Marvel Cosmic Invasion
Marvel Games
Marvel Cosmic Invasion is the next retro-style pixel art beat ‘em up from developer Tribute Games, the same team behind Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Shredder’s Revenge, and publisher Dotemu, the studio behind recently released the beat ’em up roguelike hybrid, Absolum, the excellent action platformer, Ninja Gaiden: Ragebound, and countless other modern retro titles.
This is a game that’s been on my radar all year ever since it was first unveiled, but until now the release window was just stated as a nebulous “this holiday” so it’s relieving to see it confirmed for 2025 with a December 1 launch date. Based on how great the Steam Next Fest demo was, I definitely expect Marvel Cosmic Invasion to be in several “best of the year” lists without a doubt.
Marvel Cosmic Invasion Launches on December 1
Alongside the release date announcement today, Dotemu also confirmed the final two characters on the roster: Phoenix, aka Jean Grey, and Iron Man. The final count of characters for launch will be 15:
- Beta Ray Bill
- Black Panther
- Captain America
- Cosmic Ghost Rider
- Iron Man
- Nova
- Phoenix
- Phyla-Vell
- Rocket Raccoon
- She-Hulk
- Silver Surfer
- Spider-Man
- Storm
- Venom
- Wolverine
There are of course some huge gaps in this roster whether you’re looking at just the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU) or Marvel comics in general. Obviously this is not an MCU-related game at all, but it stands to reason that Marvel would love for Dotemu and Tribute Games to include characters that are active on the big screen or in TV series for this new game.
Top of the list has to be the Fantastic Four, especially off the heels of the new film and seeing a quick teaser of Galactus in the new trailer for Marvel Cosmic Invasion. That feels like a slam dunk addition to line up.
Other obvious picks include the likes of Daredevil, The Punisher, and/or Elektra, which would all make great additions for more grounded heroes. We’re also missing several key members of the X-Men, like Gambit and Cyclops, as well as Deadpool. I’m pretty sure all of these would be must-buys for most players.
In fact, you could basically look at the roster of Marvel Rivals and pick pretty much any of those characters to get pixel art makeovers.
But even if Marvel Cosmic Invasion never gets DLC (unlikely) I’m just happy to see it officially releasing. Pixel art visuals and retro-style beat ‘em ups will always be a perfect combination and I can’t wait to play the full game with my son.
