MARVEL Cosmic Invasion

Marvel Cosmic Invasion is a fantastic 2D beat ’em that cleverly leans into its bright and colorful comic book roots, that any Marvel fan of even finds a way to pay tribute to its 2D Fighting games in the process. It has the most evolved beat ’em up gameplay yet, with modern touches and a charming and large roster of characters that keep the action fresh. While some design choices do hold it back slightly, a clear love of the source material make this pixel art beat em up, an easy recommended must play.

MARVEL Cosmic Invasion is a love letter to the great comic-based beat 'em ups of the '90s but, very importantly, surpasses all of them. Which it absolutely should given we're in the 2025 but it's nice to see them do it nonetheless.

Marvel Cosmic Invasion is pure nostalgia, embodied in one of the most fun beat'em ups of today. It's a must-have title for all generations of Marvel fans due to its huge variety of characters, combat system full of possibilities, and guaranteed fun thanks to a cooperative mode suitable for all ages.

Marvel Cosmic Invasion delivers a fantastic beat 'em up experience, brimming with undeniable charm for Marvel fans and genre enthusiasts. Its fluid, satisfying combat and diverse character roster shine, especially within the engaging Arcade mode. However, simplistic boss encounters and a shallow scoring system slightly diminish an otherwise essential and highly replayable brawler.

If you’re a fan of Final Fight and its ilk, there’s enough here to entice you. Doubly so if you’re a Marvel fan, but as somewhat of an outlier, I still got most of it and it doesn’t belittle you for not knowing them all. Partner up, and tear up, heroes.

Aside from some minor issues, more often encountered when playing alone, Marvel Cosmic Invasion is one of the best beat 'em ups currently available, and an absolute treat for Marvel fans.

Marvel Cosmic Invasion is a slick, 16-bit-style beat ’em up that delivers top-tier Marvel fan service, a great roster, and a satisfying Cosmic Swap tag system. Combat feels fast and responsive, though the screen can get a little too crowded during assists and effects. Overall, it’s a colorful, replayable brawler that captures classic arcade superhero energy.

After Shredder’s Revenge, Dotemu returns with another loving ode to classic beat ’em ups. Marvel: Cosmic Invasion features an excellent roster of both beloved and obscure Marvel characters, backed by a satisfying and richly designed combat system. It doesn’t exactly tread new ground for the genre, but that doesn’t detract from the fact that this is yet another strong entry in the ongoing renaissance of classic beat ’em ups.

Marvel Cosmic Invasion is one of the best beat ’em ups to date. The inclusion of a secondary character elevates the combat, letting you juggle enemies and rack up massive combos with ease. Each hero feels distinctive, with bespoke movement and attacks that make experimenting with different team combinations a thrill. While the campaign is short, it encourages replaying levels to complete challenges and unlock extra content. Paired with its stunning presentation, the game stands as one of the genre’s finest modern examples.

Marvel Cosmic Invasion follows in the footsteps of Shredder’s Revenge by offering a smartly modernized take on the arcade games of yesteryear. It’s not the deepest package, nor does it completely shatter this genre’s reliable mold, but anyone bearing a nostalgia for the Marvel arcade brawlers of old will have a great time smacking around villains as Earth’s – and the galaxy’s – mightiest heroes.

My gaming chum and I had a wonderful time with MARVEL Cosmic Invasion so if you enjoy beat 'em ups then playing this gem of a game is a must. In fact, I think I'll put a little cape on my physical copy when it arrives in March.

A fun and very well made brawler, made with lots of love for Marvel's Superheroes and their history on licensed videogames. A bit on the safe side, perhaps, but very enjoyable.

Marvel Cosmic Invasion might not reach the full magic of Capcom's classics, but it delivers enough nostalgia combined with a solid dose of modern ideas to easily stand as Dotemu’s best release yet. If you love old-school 2D side-scrolling beat ’em ups and cosmic Marvel chaos, this game was made just for you.

A side-scrolling beat 'em up with a classic structure, but which introduces interesting new gameplay features thanks to a combat system inspired by Marvel vs. Capcom, allowing you to use two characters at the same time. The action is fast-paced and fun, and there is a wide range of playable characters. The only drawback is the lack of available modes, which leaves you wanting a little more variety.

One of the best Marvel Comics-related games we've ever played. It pays homage to the classic beat 'em ups of the genre's golden age, but with modern elements that make it much more fun to play than you ever imagined it would be.

