What is Marvel Cosmic Invasion?

• Marvel Cosmic Invasion is a retro-style 2D Beat-Em-Up featuring 15 playable heroes like Spider-Man, Iron Man, and Wolverine.
• Players embark on a planet-hopping quest to defeat Annihilus, battling iconic Marvel villains along the way.
• Developed by Tribute Games, the creators of TMNT: Shredder’s Revenge, with authentic pixel art and multiplayer gameplay.

The power of Marvel’s IP lends itself extremely well to video games. The breadth of its roster means it is a perfect breeding ground for over-the-top, bombastic games that let players step into the shoes of their favourite superheroes. In recent years, franchises like Marvel’s Spider-Man have shown how successful superhero video games can be, and now developer Tribute Games has entered the fray with its own take on bringing Marvel’s roster to life with Marvel Cosmic Invasion, a retro-style multiplayer 2D Beat-Em-Up that packs a powerful punch of its own.

Marvel Cosmic Invasion sees 15 playable heroes, including fan-favourites like Iron Man, Spider-Man, and Wolverine, as well as lesser-known characters like Nova and Beta Ray Bill, set off on a planet-hopping quest to defeat the evil Annihilus, battling a variety of well-known comic book villains along the way.

Tribute Games is no stranger to these pixelated retro-style beat-em-ups, with Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Shredder‘s Revenge bursting onto the scene to critical acclaim back in 2022. That DNA is very much present in Cosmic Invasion, and the team have quite literally doubled down on everything that made Shredder’s Revenge so successful, applying the high levels of care and attention to detail to the source material that fans would expect.

Developer & Publisher // Tribute Games, Dotemu
Platforms // PC, PlayStation 4/5, Xbox Series X|S, Game Pass
MSRP & Release Date // $29.99, December 1st, 2025
Reviewed On // PC

Marvel Cosmic Invasion’s Story is the Perfect Excuse to Visit Some Familiar Locations and Characters

• Marvel Cosmic Invasion features a straightforward narrative focused on fast-paced action against the galactic threat Annihilus.
• Players explore iconic Marvel locations like Wakanda and Asgard, with strong voice acting bringing heroes to life.
• Unique tag-team gameplay lets fans switch seamlessly between two unlocked heroes, creating dynamic combinations.

The game’s narrative is not overly complex, with the gameplay and action rightfully front and centre. It sees the heroes join forces on the hunt for the galactic threat that is Annihilus. The interplanetary nature of the story gives the developer the perfect opportunity to recreate the likes of Wakanda and Asgard for fans to punch and shoot their way through. Each of the playable heroes boasts strong voice acting, with all of them creating the right tone and doing a good job of bringing their respective heroes to life. Iron Man and Spider-Man, in particular, capture the essence of what makes the characters so beloved, cracking witty jokes and making humorous light of dangerous situations, respectively.

Cosmic Invasion‘s main gimmick is a sort of tag-team function where players can select two Marvel heroes for every mission, and switch between them seamlessly at will. Any heroes can be selected for any mission (as long as the player has unlocked them), which can lead to some creative and unusual combinations.

Cosmic Invasion’s Gameplay Fights Off Repetition Cleverly

• Marvel Cosmic Invasion avoids repetition with a tag-team system, letting players swap heroes mid-mission.
• A roster of 15 playable characters unlocks progressively, keeping gameplay fresh across the 4–6 hour campaign.
• Each hero offers unique playstyles, ensuring variety and depth beyond typical 2D Beat-Em-Up mechanics.

More often than not, the toughest enemy for a 2D Beat-em-up to contest with is that of repetition. A limited number of moves and characters can often leave this genre feel slightly samey, particularly if a game begins to outstay its welcome. To its credit though, Cosmic Invasion sidesteps this issue in a number of intelligent ways.

Firstly as mentioned above, allowing the player to select and combine any two heroes in each mission helps to ensure the game stays fresh. Getting too comfortable with Captain America and his unlimited shield throws? No problem, swap him out for the telekenetic Jean Grey and cause all kinds of new chaos.

Secondly, the number of playable characters is itself a brilliant way to stave off repetition. A total of 15 are playable, with some being unlocked throughout the campaign. The pace at which they are unlocked helps players stay locked in throughout the game’s modest 4-6 hour runtime. The real boon here though is how differently they all feel to play. It’s easy to boast a sizable roster if every character plays identically, but in Cosmic Invasion this couldn’t be further from the truth.

Plenty of Character Moves

• Each Marvel hero in Cosmic Invasion features unique attacks and powers, from Spider-Man’s webs to Venom’s symbiote strength.
• Wolverine’s leaping grab and Rocket Raccoon’s explosive arsenal highlight diverse playstyles across the roster.
• Up to four players can team up in local or online co-op, enhancing replayability and variety.

Every character has their own unique repertoire of moves. Normal attacks, strong attacks and special attacks that make use of their respective weapons and powers. Spider-Man is able to shoot webs at enemies to slow them down. Rocket Raccoon can drop mines and blast rockets for maximum explosive damage, and Venom can brutalize enemies using the raw power of the symbiote.

