Going into Summer Game Fest 2025 Play Days, I was invited to get hands-on (and hands-off) with a bunch of upcoming titles. But if I’m being honest, there was only one game I was truly excited about: Marvel Cosmic Invasion.
You have no idea how much this game means to me. I grew up on Marvel, watching all the old cartoons, reading stacks of comic books, and playing every Marvel video game I could get my hands on. My Marvel video game journey started all the way back with that Spider-Man game on the Atari 2600. The one where Spidey can’t even crawl onto the windows. It was janky, but it was Marvel, and I loved it.
Now here we are in 2025, and not only are we getting a brand-new 2D beat ’em up, but it’s coming from Tribute Games, the team behind Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Shredder’s Revenge. That alone had me hyped. But then you throw in Dotemu. Yeah, the same Dotemu that helped bring back Streets of Rage 4 with Guard Crush Games and Lizardcube. Now we’re talking beat ’em up royalty.
You gotta understand. I’m a 40+ year-old gamer who grew up in the arcades. I lived and breathed Double Dragon, Final Fight, Bad Dudes, Prisoner of War, X-Men Arcade, Captain America, and The Avengers, just to name a few. These were my jam. And with the recent renaissance in 2D brawlers, of course, I was excited. Hyped, even.
When I finally made my way over to the Marvel Cosmic Invasion demo station, I ran into a longtime PR contact (no name drops, just in case they prefer the low-key life). After a quick catch-up, I was introduced to a couple of folks from Tribute Games, and we got to chat briefly about the project.
During my time with Marvel Cosmic Invasion, I had the pleasure of meeting and speaking with Yannick Belzil, narrative designer, and Eric Lafontaine, marketing manager at Tribute Games. Not only were they both a pleasure to talk to, but they were quite the tandem. Eric served as the hype man, speaking volumes about the game, its influences, and the whole nine yards. Yannick, on the other hand, was a pool of knowledge, not just about the game but the entire industry. He’s a walking Marvel encyclopedia. I even tried to trip him up a few times, and it goes without saying that he answered just about every question I had. The man even had knowledge about Microchip, the guy who used to provide the Punisher with all his gear back in the day. Do you know how many people don’t even remember him?
As for the game, we’ve all seen Tribute Games showing off the characters, the stages, and tossing around plenty of keywords. And I know more than a few folks were like, “There’s no way this is going to be as good as they’re making it out to be.” But after a brief hands-on? It totally is.
What Was It Like To Finally Play Marvel Cosmic Invasion
Think TMNT: Shredder’s Revenge, but set in the Marvel universe. Then take it a step further by throwing in hyper-charged specials, iconic moves, and making each character feel like they were pulled straight out of a comic panel.
Every character not only looks like their comic book counterpart, but Tribute also made them play like them. For example, Captain America has his trusty shield, which can be used to pummel enemies, thrown for ranged attacks, or rushing forward, similar to Charging Star from the Marvel Versus games. Storm can battle foes on the ground or take to the skies, tossing mini-tornadoes and triggering lightning storm specials. Every available character, except for She-Hulk and Rocket Raccoon, who weren’t in this build, played to their strengths, and yes, their weaknesses.
Every character has something they can do that others can’t, or can do better. Yep, archetypes. According to Yannick, there are several in the game. From what I recall, there are ground types like Captain America or Wolverine, and aerial types like Storm or Phyla-Vell. When picking your character, there will be an indicator of sorts that gives a breakdown of what the character is about.
That’s why the ability to control two characters and swap between them makes perfect sense. Sometimes you’ll want to brawl on the ground, other times it makes more sense to take the fight to the air. You can swap between the characters at any time by pressing a button.
As for special moves, they looked amazing and felt satisfying to use, as long as you had enough meter to pull them off. Combos? Oh yeah. You can chain enemies between characters, launch them into the air, smack them down, and keep the pain going. If you’ve ever juggled enemies in Streets of Rage 4 or TMNT: Shredder’s Revenge, you’ll feel right at home.
