With Marvel Cosmic Invasion, Tribute Games confirms its skill in developing 2D beat ’em ups. A confirmation, but with only a few steps forward.
While playing Marvel Cosmic Invasion, comparisons withTribute Games’ previous work arise naturally. It was 2022 when TMNT: Shredder’s Revenge was released, receiving positive feedback from both players and critics. Despite a few uninspired levels and some gameplay naiveties, the title is a small gem that pays homage to both the gameplay and aesthetics of the 1990s classics.
To provide some context, here’s a brief summary of the plot, although there isn’t much to say.
Annihilus, the Living Death, threatens not only life on Earth but the entire galaxy. An unprecedented assault that shakes the very foundations of the universe.
From New York City to the depths of the Negative Zone, a group of Marvel heroes is called upon to save the galaxy from a tremendous threat.
Now let’s move on to what really matters.
It seems the developers learned from both criticism and past mistakes, refining and enriching the experience. Despite this, Marvel Cosmic Invasion feels more like a confirmation than a true step forward for the genre. The gameplay and combat system are expanded, as is the variety of levels. Unfortunately, enemy variety and distribution, especially in the later stages, leave something to be desired. On the other hand, boss fights feature many villains from the Marvel Universe, delivering encounters that may not be outstanding but are never boring.
Level design is solid, even if it doesn’t offer particularly innovative ideas. Fortunately, the issues mentioned above don’t significantly limit or damage the overall experience.
Nothing to complain about when it comes to the soundtrack and aesthetics: the strong points of Marvel Cosmic Invasion and Tribute Games’ previous title. The pixel art is worthy of 1990s arcade games and has improved both visually and in terms of animation. The musical themes do their job well, effectively emphasizing the game’s best moments.
Now let’s analyze the game’s aspects, also considering the first impressions from the demo previously discussed on these pages.
A Solid Foundation
Playing both titles mentioned above makes it clear that Marvel Cosmic Invasion is built on the backbone of TMNT: Shredder’s Revenge.
Fortunately, the vehicle stages, which were quite uninspired and not very fun, are gone. The levels are also more polished both visually and in design, embracing the same stylistic features of 1990s beat ’em ups. This reinforces the idea of refinement and improvement compared to the previous title.
There’s the classic campaign mode plus an arcade mode, which the developers consider the true challenge. I would suggest starting with the campaign, as it allows you to unlock all characters as well as significant options and upgrades for arcade mode.
The campaign serves to experience the story, unlock all characters, and obtain Cosmic Cubes, which function as currency in a menu section called the Vault.
Marvel Cosmic Invasion features 15 playable characters. They are not all available immediately but are unlocked by progressing through stages laid out on a branching map. What surprised me is that even if you choose one of the two directions, you cannot proceed until you’ve completed the other path as well. Maybe for longevity, narrative completeness, and unlocking all characters.
All stages include a collectible (sometimes well hidden) and secondary missions. Some of these missions must be completed with a specific character. While generally simple, they require some effort, especially in the later sections. Unfortunate enemy positioning and certain level design choices can lead to some frustration for completionists.
What Works Well
In Marvel Cosmic Invasion, as in TMNT, characters level up during the adventure. This time, each level gained unlocks stat improvements such as additional health points, as well as exclusive passive abilities.
The real novelty lies in the Cosmic Swap system: essentially a Tag Team mechanic. Players can choose two characters from the roster and switch between them at any time. Be careful: if one character’s health bar is depleted, they are defeated, leaving you with only one character. By combining one of the four pad buttons with the swap one, you can trigger an assist attack from your partner. Each button corresponds to a different assist move.
Returning to the previous topic, it’s worth highlighting the care put into the combat system.
At first glance it may seem simple, but it’s actually fairly deep. The 15 characters, despite sharing the same control scheme, don’t produce the same results. In addition to the standard attack, which translates into distinct, well-animated combos for each character, there are other options. Depending on the character, the heavy attack may be a grab or a special strike. Each character also has a defensive move button: either a parry or a dodge. Jumping and double-jumping function differently depending on the character: Venom and Spider-Man can use their webs, while Storm and others can even float in the air.
Animations are well done and give personality to each playable character. The impact of hits also feels satisfying.
This attention to detail creates numerous synergies, making it interesting to experiment with the right pairings to tackle enemies or bosses.
Bosses themselves are both a blessing and a curse. While well animated and designed, they are not numerous, and their distribution and positioning in the final stages are poorly handled. Boss fights are better: fun, some with interesting gimmicks, though nothing truly memorable.
The Vault: The Illusion of longevity
A short paragraph to explain this idea of longevity.
Earlier I suggested playing the campaign first and then arcade mode. Completing the campaign grants Cosmic Cubes, which can be used to unlock various content.
This is where the Vault section comes into play. From the game menu, you can access it and redeem rewards using Cosmic Cubes: alternate costume colors for heroes, lore elements, soundtrack tracks, and most importantly arcade modifiers.
These modifiers are used to adjust arcade mode by adding penalties to increase difficulty. Especially considering that in arcade mode, selected heroes do not recover lost health between stages.
While these options are interesting, they essentially require replaying the same stages, or repeating a level until all secondary missions are completed. This is one of the flaws Marvel Cosmic Invasion fails to overcome, carrying it over from the previous title.
My two cents
Marvel Cosmic Invasion takes steps forward that ultimately feel more like confirmation than evolution. This is not a negative judgment, and the game is far from mediocre. However, in a review context, I cannot ignore the limited progress made by Tribute Games.
Although it improves some of the major flaws of TMNT: Shredder’s Revenge, Marvel Cosmic Invasion remains closely tied to its predecessor’s foundations.
Its gameplay and mechanics are its strong suit: seemingly simple, but rewarding when explored more deeply.
Nothing to criticize regarding aesthetics and soundtrack: great care has gone into designing heroes, environments, and characters (including enemies and bosses). Animations further enhance each hero’s personality and are well crafted.
The 1990s-inspired music is engaging and well suited to the context, energizing the entire experience.
Unfortunately, Marvel Cosmic Invasion inherits the longevity issue once the main arc is completed. It tries, but doesn’t fully succeed.
All things considered, Marvel Cosmic Invasion is a solid title that offers well-crafted mechanics and interesting ideas. A must-have for those who enjoyed TMNT and for anyone who appreciates a strong combat system.
Marvel Cosmic Invasion
PRO
- Good level design
- Wonderful aesthetics and soundtrack
- A deep combat and progression system
CON
- Longevity issues
- Some design flaws in the last stages of the game
- Some enemy positioning flaws in the last stages of the game
7.9/10
