Marvel Cosmic Invasion is a brawler that channels the energy of '90s superhero cartoons, and I can't resist a Spider-Man and Rocket Raccoon team-up

After only a couple of levels brawling through Marvel Cosmic Invasion, I'm soaking in the wonderful vibes of '90s Marvel – an electric era of cartoons from the comic book publisher. Just as developer Tribute Games pulled off with the electric Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Shredder's Revenge, this new beat 'em up manages to evoke nostalgia for that era of sunny, colorful cartoon beat 'em up action without actually being tied down by it. Even so, Marvel Cosmic Invasion is a throwback that has plenty of ideas of its own.

Going hands-on for myself, this vibe comes through even in the character selection. With Wolverine and Storm sporting designs reminiscent of the '90s X-Men cartoon, and both Spider-Man and Venom doing the same for the web-slinger's '90s adventures, it's like a homecoming to my childhood. But, then they're joined by characters who – while they existed in the comics in that period – weren't part of that cartoon universe, like Nova and Rocket Raccoon. It's almost like getting to see a version of that animated age that never ended, but instead continued forward to run alongside the MCU. In any case, there's no way I can resist a Spider-Man and Rocket Raccoon team-up.

Avenging Spider-Man

And when I say a Spider-Man and Rocket Raccoon team-up, I mean it – even without a second player to jump in during my hands-on with Marvel Cosmic Invasion. Almost nodding towards Marvel vs Capcom, this beat 'em up is all about the team 'em ups even if you play solo, with each player selecting not one but two heroes. It really helps deal with the FOMO while looking at the hefty roster of characters – far more than I usually have in side-scrolling brawlers like this. But it also presents a huge amount of combination strategies for busting skulls on each playthrough with how each hero's moves compliment another. Captain America and Iron Man are going to feel very different to Captain America and She-Hulk.

Jumping right into an insectoid invasion in New York City, my heroes begin the brawl outside the iconic Daily Bugle offices. It's a similar opening to the also Big Apple-set TMNT: Shredder's Revenge. While both games do look similar, Marvel Cosmic Invasion has a slightly softer and chunkier art-style. Still, the bright colors are a match, which sets Marvel Cosmic Invasion apart from its grittier '90s Marvel brawler predecessors like 1992's X-Men and 1994's Spider-Man: Maximum Carnage.

In action, I really do feel like a superhero, stunting on the large waves of enemies. While combos are simple, there's a range of options that are breezy to use and have different utility. Spider-Man can bash thugs with acrobatic strikes at close-range, for instance, and you can even press and hold a button to web enemies in long-range closer. Cooldown-based web shooters can splat enemies briefly out of commission, and he can attack mid-jump with an arcing web-swing kick. Hold a bumper, and Rocket will jump in with an attack while switching places with the webhead, diving to place down a mine. With a gun that can be charged to add a ridiculous amount of extra guns, he's great at peppering damage at range and laying traps, but can get claw-happy up close too, especially useful bouncing on pesky flying enemies (a bane of the beat 'em up).

Marvel Cosmic Invasion's action starts off slick and just keeps going. A second level takes place on a SHIELD helicarrier under attack by AIM and Modok that's using the chaos of the bug invasion to strike while the defense force is spread thin. On top of having to navigate burnt holes in the airship's metal floor, the haz-mat wearing AIM goons have elemental guns that force me to really think about my spacing, my superpowered zippiness keeping me on the move while I still struggle to find windows of opportunities. And, oh yes, you can have Spidey web-yank ne'er do well across those holes into the sky to drop them down. Uh… they have parachutes tucked away in there probably, right?

As the battle reaches the helicarrier deck, the chaos continues to escalate. SHIELD soldiers lay down supporting fire in the background, gun turrets can be given a good whack to fire either left or right, and both AIM and bugs clash with me caught in the middle. Yet the action still remains readable thanks to clarity of visual design – though I do wonder how it'll feel with the maximum number of co-op partners (a maximum amount of, erm, carnage I'm imagining – thank you, I'll be here all week).

Capping off my time with Marvel Cosmic Invasion is a boss battle against Taskmaster – a genius encounter for a brawler like this, as the superpowered mercenary's ability to mimic any move he's seen means the stacked roster of heroes is turned right back against me. It's a hard-won fight, and I can't wait to see where else Marvel Cosmic Invasion will take me when it launches on PC, PS5, PS4, Xbox Series X/S, Xbox One, Nintendo Switch 2, and Nintendo Switch on December 1.

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