVEL Cosmic Invasion Reviews". OpenCritic. Retrieved December 1, 2025.
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