The persistence of retro-influenced games in modern culture is fascinating, reflecting a widespread desire to, on some level, turn back the clock and abandon all the frills and glamor of contemporary gaming. Of course, there's always the question of balance, as many old-school arcade games haven't aged well despite their gleam in our collective memory. Not a lot of classically influenced video games get this balance right, but Marvel Cosmic Invasion most certainly does.

Marvel Cosmic Invasion doesn't tell a subversive or experimental story, nor does it reinvent the wheel with respect to its genre conventions, but that doesn't matter much. Players have access to a roster of 15 distinct heroes, each with their own spate of weapons and skills, available in both the story-based campaign and classic arcade modes. It's not the most complex game out there, but it's far more multifaceted than one might first assume: there's a high skill ceiling for those willing to reach for it.

I was expecting to enjoy Marvel Cosmic Invasion—after all, it comes from Tribute Games, the studio behind 2022's excellent Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Shredder's Revenge, which is a similar retro arcade throwback. But I wasn't exactly expecting to be blown away by this Marvel adventure, which is every bit as good, if not a bit better, than its TMNT predecessor. It's slick, stylish, smooth, and the best beat-em-up since Streets of Rage 4.

Multiplayer beat-em-ups will often feature a wide selection of characters to play as, encouraging synergy and unique teamwork scenarios. For instance, Player 1 might assume the role of a tank character, slow-moving and heavy-hitting, while Player 2 may opt for a more agile playstyle. Marvel Cosmic Invasion builds upon this basic structural philosophy by making each of its characters truly novel, visceral, and refreshing. No two heroes feel the same to play—variety that goes far deeper than mere attack speed, DPS or other stat.

Some characters can parry, others can dodge; some can throw, while others have ranged attacks. Even within these broad-strokes mechanical concepts is a surprising degree of ingenuity. For example, She-Hulk and Phoenix can both throw enemies, but the former's WWE-inspired moveset stands in stark contrast to the latter's telekinesis-powered throws. Through this mechanical variety, Cosmic Invasion reveals its true depth, that being its wealth of choice, which ultimately leads to greater expression via gameplay.

In my early hours with the game, my "favorite" character would consistently get replaced by the next one I tried. There really are no weak links in the roster, and each hero has at least one gameplay quirk or unexpected move that makes them memorable. I haven't walked away from Marvel Cosmic Invasion with a favorite character, but rather with favorite mechanics: simple but effective moves like Beta Ray Bill's sustained Stormbreaker throw, or Phyla-Bell's sword-based teleportation, are consistently fun to use, and transform seemingly pedestrian enemy encounters into graceful, vibrant comic book splash pages. Such encounters encourage and cultivate experimentation, but not so much that the game becomes impenetrable for more casual audiences.