Marvel Cosmic Invasion on Xbox is a vibrant, retro-inspired beat ’em up that combines the chaotic fun of classic arcade brawlers with a fresh tag-team mechanic, delivering a short, challenging and highly entertaining romp through the Marvel multiverse.
Developed by Tribute Games and published by Dotemu, Marvel Cosmic Invasion follows in the footsteps of TMNT: Shredder’s Revenge, embracing pixel-art visuals, side-scrolling combat, and a roster packed with heroes — albeit in this case, a few that are lesser know. The premise is simple but effective: Annihilus, armed with the Cosmic Control Rod (lol), launches an invasion across the galaxy, and it’s up to an assembled cast of Marvel icons to stop him.
The campaign spans 15 stages, each inspired by locations from across the Marvel universe, and while the story is unsatisfyingly light, the presentation feels like a Saturday-morning cartoon brought to life. Characters are well-imagined, well-drawn and well-voiced, and the overall presentation is hard to ignore.
What sets Cosmic Invasion apart is its tag-team system. Each player selects two heroes, swapping between them mid-battle to chain combos, extend attacks, and adapt to different enemy types. This mechanic adds depth to the otherwise familiar beat ’em up formula, encouraging experimentation and teamwork. The roster is generous, with 15 playable characters ranging from Spider-Man and Wolverine to Beta-Ray Bill and Storm, each with distinct movesets and flashy special attacks.
Gameplay itself is fast, punchy, and satisfying. Enemies are unfortunately a bit samey and appear in wave after wave of similar alien forms, but the bosses are challenging and demand pattern recognition to defeat. Thankfully, the controls are tight enough to make button-mashing feel rewarding without being mindless, despite what is quite a complex range of melee, ranged and tag-team attacks on offer.
Playing solo is perfectly enjoyable and perhaps how I spent about half my time with the game, but Cosmic Invasion shines brightest in co-op, where up to four players can join forces for enough on-screen action for anyone’s eyeballs. The chaos of multiple heroes on-screen, swapping in and out with tag mechanics, creates a spectacle that feels both nostalgic and fresh, whilst also being a bit hard to follow.
Visually, Cosmic Invasion is a treat. Tribute Games’ pixel art is colorful and expressive, with detailed backgrounds that capture the over-the-top ridiculousness of the comics. One standout favorite for me is a mission where Galactus approaches in the distance, sporadically using a beam to suck rocks into his gaping maw.
The soundtrack leans into energetic, retro-inspired beats that complement the action, and the overall presentation is polished and full of earnest comic-book charm. On Xbox Series X, performance is smooth, with crisp visuals and stable framerates that keep the action flowing. There are moments where I felt the gameplay itself was a bit slow and sluggish, but if anything I think that’s by design, and certainly doesn’t seem to reflect any technical flaw.
Perhaps the only other drawback, if any, is that the campaign is relatively short — about three to four hours — and repetition can creep in if you play extensively in one sitting. This is more a genre limitation than anything, but it hasn’t been corrected even forty years since this kind of game was popular: waves of enemies, familiar stage progression, and occasional button-mash fatigue are all factors. But the tag-team mechanic, varied roster (with many different play styles), and sheer Marvel fan service help offset these issues, making the game feel more replayable than many of its peers.
Marvel Cosmic Invasion on Xbox is a bright, joyful and accessible beat ’em up that celebrates Marvel’s heroes with style and energy. It doesn’t reinvent the genre, but its tag-team system, large roster, and polished presentation make it one of the most engaging modern brawlers I’ve played in a long time. For fans of Marvel or retro arcade action, it’s an easy recommendation — a game that captures the spirit of classic co-op chaos while adding just enough new ideas to keep things fresh.
Marvel Cosmic Invasion is available now for Xbox, PlayStation and Nintendo consoles as well as PC.
