Marvel Cosmic Invasion Is Exactly What ‘90s Kids Want it To Be

After astir 20 years of the MCU's dominance—where characters similar Gamora and Groot person miraculously go household names and bid the careers of A-list actors—we've abruptly recovered ourselves successful a play of nostalgia for Marvel's ramshackle 1990s era. This was archetypal felt with the lukewarm reception that recovered Disney+'s hugely charming X-Men '97 series, a amusement that was wholly disconnected from immoderate overarching multiversal storylines whatsoever. And the aforesaid principles use to Marvel Cosmic Invasion, which is simply a throwback successful each conceivable way. The retro-themed arcade-style spiritual successor to X-Men: The Arcade Game intends to beryllium a back-to-basics brawler, teleporting everyone down the controller to a simpler time—a dilapidated arcade, heavy successful the bowels of a suburban mall, close aft schoolhouse lets retired for the summer.

Cosmic Invasion is developed by Tribute Games, the Canadian workplace champion known for their enactment connected the 2022 revival, Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Shredder's Revenge. The 2 projects intelligibly stock the aforesaid DNA. Like Tribute's crook with the Turtles, Cosmic Invasion is gorgeously rendered successful beautified pixel art, with each the sprites popping disconnected the surface with vibrant superior colors. There is hardly immoderate communicative to talk of, astatine slightest successful the demo I played. (The intergalactic villain Annihlus has unleashed a universe-spanning conquest, and we're present to fend him off.) It's a crippled that could acceptable connected the backmost of a cereal box, and I deliberation that's the point. Cosmic Invasion is not a grimdark, Synder-fied imaginativeness of Marvel. Our superheroes person been brought to beingness precisely arsenic they were recovered successful the comics 3 decades ago. Captain America looks resplendent successful his reddish achromatic and blue, Wolverine wears a spiky achromatic cowl, portion She-Hulk—as she ought to be—is lime green. Too galore Robert Downey Jr. monologues person detracted from the information that these characters are cartoons, at the extremity of the day. And successful that sense, Cosmic Invasion attempts to close the record.

Cosmic Invasion won't instrumentality anyone by astonishment with its gameplay. If you are a seasoned of quarter-gobbling brawlers—Streets of Rage, Armored Warriors, or my idiosyncratic favorite, The Simpsons—you cognize what you're getting into here. A watercourse of baddies participate from the close broadside of the screen, and each of them are rapidly dispatched with a cocktail of punches, kicks, and grapples until they blink retired of beingness for good. Once they're clear, you'll determination onto the adjacent battleground and rinse and repeat. Eventually you'll brushwood a brag astatine the level's conclusion, which is usually dispatched by lasting extracurricular of immoderate screen-filling quality they unleash each 20 seconds oregon so. Like Shredder's Revenge, the controls are elemental capable that beauteous overmuch everyone tin prime up a gamepad and go a utile subordinate of a winning team. (Beat-em-ups are historically amenable to button-mashing younger siblings, and this 1 is nary different.)

But with the expanded roster of 15 unsocial superheroes astatine launch, Cosmic Invasion does look anxious to supply a fewer much opportunities for strategy compared to its forebearers. Our Marvel superstars present person loosely defined roles, corresponding to RPG-esque arrangements. Captain America and his vibranium shield functions similar a tank, portion Rocket Raccoon—and his arsenal of grenades and laser pistols—excels astatine taking down enemies from farther away. Across the board, everyone has what you could telephone an "ultimate" that tin lone beryllium dispatched erstwhile an vigor barroom ticks full. Yes, Cosmic Invasion is a retro experience, but it has taken a fewer important cues from the erstwhile decennary of crippled design.

For what it's worth, I was astir drawn to She-Hulk. Tribute conscionable announced that she would beryllium joining the roster, and I recovered her powerhouse discourtesy precisely what I was looking for. The choky acrobatics of Spider-Man and eldritch deep-space assaults of the Silver Surfer are each good and good. But, sometimes, each I privation to bash is drawback an force by the pharynx and thrust them into the ground, snuffing retired immoderate accidental of a comeback. I ideate Cosmic Invasion will animate that aforesaid feeling successful a batch of players. This is simply a crippled wherever it's imaginable to assertion a "main." Don't beryllium fooled by its featherweight exterior. It is precise overmuch imaginable to maestro each the nuances of your preferred character, and transportation the remainder of the team.

So it's nary astonishment Cosmic Invasion seems designed to beryllium a co-op acquisition archetypal and foremost. That is wherever the genre historically tends to shine—four buddies connected a couch, burning disconnected a Saturday nighttime by warring done the Negative Zone. But Tribute Games has smartly introduced a mechanic that makes the escapade amazingly adaptable to a solo campaign. Players prime two superheroes astatine the quality prime screen, and they tin swap them retired astatine volition during the levels—like a tag-team from Marvel vs. Capcom. Time the swap correctly, and you'll beryllium capable to concatenation unneurotic immoderate genuinely flashy combos that look similar a triumphant splash panel. I similar the thought of being capable to messiness astir with my ain builds, and conception immoderate devastating synergies, without needfully having idiosyncratic articulation maine connected our quest to crush Annihilus. It whitethorn connection Cosmic Invasion more staying powerfulness than the delightful but transient Shredder's Revenge.

I lone saw 2 levels of Cosmic Invasion. I carved up the streets of Midtown Manhattan—in beforehand of Spider-verse locales similar the Daily Bugle, and billboards for the in-universe soap opera Secret Hospital. (If there's 1 happening Tribute Games genuinely excels at, it's populating their licensed products with the benignant of references that lone superfans volition get.) Later we explored a helicarrier that seemed to beryllium chiefly truthful that I could flip hapless soldiers disconnected the borderline and to their death. (It besides was the tract of an elevator battle, which remains 1 of the large beat-em-up traditions.) It remains to beryllium seen if Cosmic Invasion will beryllium capable to prolong its magic crossed a afloat campaign. Will tearing isolated the legion of evildoers beryllium arsenic joyful during hr six arsenic it is during this glorious prelude? It's pugnacious to accidental for sure. But if thing else, Cosmic Invasion makes an indelible archetypal impression.