Tribute Games has been the undisputed king of the throwback arcade beat-’em-up for well over a decade now. From crafting the unforgettable and inspired Scott Pilgrim Vs. The World game under Ubisoft, to spinning off and creating nostalgic modern classics like Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Shredder’s Revenge, no studio is recreating the magic of 90s coin-ops the way Tribute is.
This year, the Montreal-based studio is ready to do what it does best once more, this time in a fictional universe synonymous with old-school arcade gaming. Marvel Cosmic Invasion is a gorgeous 2D side-scroller that looks like a modern sequel to Konami’s 1992 X-Men game, expanded to include the MVPs of the entire Marvel universe. And while the game may look like a loving send-up of some timeless fan-favorites, it offers enough variety and combat depth to make this one an all-timer in its own right.
Cosmic Invasion adapts the 2006 comic event Annihilation, a classic and expansive story that sees the immortal villain Annihilus launching a devastating attack across the galaxy. The game version will have our earthly heroes fighting Annihilus’ forces alongside cosmic heroes like Nova, Silver Surfer, and Beta Ray Bill. Players pick two heroes and are off to fight Annihilus’ goons head-on, with the ability to swap between them at will or play with friends in drop-in, drop-out co-op.
The roster is a who’s who of fan-favorite Marvel characters.
Dotemu
The earthly roster here is great. Popular characters like Storm, Wolverine, Spider-Man, and Captain America are all here and look as spectacular as you’d expect. Some inspired inclusions like Venom, She-Hulk, and Rocket Raccoon are also a blast, as they shake up the superpowers and abilities we’re used to seeing in this style of Marvel video game. The sprite work in Cosmic Invasion is immaculate across the board, pairing well with the cheesy and accurate voice acting. Every frame of this game feels like it’s based on the coolest Marvel animated series we never got.
Perhaps more impressive than its visuals is how it plays. As we’ve come to expect from Tribute, Cosmic Invasion has a ton of variety. And that variety lives up to the roster that’s been announced so far. Playing as Spider-Man, players can shoot webs to blind enemies and quickly close the distance with a swing kick across the screen. Characters like Storm and Nova can fly and shoot projectiles, easily dispatching aerial enemies. Meanwhile, Wolverine is a close-quarters beast who can easily combo insectoids in groups with a flick of his adamantium claws.
It’s genuinely rewarding to play as each character, as they all have unique combos, special super abilities, and strategies. While I was only able to play two levels and two bosses in the preview build I had access to, I replayed it multiple times to see how each hero changed Cosmic Invasion’s straightforward formula. My personal favorites were She-Hulk and Captain America. She-Hulk plays like a wrestler, capable of grappling opponents, slamming them against the ground, and executing high-flying moves. She’s like the love child of Zangeif from Street Fighter and WWE’s Rhea Ripley.
Cap, on the other hand, was a versatile all-rounder, capable of juggling enemies up close and tossing his shield to stun enemies in the distance. When you master throwing the shield to take down flying enemies and parrying projectiles, Cosmic Invasion feels like one of the best representations of Steve Rogers across all of games. As a fan of the star-spangled veteran, this was pure power fantasy.
It’s worth giving a shout-out to the game’s soundtrack. Composed by Tee Lopes, the soundtrack of both the NYC level and the Helicarrier level were earworms in the best way. I found myself humming them throughout the day, long after my play sessions were over. I look forward to adding the soundtrack to my playlist whenever it drops on streaming services.
Between Insomniac’s Wolverine video game and Arc System Works’ incredible-looking Marvel Tokon: Fighting Souls, comic book fans are being served a healthy heaping of playable superheroics in the next year. But between the dearth of updates regarding Insomniac’s Spider-Man 2 follow-up and the mechanical density that Arc System’s PlayStation collaboration promises, the casual fun of Marvel Cosmic Invasion is a welcome alternative to these other, presumably excellent options. And after several playthroughs of a preview this month, it quickly shot to the top of my list of superhero games I’m looking most forward to.
