Invincible VS

Invincible VS does justice to the visual identity of the comic and TV show, something fans will definitely appreciate. Its alternate take on the story is also intriguing, even if it’s on the short sied at around two hours. That said, the pacing of the fights feels slower than expected, particularly with its tag-team mechanics, and some unusual changes to established genre mechanics end up feeling unnecessary and offer little benefit.

There's a fast-paced, fun and accessible combat system at the heart of Invincible VS, but it's let down by a lack of modes. It's disappointing that its Story Mode comes to an abrupt end, too. Still, you'll get plenty of enjoyment out of it if you're a fan of the franchise.

Invincible VS is the refreshing fighting game we have been waiting for, both in terms of its art direction and its gameplay, inevitably frustrating for the one taking the hits, but hugely satisfying and enjoyable for the one dishing them out. The attack-defense balance is fairly well-tuned, with a slight lean toward aggressive play nonetheless, and the faithfulness to the source material is spot-on, with original content thrown in as a bonus. That content will need to be judged over time, and one can't help feeling that it would have been more compelling to tell stories from within the Invincible universe, letting some players relive the series' defining moments, rather than delivering a brand-new, standalone narrative.

Invincible VS is a very respectable 3v3 tag fighter that plays unlike any other out there. Its two-way interactable combo system opens up opportunities for exciting mind games and chances to outthink and outplay your opponent, despite the action looking and feeling quite stiff. The story mode also shines as a quick and authentic filler episode of the show, though its cliffhanger ending did leave me hoping for a DLC conclusion.

I loved playing Invincible VS. It's something fans of the IP will likely get a kick out of for a few hours despite the disappointing length of story mode, and those deep in the trenches of fighting games likely trying to come up with the most degenerate strats you could conceive. If Quarter Up can build on the early excitement shown by both the FGC and the casual Invincible audience, they might have a big hit in their hands, one I hope they aim to improve and make a more complete experience in a fighting game market that's surprisingly starting to feel a bit overcrowded.

From a technical standpoint, however, Invincible VS fails to particularly distinguish itself. The 3D character models lack detail—a shortcoming that is especially evident in Story Mode, where the transition between animated cutscenes and gameplay segments highlights the disparity in quality. The animations, too, are not always up to par; some attacks appear unpolished and lack fluidity. Finally, the special effects do not exactly dazzle with their spectacle; while generally pleasing overall, they remain inferior to those found in many other titles within the genre—a sentiment that ultimately applies to the entire graphics package.

Invincible VS is a fighting game that works in the short term, thanks to an accessible system and a strong identity inherited from the series, but that struggles to find a true direction in the medium term. The simplification of gameplay, a negligible story mode and an inconsistent technical execution limit a project that could have aimed for much more. It remains an enjoyable title in the first few hours, but one that risks losing its appeal quickly, especially in an already crowded competitive landscape.

Invincible VS is a competent tag fighter with interesting systems that deepens the basics of the genre, but its approach to content in a modern fighting game is perhaps a bit to old school.

Invincible VS is a bloody, brutal, and bombastic tag fighting game that perfectly nails the vibe and violent visuals of the comic series and the animated television series. It reminded me why I love fighters, but it also reminded me why I sometimes hate them. There’s a level of depth here that gives Invincible VS the sauce players are always looking for, and made the fast-paced and action-stacked matches a delight despite cheesy strategies and wishing I had more agency in my playstyle. But this sauce still needs a little more time simmering in the pot, because its taste profile feels a little barebones and unfinished. While I can’t say how happy it will make the tag-fighting game community, I can say that it is a fun game that pays homage to its source material while serving as a love letter to the titles that inspired it.

It’s impossible to tell if Invincible Vs as a whole will stick around since quality fighting games don’t always get the attention they deserve, but it has the potential to. Its combo-heavy, tag-centric combat is quite the spectacle that also has enough depth to be more than a glitzy explosion of blood and expletives. Not everything surrounding that crucial core is as robust, but just like Invincible himself, it’s strong enough to overcome its weaknesses and become a great fighter in its own right.

Once jumping into arcade mode, I realised I should really have focused on its ladders because they have more of an actual story — or at least, an ending — and showcase the brutality that Invincible is known for. There, and in its other modes, you’ll see heads explode thanks to some truly graphic overkills, or entire bodies atomised in others...It’s here, though, that you’ll begin to notice the repetition — it’s either one or the other, heads or entire bodies. That same feeling of sameishness reverberates through VS‘ roster, which features 18 characters but only three or four real archetypes. It’s admittedly difficult to build a bunch of diverse styles around so many Viltrumites.

An undeniably gnarly brawler that really moves despite its 3v3 format, Invincible VS should appeal to both fighting game fans and comic book OGs. The story mode is slickly animated but almost insultingly short, and there’s not a lot to appeal to single players beyond that. But the rollback netcode seems sturdy and the combat system mixes accessibility with depth, resulting in a system that should have legs long beyond its initial novelty.