Perhaps one of the most useful is Wolverine’s leaping grab attack, allowing him to stop enemies in their tracks (even if they are mid-combo) before unleashing furious swipes with his claws, turning the tide in the player’s favour. Up to four players can play together via both local and online co-op, further adding to the variety.

Cosmic Invasion’s Standard Enemies Aren’t as Varied as its Heroes

• Marvel Cosmic Invasion features memorable boss fights with familiar villains from the comics and MCU.
• Standard enemies lack variety, often limited to bug creatures and hazmat soldiers across missions.
• The game’s challenging difficulty offers no checkpoints and fixed settings, adding harsh replay stakes.

One area that isn’t as strong as its gameplay or art design is Cosmic Invasion‘s roster of enemies. The boss fights themselves are cool, with some stronger than others, and on balance Tribute Games utilizes the roster of villains well. They throw in plenty of familiar faces for both fans of the comic books and those that are more familiar with the MCU.

The level-to-level baddies, though, leave much more to be desired. Often players will find themselves fighting different types of bug enemies or soldiers in hazmat suits, regardless of what mission they’re playing through. While the playable character variation alleviates this somewhat, it definitely feels like one of the game’s weakest aspects.

The game’s standard difficulty is no joke either. There are no checkpoints, and the death of both characters means starting the level from the beginning, which can feel a little harsh. The difficulty can’t be changed once it’s selected at the start, either- a decision that feels somewhat puzzling for a game of this type.

Cosmic Invasion’s Levels Are Colorful and Vibrant

• Marvel Cosmic Invasion elevates retro pixel art with modern visuals, delivering stunning combat animations.
• Missions span diverse locations like aircraft hangars and the Bifrost, adding replayability with unique objectives.
• Consistent visual polish across cutscenes, menus, and levels ensures an authentic Marvel-inspired experience.

Having a deep roster of characters who play different is only half the job. The way Tribute Games has brought them to life visually ensures that every punch, kick and blast looks absolutely stunning. The ‘pixelated visuals with a modern twist’ look that was nailed in TMNT: Shredder’s Revenge has somehow managed to raise its own bar even further here, and fans of Marvel’s comics and cartoons will no doubt be genuinely impressed with how good the action looks.

The missions themselves range from aircraft hangars to the Bifrost on the road to Asgard. Each one comes with prerequisite objectives for players to complete, with some requiring the use of specific characters. This adds a nice bit of replayability to missions. That is particularly helpful when you factor in the fact that there are no ‘special missions’ that require the player to ride vehicles or do anything different, something which is fairly commonplace in games like this. Each mission is striking in its appearance, and the game’s visuals, in everything from opening cutscene to pause menus and the missions themselves, are on point.

Sound Design and Technical Performance of Marvel Cosmic Invasion

• Marvel Cosmic Invasion delivers high-quality sound design with impactful effects and strong voice acting.
• Nostalgic music evokes Saturday morning cartoons, enhancing the retro superhero experience.
• Runs smoothly on Steam with no bugs or framerate issues, ensuring a polished gameplay experience.

Sound design is another part of Marvel Cosmic Invasion‘s experience that Tribute Games has nailed. The voice acting, as already mentioned, is high quality, and the sound effects provide each attack with an ample amount of weight and impact.

The music will no doubt give older fans that wave of nostalgia they crave, taking them back to the carefree days of Saturday morning cartoons. It probably comes as no surprise that the game runs silky smooth and there were no bugs or framerate dips, which is a common problem for modern gamers to contend with, in the entire experience when played on Steam.

Final Thoughts on Marvel Cosmic Invasion

• Marvel Cosmic Invasion revives the classic 2D Beat-Em-Up genre with high production values and authentic Marvel detail.
• A deep roster of heroes and villains, from household names to hidden gems, adds replayability and variety.
• Despite limited enemy variety and no difficulty sliders, Marvel Cosmic Invasion stands as a triumph for fans and Tribute Games.

Marvel Cosmic Invasion manages to continue the developer’s successful run of reviving the classic 2D Beat-Em-Up genre using beloved IPs. The love and care that Tribute Games pays to the Marvel IP ensures that the whole experience displays high-production values, and every character and location is painstakingly brought to life with stunning accuracy. The gameplay keeps things engaging throughout, and the game’s deep roster of characters along with mission objectives injects a degree of replayability in a genre where such a thing is scarce.

Marvel’s huge pool of heroes and villains is used to great effect, combining household names with lesser-known characters from the IP’s decades-long history. Fans of the genre or of Marvel in general will be hard-pressed not to have a great time, and the credits will roll long before it outstays its welcome. Despite a lack of enemy variety and the absence of any difficulty sliders or unique mission gimmicks, Marvel Cosmic Invasion is a triumph for the developer, the IP, and Marvel’s huge fan base.

Score – 8.5 out of 10

Pros:

• Large, varied character roster to choose from
• Gameplay simple and fun, lots of variation depending on which heroes are picked
• Worlds vibrant and colorful
• Striking pixelated art style ensures the action pops

Cons:

• No difficulty sliders or checkpoints in-game
• Poor enemy variety

Note – A code from the publisher was provided for the purposes of this review.