Rapid Fire Overview
Marvel Cosmic Invasion has already had a rather in-depth review that you can find on the Complete Xbox website right now (Link to Chase’s full review at the bottom of this post). However, being a big fan of not only the source material, but also the style of game, I wanted to share some of my thoughts and experiences during my time playing the title in a little gaming ‘snapshot’ with you, the reader.
Developed by Tribute Games, the same studio behind the well-received Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Shredder’s Revenge game from a few years back. The developers clearly knew what type of game they wanted to make and the type of gamer they were going to appeal to with this. Going for the same classic arcade-style side-scrolling beat’-em-up gameplay loop and boasting an even more pixellated art style than their previous title, this game continues the simple formula from titles such as the aformantioned TMNT: SR and Street Of Rage 4 by truly showing that ‘if it ain’t broke, why fix it’.
The fan service is strong with this title, if you’re a Marver-Lite like myself then you’ll find the initial line up roster of 15 heroes a good mix of classic and some less well-known Marvel characters thrown in. Legends such as Captain America, Spider-Man and Wolverine are joined by more random choices such as Cosmic Ghost Rider (Frank Castle) and Phyla-Vell with some characters only unlocking to be playable after a certain level is completed. But each character is well animated, often showing influences from past games like the classic X-Men: Children Of The Atom and Mavel Vs. Capcom series, with movement and reactions like you would expect them to have straight from their comic book counterparts.
Each level sees you choose two heroes to selected per player, each with their own distinct combat style and movement that fits their character perfectly, which can be swapped in between at any time with the press of a button during play. The game will highlight which two heroes it recommends for the upcoming level in regards to three specific challenges that can be completed on the level to earn rewards. However, you’re free to choose whatever characters you wish for some truly inventive team ups.
With the game sporting four player cross-platform gaming support for all the major consoles and PC, you can enjoy fighting the forces of evil solo or with three other players, each having their own two heroes to switch between. This means the action on screen can get pretty chaotic with both controllable characters and enemies flying everyone. However, I didn’t experience any screen tearing, slowdown or lag during my playthrough. Even with four cooperative players and a screen full of bad guys in a flurry of punches, kicks and special moves going off everywhere.
With a good selection of offline and online multiplayer modes, there’s hours of replayability to the title. Add to this, the comprehensive selection of art, character bios, music and other extras to unlock you’ll find yourself playing levels again and again, always discovering something new trying to unlock and collect everything.
Overall, if you’re a fan of the genre (as I am) and old school co-op arcade cabinet goodness, then I can highly recommend Marvel Cosmic Invasion, especially if you’ve got a bunch of like-minded gamer friends to team up with. Additionally, at the time of this Snapshot Overview, the game is free to play on Game Pass Ultimate which gives you the opportunity to try for yourself at no cost if you subscribe to the service.