Marvel Cosmic Invasion Can Turn Anyone Into a Beat ‘Em Up Fan

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After the success of games such as Streets of Rage 4 and Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Shredder’s Revenge, Dotemu is preparing to offer a beat ’em up style treatment for Marvel with Marvel Cosmic Invasion. Given the positive reception these games have received and Dotemu’s growing reputation in the side-scrolling brawler genre, it’s no wonder that Marvel Cosmic Invasion plays wonderfully. If you’re already a fan of both Marvel and beat ’em ups, there’s plenty to get excited about, but even if you only care for one of these interests, Marvel Cosmic Invasion might just pique your interest in both.

I found myself in the same predicament when I played Marvel Cosmic Invasion for the first time at Summer Game Fest. Typically, beat ’em ups aren’t my strong suit, but Marvel Cosmic Invasion has been designed to cater to newcomers, making it accessible for all. Dotemu’s appealing pixel art is back, drawing inspiration from iconic Marvel character designs seen in the Annihilation comics storyline, while also incorporating influences from other notable Marvel comic series. The controls are user-friendly, and after just a short 30-minute demo, I felt comfortable playing. Despite not knowing my co-op demo partner beforehand, we quickly synchronized our gameplay once we got the hang of it.

15 playable characters were initially planned for the game launch, with Wolverine, Spider-Man, Venom, Captain America, Storm, Nova, and Phyla-Vell being accessible during the demonstration. While the first six characters are widely recognized by Marvel enthusiasts, Phyla-Vell might require a bit of digging for casual fans. The rest of the roster offers popular choices, ensuring that Marvel Cosmic Invasion caters to all types of players. In this game, you can select two characters per player. Without much strategic thought, I opted for Spider-Man and Venom, but it quickly became evident during the demo that team compatibility will significantly impact performance in challenging levels.

It’s really impressive to see the amount of per-pixel personality that Dotemu managed to put into the game, Marvel Cosmic Invasion. Spider-Man had a variety of determined and surprised expressions, but watching Venom was particularly enjoyable on this lively, colorful battlefield. A dash attack sent him soaring across the screen with his mouth wide open like a symbiote land shark, while a jumping attack propelled him forward like a wrecking ball swinging from above. Because of its more amorphous size and shape, Venom was able to be much more expressive in Marvel Cosmic Invasion, and his combination of powerful area-clearing abilities and grappling moves for dealing with faster enemies made him feel like a strong starting choice.

Initially, our character interactions flowed well and battles ran smoothly with only minor hiccups due to new enemies or environmental hazards until we reached the final boss, Taskmaster. This Marvel antagonist employed a unique shield technique, blocking attacks before launching it at us. At this point, our strategy was to halt him from getting the shield back before inflicting as much damage as possible. However, surprisingly, he refused to let go of the shield, making what could have been a quick fight into a prolonged encounter. This version of the game, Marvel Cosmic Invasion , was still in early development (as evidenced by nearby Dotemu developers observing the Taskmaster battle), so it’s difficult to predict if Taskmaster’s shield would be as stubbornly sticky in the final edition. Nevertheless, overall, the game seemed to favor the players significantly.

As a gaming enthusiast, I’ve got to say, the Marvel Cosmic Invasion isn’t spilling all its character secrets just yet, but from what we know so far, it’s got a nice blend of fan favorites and hidden gems. The roster alone has me hyped, and if the gameplay feels as good as it seems, Dotemu is shaping up for another pixelated smash hit this year.

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2025-06-18 21:16