Marvel Cosmic Invasion is very easy to play, accessible, perfect for sharing with someone else at home, and has excellent character handling. It's a very functional title in terms of what it evokes, perfect for newbies to the genre and with many hours of replayability. It's a pure reflection of those arcade games with everything that entails, and the Marvel name suits it very well.

Marvel Cosmic Invasion delivers exactly what it promises: a remarkable beat 'em up experience that feels like it came straight from the arcades, with wonderful pixel art and a huge amount of love for the brand and its characters.

One of the best scrolling beat ‘em-ups ever made, with fantastic retro graphics, four-player co-op, and as much variety and combat depth as the genre will allow.

Those minor issues don’t stop Marvel Cosmic Invasion from being yet another stellar beat ‘em, but they were enough to just keep it from matching the heights Shredder’s Revenge reached, which might also be down to how much more I prefer Turtles to Marvel. Whether you’re stuck comparing every brawler to TMNT for the rest of time like me or not, Cosmic Invasion is still a great experience that proves once again that Tribute is the best there is at what it does - and what it does best is very nice.

Marvel Cosmic Invasion is not perfect, but as a huge fan of the Marvel universe, I was certainly not disappointed by the finished product. The use of fan-service and both obscure and iconic characters in the narrative is so well done, the gameplay mechanics are extremely fun to play around with, and the art style is a treat to look at. While there are problems with the game's difficulty spikes, limited replayability, short runtime, and lacking soundtrack, the strengths of the overall experience far outweigh its weaknesses.

Marvel Cosmic Invasion is a fun, flashy brawler that plays like a spiritual successor to Shredder’s Revenge. Tag-team mechanics and combo attacks add a fresh twist, though it lacks some flair outside combat. A solid pick for co-op fun, just a bit pricey for our taste.

It's not rewriting the script for what a beat em' up should be in any sense, but it's good and solid fun that fans should appreciate wholeheartedly.

Marvel Cosmic Invasion does little to surprise, but it executes excellently on its retro beat-‘em-up ambitions. Depth perception can be a problem, but we like how the tag-team format gives the game a bit more of a chaotic feel, especially during local and online co-op sessions. And we also appreciate how each superhero handles slightly differently, adding a lot of replay value to a brawler that already has a relatively robust content offering.

MARVEL Cosmic Invasion is an excellent excuse to play a satisfying beat ’em up with friends. It covers a wide variety of content and characters spanning the decades of comics and other media. By pulling well-known heroes and a few oddballs, Tribute Games offers a unique feel for each member of the roster. While the levels and bosses offer Easter Eggs for everyone, it doesn’t make up for combat that may eventually grow a bit stale for players who don’t find thrills in dropping into matches from time to time.

With plenty of characters and great combat, there is a lot to love about Marvel Cosmic Invasion. The fantastic visuals and sound design shine through from Tribute Games and Dotemu. It's just a shame that the game's difficulty spikes and lack of extra lives in the campaign hold it back. Thankfully, the Arcade Mode more than makes up for the game's shortcomings, with great modifiers that let you enjoy the game however you want.

Marvel Cosmic Invasion is a super fun game to bring family or friends together in front of the console and beat up alien insects. If you want to relive those glorious days, this is the game for it — it’s just a shame it doesn’t offer that much content, especially after you beat it for the first time.

Marvel Cosmic Invasion is Marvel’s best Beat Em Up title, even when the visuals are not on par with the publisher’s other titles such as Ninja Gaiden Ragebound and Shredder’s Revenge.

If the nostalgic, arcade sensibilities of Cosmic Heroes may not hold us as long as Absolum's Roguelike depth, then, mastering our favoured dynamic duo - to borrow a phrase from a rival universe - just might. [Issue#419, p.122]

The stages themselves aren’t going to blow you away and I wish there was a more varied rogues’ gallery to smack down, but Marvel Cosmic Invasion’s tag team action has the juice, and it’s a joy to dig into each character’s kit, especially in co-op. I don’t think it’s a great beat ‘em up, but it is a very good one that I’m looking forward to playing again in the years to come, and it highlights some of the more obscure (and fun) parts of Marvel’s history. If you’re not already into the genre, I doubt Cosmic Invasion will change your mind, but it’s good enough to get my Avengers assembled on a lazy Sunday, kick back, and pop some baddies in the mouth.