Now let’s talk visuals. I’m sure many of you noticed the characters look like they were ripped from classic Capcom fighters. That’s intentional. We joked about it during the session, but it was absolutely by design. Storm looks like she did in X-Men vs. Street Fighter and Marvel vs. Capcom, and so do Captain America, Wolverine, Spidey, and the rest. But they’re also more fluid, while still keeping that nostalgic look and feel intact.
While the preview build did include music composed by the incredibly talented Tee Lopes , known for his work on titles like Sonic Mania and TMNT: Shredder’s Revenge, I wasn’t able to fully experience it during my session. I had the headphones off while chatting with the Tribute Games team, so the soundtrack slipped past me in the moment. Fortunately, I was later sent a sample of the in-game music, and it totally fits the vibe of Marvel Cosmic Invasion. It blends that classic arcade energy with a fresh, heroic flair that feels right at home alongside the action. If the rest of the soundtrack hits like what I heard, we’re in for something special. I can’t wait to hear more.
This Feels Like the Marvel Game I Always Wanted
If I’m being real, this is the kind of Marvel game I’ve wanted for years. No live service model. No open world full of checklists. Just a classic, stylish, punchy beat ’em up packed with personality and respect for the source material. Every hit feels weighty, every character feels authentic, and the entire package screams “fans made this.” There’s heart here, not just licensed polish. You can tell this wasn’t made in a boardroom — it came from people who live and breathe Marvel the way I do. And that matters.
While I swapped out to let my partner in crime get some time with the game, I chatted with Yannick and Eric a bit more and asked how this project came to be, which I’m sure a lot of people are wondering. The long story short is that Marvel and Disney knew fans wanted a return to the classic beat ‘em up formula featuring Avengers, Spider-Man, X-Men, and even the Guardians of the Galaxy. And after seeing how well Tribute handled Shredder’s Revenge, it was Disney and Marvel who reached out to Tribute Games and not the other way around.
As for creative control, Tribute Games is leading the project, with some input from Disney and Marvel. But from what I’ve seen, the House of Mouse has nothing to worry about. Tribute knows what they’re doing. And even though this was an early build, it already felt like it was right on par with their other work.
As for what else we discussed, well, we’ll save that for another time. Suffice to say, Tribute Games has some big plans for the game, including potential characters that will be added that I don’t want to spoil. When I was asking questions, I’m sure I hit home on a few incoming characters, but I’d rather wait for Tribute Games to make the announcement themselves.
I Can’t Wait For More
Honestly, I wish I had more time with the game and with the amazing folks who made this whole experience so memorable. I can’t wait to get more hands-on with Marvel Cosmic Invasion, whenever that may be.
As for a release date? No such luck. There isn’t one yet, and I wouldn’t expect one anytime soon. Let Tribute Games keep cooking. If they stick the landing, this could easily become one of the best Marvel beat ’em up games of all time. And when I say that, it’s not hyperbole. My younger self was smiling ear to ear while I played. I’ve got a long history with games in this genre, from arcade cabinets to the NES and modern revivals. This is going to be good, true believers.
Check out the rest of The Outerhaven’s Summer Game Fest 2025 Play Days Coverage:
- Code Vein II Hands-Off Preview at SGF 2025
- SGF 2025: Magic The Gathering X Final Fantasy Hands-On
- Crimson Desert Hands-On Preview: Stunning Open World and Dynamic Combat at SGF 2025
- SGF 2025: Sonic Racing: CrossWorlds Hands-On Preview
- Resident Evil 9: Requiem Hands-Off Preview — Third-Person Perspective Is Back, Plus New Gameplay Details
- SGF 2025 – Onimusha: Way Of The Sword Hands-Off Preview
- Capcom’s Pragmata Surprises at Summer Game Fest 2025: Not Your Typical Shooter
- Dying Light: The Beast Gameplay Preview – Hands-On Impressions From Summer Game Fest 2025
- Shinobi: Art of Vengeance Hands-On Preview – Sega’s Ninja Classic Returns at Summer Game Fest 2025
