‘Marvel Cosmic Invasion’ Review (PS5)
As I’ve gotten older, I play video games less and less – which means it takes something special for me to actually pick up a pad and commit, even more so to see a game through to the end. These days, my tastes are pretty narrow: side-scrollers (beat-’em-ups and shooters in particular) and the odd sniper outing. So when something grabs me in that wheelhouse, it really grabs me. Marvel Cosmic Invasion is very much a prime example of the former.
At heart, Marvel Cosmic Invasion is a classic arcade brawler – the kind that would’ve once eaten your lunch money in a smoky cabinet at the back of a seaside arcade. You pick your hero, hit the streets (and then the stars), and punch your way through waves of bad guys with a breezy, pick-up-and-play immediacy. What elevates it above throwback pastiche is how confidently it embraces Marvel’s cosmic corner: the settings leap from gritty spaceports to Kirby-esque starfields, the enemy designs skew gloriously weird, and the boss encounters feel pulled straight from a dog-eared stack of Bronze Age comics.
Mechanically, it’s satisfyingly old school without feeling fossilised. Combat has weight – every uppercut lands with a crunchy thud – but there’s enough modern polish in movement, dodges, and character abilities to keep things fluid rather than stiff. Each hero brings their own flavour to the brawl, encouraging experimentation instead of locking you into a single “best” pick. I found myself replaying stages just to see how different characters handled the same encounters, which is exactly what a good beat-’em-up should make you want to do.
Presentation is another win. The art style nails that sweet spot between retro sprite work and contemporary clarity: colourful, expressive, and packed with comic-panel personality. The soundtrack leans hard into pulse-pounding, heroic themes that push you forward without becoming white noise, while sound effects deliver that all-important arcade “oomph” with every hit. It’s the kind of audiovisual package that doesn’t just look the part – it feels right.
Most importantly, Marvel Cosmic Invasion respects your time. Stages are tightly paced, challenge ramps up without cheap frustration, and checkpoints are generous enough that you’re encouraged to keep going rather than bounce off. In an era where many games demand sprawling commitments, there’s something refreshingly honest about a title that simply wants to entertain you, stage by stage, punch by punch.
For someone like me – a lapsed gamer who still has a soft spot for side-scrolling brawlers – this is exactly the kind of experience that reminds you why you fell in love with the genre in the first place. Marvel Cosmic Invasion isn’t trying to reinvent the wheel; it’s lovingly tuning it, polishing it, and then letting you tear through the cosmos at full speed. If you’ve got even a passing fondness for classic beat-’em-ups or Marvel’s weirder, wilder corners, this one’s an absolute no-brainer.
***** 5/5
Marvel Cosmic Invasion is out now on PS5, Xbox and Nintendo Switch.
