When Marvel Cosmic Invasion launched last year, I was cautiously optimistic. It was yet another beat’em up; a genre that has exploded in popularity and seen dozens of new entries, big and small, over the last five or so years.
Thankfully, the teams at Dotemu and Tribute Games knocked it out of the park. I had a fantastic time with the game as the gameplay was tight, the animations were great, and the playable roster was huge. That roster has expanded with the addition of both Cyclops and Fantastic Four‘s The Thing. I had a chance to play through the campaign with both and can happily say that they not only fit in perfectly with Marvel Cosmic Invasion’s look and feel but are also a lot of fun to use.
Marvel Cosmic Invasion Gets Even Better With Cyclops and The Thing
The key to having a fresh take and a dated feel in a genre that dates back decades is to come up with something that feels modern yet touches on the nostalgia of the 80s and 90s. The roster in Marvel Cosmic Invasion created ample opportunity to experiment and pick your favourites, no matter what mode you choose to play.
But with so many to choose from already, I wasn’t sure adding two familiar faces to the Marvel lineup would make a huge difference. In my review last year, I applauded the work the developers put in to make each playable hero feel distinct with its own move sets. Both Cyclops and The Thing can now be included and actually feel great to play together.
On top of the obvious fists, kicks, and skills, Marvel Cosmic Invasion lets you queue up as two different heroes in order to take down Annihilus and his universe-ending hordes.
Let’s start with Cyclops. Scott Summers to some. Right off the bat, I loved the way he looked, even on the character select screen. He’s donned his recognizable X-Men suit and is wearing a snazzy leather jacket on top. But Cyclops is both style and substance as his moveset is just as cool as his outfit. His light attacks are quick, and his heavy attacks implement his popular optic blast powers. Pressing the button quickly fires a beam at enemies from a distance, while holding it down shoots a massive red blast that hits multiple enemies.
How and where the beams are implemented are what made Cyclops one of my new favourites in the game. Even his dodge is impressive as he fires a beam on the floor, shooting him in the opposite direction and damaging enemies that are at arm’s length. I was firing off a ton of combos of 30-50+ hits with the X-Men legend and really, really enjoyed it!
As expected, The Thing is a heavy hitter and more of a bruiser. But what’s great is he still feels fast enough and versatile like my favourite in the Marvel Cosmic Invasion lineup: She-Hulk.
Similarly, he bashes enemies with both light and heavy attacks and also has the chance to grab them and toss them across the screen. His ultimate move is a blast, calling back to the old TMNT arcade days and Leonardo’s special move. Here, The Thing whips his arms out and spins around in circles as he knocks baddies around with ease. What stood out the most to me was his jump attacks. The Thing will bunch up onto a rocky ball and bounce off the ground, hitting any enemy that’s in its way. It’s a blast to use and honestly looks hilarious.
Verdict
Whether you decide to pair these two heroes together or with another Marvel Cosmic Invasion character, I think there’s a lot of fun to be had here. They add just enough to the now-17-playable-character roster that, if you already enjoy this game and want more, you’ll have a great time. If you’re jumping in for the first time, you now have even more to dig into.
If you want to rack up the combos and dash around the screen, you have Cyclops. Add his swift moves with others like Spider-Man or Nova and you’ll feel like a high-flying hero. Or bring in the big guns with The Thing and Venom or She-Hulk for example and you’ll be crushing classic Marvel enemies with wrestling grapples and hard punches with ease.
[The publisher provided a copy of the game for review purposes.]
Reviewed on: PC/Steam Deck
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Author: 360 Technology Group
