Marvel Cosmic Invasion Game Director & Narrative Designer Talk Superheroes & Beat-Em-Up Legacies

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Dotemu and Tribute Games’ new title, Marvel Cosmic Invasion, is a nostalgic return to classic side-scrolling action. It revives the tradition of Marvel heroes teaming up to battle waves of enemies, but updates the experience with exciting combos and vibrant visuals. The game aims to capture the fun of those older titles for a new generation of players.

The new game features 15 characters you can play as, plus a host of villains to defeat, and those who created it had as much fun making it as players are having playing it. In a recent interview with egmr.ru, Game Director Frederic Gemus and Narrative Designer Yannick Belzil talked about how they chose the game’s heroes, why they decided to center the story around a cosmic threat like Annihilus, and what players can look forward to in future updates to the side-scrolling game.

Welcome To The Marvel Universe, Hope You Survive The Experience

Okay, so I’ve been playing Marvel Cosmic Invasion, and it seriously feels like a classic superhero beat-em-up – in the best way possible! The story is cool: Annihilus, one of the Fantastic Four’s biggest enemies, is trying to take over the galaxy with this massive army of bug-like creatures from this place called the Negative Zone. Basically, it’s up to heroes like Spider-Man, Wolverine, Captain America, Storm, Rocket Raccoon, and a ton of others to stop him and save everyone.

Yannick Belzil, a Narrative Designer, explained that the idea to feature Annihilus and draw inspiration from the popular Annihilation comic book series came directly from Marvel. He said Marvel suggested the cosmic setting and storyline, and the team quickly realized Annihilus would be a fantastic villain for a beat ‘em up game – he’s aggressive, boisterous, and has a commanding presence. Plus, he already had a well-known group of enemies, which is perfect for this type of game. They made some changes to the original story to include Earth-based heroes and locations, and to create a ‘90s-style blockbuster vibe, similar to movies like Operation Galactic Storm or Independence Day.

Focusing on the cosmic side of the Marvel universe allowed the game’s developers to feature some lesser-known heroes, like Nova and Phylla-Vell. These characters haven’t received as much attention as others in the game, making the selection process a fascinating challenge, according to Belzil.

When choosing characters, gameplay comes first. Each character needs unique abilities and a different way to play – some fly, some don’t, some fight from a distance, and so on. We also consider how they look, ensuring a diverse roster with interesting animations. It’s important to us to represent the breadth of the Marvel universe, including mutants, Spider-People, street-level heroes, the Avengers, and cosmic characters. We specifically chose Nova and Phyla-Vell because they’re from the ‘Annihilation’ storyline but aren’t as well-known, giving us more creative freedom to reimagine them.

Although the development team managed to include a huge amount of Marvel content in the game, some ideas didn’t make the final cut. As is common during game development, certain cameos and story references were considered but ultimately removed because they didn’t quite fit. With so many different Marvel characters and stories to choose from, some of the more obscure ideas weren’t feasible, but the team is still very happy with all the surprises and references they were able to include in the game’s campaign.

Teamwork Makes The Dream Work

A really fun part of playing Marvel Cosmic Invasion is being able to switch between two heroes during each level. With just a tap, you can instantly change which hero you’re controlling, letting you try out different characters and combine their unique skills. This adds a lot of variety – you can cover weaknesses like a lack of flight or long-range attacks – and opens up opportunities for powerful, screen-clearing combos.

Game Director Frederic Gemus and his team designed the game to capture a central theme of the Marvel universe: teamwork. Marvel stories often feature heroes collaborating, whether in large groups like the Avengers, smaller duos, or through team-up adventures. This emphasis on collaboration creates a strong contrast with the villain Annihilus, who desires sole control. They realized limiting teamwork to multiplayer would be a missed opportunity, especially with a large roster of 15 playable heroes. Players might feel overwhelmed choosing just one and missing out on other characters’ abilities. This led to the ‘Cosmic Swap’ feature, allowing players to switch between two heroes or combine their powers mid-game. This provides flexibility in tackling challenges and, importantly, allows for interesting character interactions and storytelling while keeping the gameplay dynamic.

Cosmic Invasion is the latest in a long line of Marvel side-scrolling beat-em-ups, continuing a tradition that started with arcade hits like X-Men and Captain America and the Avengers, and continued on home consoles with games like Spider-Man and Venom: Maximum Carnage. The developers at Gemus were deeply inspired by these classics, and wanted to recapture the fun of playing with friends and the excitement of discovering new content. However, they also aimed to innovate. Instead of simply copying the gameplay of older games, they built Cosmic Invasion around the unique abilities of its superheroes. For instance, since some heroes can fly, the game features multi-layered arenas and flying enemies. Similarly, they designed enemies to counter ranged attacks, giving the game a fresh feel that moves beyond simple nostalgia and classic genre tropes.

Dotemu and Tribute Games have had great success recently revitalizing classic side-scrolling beat-em-up games, especially with the critically acclaimed and popular Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Shredder’s Revenge. Reflecting on that success and how it influenced their new game, Cosmic Invasion, a developer noted that they believe their previous game resonated with players because it was easy to learn and fun to play with others. They focused on creating a simple gameplay experience – even very young players could enjoy it by pressing just a couple of buttons – and made it easy for anyone to join in, either online or locally. This accessibility became a central focus for their new game as well. Even though Cosmic Invasion features more complex characters and more action, they’ve made sure it remains enjoyable for players of all skill levels, so everyone can play together.

Days Of Future Past, Today

Reviving the classic beat-em-up genre for today’s gamers is surprisingly difficult, as these games thrived in arcades but often didn’t translate well to home consoles. However, Dotemu and Tribute Games have successfully struck a balance, creating a game that honors the genre’s roots while also feeling fresh and modern.

Tribute Games creates games that feel nostalgic, like the classics you remember. While we often use retro aesthetics—like pixel art and classic arcade genres—our games are completely modern. We’re big fans of beat ‘em ups, and our team has a lot of experience with the genre, so we know what works and what doesn’t, and we build on that knowledge to create fun experiences.

We’re building a game that’s easy to learn but difficult to master, focusing on the things that made classic games so fun – like satisfying rhythm, fluid combo systems, and a diverse cast of characters. We want it to be a pure, joyful experience that surpasses modern gaming expectations. We see this as a great way to introduce players to the kinds of games we grew up with, not just through its visual style, but also its simple, effective gameplay. It’s a unique entry in the Marvel Games lineup, and we hope the nostalgic feel will inspire players to explore the original cartoons and comics from that time period.

So, about future content – it all really depends on how players like the game when it launches. The team’s keeping an eye on the reaction, and if it does well, we’ll definitely look into DLC. Honestly, it was awesome – and a little touching – to see people already asking about extra characters and downloadable content even before the game was out! It shows there’s a lot of excitement, and we’re listening.

Looking back on the game’s development, Gemus highlighted the incredible fan response to the superhero lineup as the biggest highlight. He described the energy at San Diego Comic-Con when Beta Ray Bill and Silver Surfer were revealed as playable characters as “nuts!” While they could have included hundreds of fan-requested heroes, he felt players truly appreciated the characters they did choose and understood the team’s vision, which made them even more excited for the game’s release.

Marvel Cosmic Invasion launches December 1, 2025, for PC, PlayStation, Xbox, and Nintendo Switch.

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2025-11-20 18:15