Anyone who knows me knows that I’m quite critical of the entertainment I love. This can usually manifest as me seemingly disliking something, particularly when my criticisms and nitpicks become granular and likely of little concern to the general, indifferent audience, but I enjoy dissecting what I enjoy while acknowledging that not everything I adore will be objectively black and white in terms of its execution. For example, I’ve been a Marvel Comics enthusiast for as long as I can remember, but my tastes, such as what eclectic corners of Marvel games I’ve liked or disliked in the past couple of decades and why, wane often.
Some of my favorite Marvel games are also some of the most unique—delivering a rare gameplay genre foray for Marvel—or iconic for the era they belong to, including Marvel Ultimate Alliance, Spider-Man: Edge of Time, and Marvel’s Midnight Suns, the latter of which I easily sank over 100 hours into on Steam.
As for what Marvel game I’m looking forward to most next, it’s not the standard console-selling blockbuster you might expect, but rather Marvel Cosmic Invasion, a 2D action beat-’em-up that is wonderfully nostalgia-infused. I wishlisted Marvel Cosmic Invasion as soon as I was able, and the game’s demo that recently launched on Steam has more than met my high expectations.
Follow Followed
Steam
9.0/10
- Brand
- Valve
- Original Release Date
- September 12, 2003
- Original MSRP (USD)
- N/A
- Weight
- N/A
- Hardware Versions
- Steam
Marvel Cosmic Invasion is One of My Most Highly Anticipated Steam Games
Before I learned that there was a playable demo at all, Marvel Cosmic Invasion was maybe the fastest I had ever added a game to my Steam wishlist. For the sake of clarity, I’ve never been a fan of beat-’em-up-style action games, and I don’t even have that much nostalgia for Marvel vs. Capcom or retro Marvel games that emulate the same vibrant aesthetic with gorgeous pixel and sprite art.
I’m sure the ones I haven’t played are great, but the beat-’em-up genre has simply never captured my interest due to that classification of games largely adhering to co-op-focused gameplay and being fleeting with the time you spend on a game like that (you can tell I wasn’t raised in arcades, can’t you?). However, since the absolutely wild swing that was Firaxis’ Marvel’s Midnight Suns, a half-turn-based tactics and half-RPG social simulator game, I’ve craved a Marvel game that is more creative or unbound to the latest AAA trends in a comic book- or superhero-inspired game, and Marvel Cosmic Invasion is that.
Firstly, Marvel Cosmic Invasion’s roster characters showcase diverse comic book roots, as well as an incredibly exciting main villain, Annihilus (a fascinating Marvel villain the MCU has yet to tap). Second, Marvel Cosmic Invasion’s locations boast what I hold most dear about Marvel Ultimate Alliance, which is that it is globe- and galaxy-trotting in an effort to display a multitude of rich Marvel settings.
Marvel Cosmic Invasion’s Confirmed Roster So Far (13/15 Total Characters)
- Beta Ray Bill
- Black Panther
- Captain America
- Ghost Rider
- Nova
- Phylla-Vell
- Rocket Raccoon
- She-Hulk
- Silver Surfer
- Spider-Man
- Storm
- Venom
- Wolverine
Marvel Cosmic Invasion’s Demo Has Me Thirsting for the Full Release
Now that I’ve played Marvel Cosmic Invasion’s demo, the game’s place on my wishlist is doubly earned, and I’m eagerly awaiting its release date. Seemingly adamant about a 2025 release window, Marvel Cosmic Invasion is likely preparing to launch within the next couple of months, let alone shadow-dropping without a moment’s notice, with this demo merely serving as an amuse-bouche to the entrée that we’ll have soon enough.
To be fair, I’d be willing to wait as many months as Tribute needed if it eventually decided to delay. Either way, I can’t wait to graduate Marvel Cosmic Invasion from my wishlist whenever it happens to launch.