Invincible VS review: "A joyfully gory fighting game adaptation"

Crimson-stained fists lay siege to my face. My mask torn, my resolve in question, I ride out the torturous combo until an opening finally presents itself. Omni-Man is too slow to block as I deliver a series of strikes that knock him into the air before bringing him crashing back to the ground in an explosion of blood. The opening brawl of the game's story mode is over, my dad is defeated, and I'm [Invincible title card appears].

It doesn't take long to see that Skybound Games' Invincible VS faithfully adapts the hyper-violent source material from Image Comics. This 3v3 fighter is equally as blood-spattered as the Amazon Prime Video series, with every playable character eligible to be reduced to a scarlet pulp should the battle go the way of the opposition. As a fan of the franchise, I feel right at home in developer Quarter Up's work, at least initially.

Are you sure?

Playing as Conquest, Anissa, and Omni-Man – my go-to triumvirate – there's a natural order to obliterating the likes of Allen the Alien and Rex Splode. After all, the three Viltrumites are as close to godhood as fighters in the Invincible canon can get, at least for the timeframe the game seems to be set in, which doesn't appear too far off season four of the animated show. But, it's hard to take losing one of my trio to Cecil Stedman or Titan. Not to throw shade at the two characters because they're both great, but these moments emphasize the importance of suspending disbelief when playing Invincible VS.

This isn't the first fighting game to work with problematic power level matchups (I never question Pikachu beating Sephiroth in Super Smash Bros.), but the liberal application of viscera makes the whole thing feel comedic. When watching the Invincible series, the gore is vital to the story beats. It helps us understand what Mark Grayson is up against when he fights Conquest, or how dreadful a loss Powerplex suffered on his tragic quest for revenge. But here in Invincible VS? Well, it's quite funny when Atom Eve turns Battle Beast into a shower of offal. This lack of impact is a good thing, of course. I can't imagine enduring a fighting game where every loss was emotionally devastating, but it's jarring at first nonetheless.

Luckily the game cleverly addresses this. Characters routinely smacktalk each other before bouts, with dialog varied based on the relationship between the fighters, and often tongue-in-cheek. My current favorite is when Omni-Man asks Invincible what he'll have in 500 years, only for the latter to retort with "The memory of kicking your ass." *chef's kiss* I can tell you thought about that one, Mark.

The story mode's wholly original plot similarly lessens the weight of unleashing all hell on friend and foe characters alike. To save you from any spoilers I won't go into details, but it does enough to explain why Mark could turn Atom Eve into a red stain on the ground only to have her seemingly fine afterwards without taking the sense of stakes out of said encounter. If anything, this makes the experience more fun as we get to duke it out time and again without inflicting trauma or guilt on our beloved Mark – Lord knows he has enough of that already.

Try to keep up

Invincible VS uses a pretty simple move list in comparison to the lengthier input sequences seen in the likes of Tekken or Street Fighter, but its fundamentals still take cues from other four-button fighters. Playing on PS5, the square button produces a light attack, triangle gives a medium hit, circle is a heavy blow, and X activates a special attack, with a pleasing, character-specific animation. Combining some inputs, as you'd expect, initiates other actions like a grab, while holding R2 can boost the damage of certain moves. Tapping L1 or L2 will call in a teammate to assist you, or you can swap over by holding the relevant input down for a few beats.

Comboing is just as straightforward, including a Dragon Ball Fighterz-like auto-combo when repeatedly using the square button, which unleashes a climactic special attack at the end if you have enough charge – Invincible VS' version of a special meter. Capping at five, several are required for an ultimate attack. These grand slam finishers call back to the show, and my favorite is Nolan flying his opponent face first through buildings in a red-tinted cityscape before dropping an enormous rock on them.

Mechanically, the core combat pillar of Invincible VS is rhythm. You have to choose when to use a strike or call in a teammate, often tying these actions into wider sequences. If you're on the receiving end of a beatdown then you can summon an ally to break you out of your foe's combo. Similarly, you can call on your fellow fighters to enhance your own attacks, chaining a flurry of blows into swapping over your combatant, with the next hero or villain of your choosing entering the arena with a bang.

The result is a fighting game that feels less intimidating from the off, and that's more suited to the parry-centric, post-Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 world we're living in. Not to say that other fighting games don't utilize rhythm and parrying, just that Invincible VS doesn't ask for too much more than that, at least if you want to be a competent fighter and triumph over the harder difficulty single-player modes.

In addition to the story mode, which can be played through on normal or hard difficulties, there's also an arcade mode offering several ladders, ranging from easy to Viltrumite difficulty. The latter is especially challenging because your team members' health bars don't fully reset between bouts, meaning you can start your next battle at a disadvantage.

It's a good thing Invincible VS has a comprehensive training mode, teaching you everything from the basics to advanced combat techniques that can shift momentum when it matters most. I know not everyone vibes with learning fighting games in this way, but I implore even casuals to embrace Robot's teachings before diving into the main game.

Online play is also available, with casual and ranked options. During the review period I was only able to sample this mode briefly, so I can't speak to what form it'll take upon release, but I am delighted to say I suffered no lag or similar issues during my few PvP encounters.

One noticeable deviation from the streaming series is the acting cast. Steven Yeun, who plays Invincible in the Prime Video series, doesn't return for the game, with Aleks Le (of Solo Leveling fame) taking on the title role instead. Likewise, Seth Rogen and Walton Goggins also don't feature – leading to some immersion-breaking moments when Allen and Cecil speak – although some of the show's names are present, including the great J.K. Simmons as Omni-Man.

Invincible VS is a joyfully gory fighting game adaptation that smartly dilutes the emotionally hard-hitting storytelling of its source material in order to serve up high-stakes combat that'll keep you playing for hours at a time. Its array of single-player and difficulty options encourages repeat story and arcade playthroughs, and makes character experimentation worthwhile, while its relative simplicity means Invincible fans need not be intimidated if unfamiliar with fighting games.

If you've come to Invincible VS in pursuit of the same emotional impact you'd find in other Invincible media, you may feel disappointed, but the more easygoing energy present in the fighting game is a justified and welcome change of pace. All we need now is for Skybound Games to add Seance Dog as a playable character and even Mark Grayson himself would happily pick up a copy.

Check out our best fighting games list for more punch-ups!