Tribute Games’ Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Shredder’s Revenge is a fantastic beat ‘em up. Its combination of expressive sprite art and frenetic pace makes for a raucous romp through a lovingly rendered pixelized version of a classic cartoon. And it’s even better if you’re lucky enough to go through it in multiplayer. The studio’s latest game, Marvel Cosmic Invasion, aims to do the same for the Marvel universe, and in many regards it matches or even surpasses its predecessor.
However, deciding my exact feelings on Cosmic Invasion in relation to Shredder’s Revenge is more difficult. For each improvement, there’s a minor detail that just bugs me. These flaws are admittedly granular and aesthetic, but when a product is banking as hard as these do on retro and comic nostalgia, these are details that matter. But don’t let all this hedging discourage you; this is still a great beat ‘em up worth blazing through with as many friends as are available.
A Marvelous Melting Pot
The plot in Marvel Cosmic Invasion is a heavily simplified rendition of Dan Abnett and Andy Lanning’s Annihilation event comic, seeing the ruler of the Negative Zone, Annihilus, leading his forces to invade and destroy Earth and the rest of the universe. Aside from a few brief intros and bits of incidental dialogue, that’s all there is to it. This isn’t a flaw, and given that beat ‘em ups tend not to have very involved stories, I wasn’t expecting much else. In fact, the simplicity offers a sort of Saturday morning cartoon type of charm, which helps add to the mix of visible influences on display here.
Although Marvel published Annihilation in 2006, design elements and some lore details from Marvel Cosmic Invasion clearly evoke the company’s ‘90s era. Many character designs, most obviously Nova’s, are derived from that period, most of the X-Men characters are played by their actors from the ‘90s cartoon and its follow-up, and Iron Man is still publicly thought to be Tony Stark’s bodyguard.
But the game is also not a clear-cut ‘90s throwback. Characters like Cosmic Ghost Rider and Knull debuted in the late 2010s, and other characters like Shuri resemble their MCU iterations. This eclecticism is particularly charming if you’re a comic aficionado like myself. The same is true of background cameos, which extend from modern favorites like Jeff the Landshark to obscure curiosities like Brute Force, a team of environmentalist talking animals.
This could’ve easily been jarring, but the excellent sprite work on display ensures a cohesive aesthetic. No matter what era they’re drawn from, or whether it’s a majestic cosmic being like Silver Surfer or a brutal brawler like Wolverine, the entire cast feels like part of the same world. The only flaw with the sprites is that most are either stone-faced or masked, leaving little room for expression with the notable exception of Rocket Raccoon. The characters in Shredder’s Revenge, meanwhile, burst with personality and cartoonish pep.
A Hero for Everyone
One thing that Marvel Cosmic Invasion’s cast does have over the turtles and company is variety. While many of the characters in Shredder’s Revenge, especially in the base roster, share fairly similar movesets with subtle differences, each character in Cosmic Invasion is noticeably distinct. Its roster is a healthy balance of A-list heroes and fan-favorites, with an emphasis on the cosmic side of Marvel lore.
Each character has a unique charge attack and a unique second attack, and while they’re not always flashy, they do encourage switching up and experimenting with the roster. I’m particularly fond of She-Hulk and Phyla-Vell, daughter of the original Captain Marvel.
This is doubly encouraged by the tag system, whereby a single player picks two characters and is able to swap them out at any time or call one in to assist with a combo. In multiplayer, this can potentially turn an already crowded screen into total chaos. That chaos can make it difficult to beat some of the challenge missions the game presents, so if you want to unlock a few codex entries or alternate color palettes without excessive hassle, it’s best to save them for a single-player run.
On the Other Hand…
All of this being said, there are other, less polished elements, especially in relation to the game’s predecessor. While neither game has a particularly engaging plot, Shredder’s Revenge having the turtles engage in a continuous chase across multiple stages at least lent a sense of continuity. Cosmic Invasion pinballs rapidly between New York, Wakanda, the Savage Land, and multiple alien locales without much connective tissue. While they’re accurate and beautiful, they feel much more like simple backdrops.
This problem also extends to the cast, though it’s more understandable. A Marvel beat ‘em up without staples like Spider-Man, Wolverine, or Captain America would be a hard sell, but given the game is drawing from a story that doesn’t feature them at all, it does make the cast feel unfocused. The Annihilation saga led to the creation of the modern Guardians of the Galaxy, yet Rocket is the only staple member represented here. Some of this is probably to have a wide variety of character playstyles, and while decisions like forgoing Thor for his Korbinite brother-in-arms Beta Ray Bill are quite smart, I feel there’s more room for a middle ground.
Gameplay-wise, there are also a few hiccups. For one, I would’ve liked something along the lines of the classic Ninja Turtles hoverboard sections. While they’re not the most radical gameplay upheaval, they’re enough of a change in pace to keep things fresh. The difficulty is also easier, which may be due to many characters having ranged attacks. For games with relatively simple mechanics, I’d prefer a bit more challenge, but Marvel Cosmic Invasion is still tough enough to be fun.
But of all the differences between the two, the most noticeable to me has to be the music. None of it is bad, and on its own it would be hard to see why anyone would take note of it. However, Shredder’s Revenge set a high bar to live up to, with Sonic Mania composer Tee Lopes collaborating with Ghostface Killah, Raekwon, Mega Ran, and Mike Patton on an energetic, memorable soundtrack that perfectly complemented the madness of its gameplay. Cosmic Invasion retains Lopes as composer, and while the music is still good, it is far less memorable.
And Yet, It’s Still Great
While I can ho and hum about minor issues all day, I do need to stress that Marvel Cosmic Invasion cannot possibly be confused for a bad game. Whatever nitpicks I have about the presentation are offset by gameplay improvements and the solid foundation it builds off of. Beat ‘em ups aren’t my favorite genre, but if you’ve got a group of buddies to burn through one, their appeal is undeniable. Though, much like any great beat ‘em up, a single-player run is still a lot of fun.
If you’re a fan of Tribute Games’ previous work, this will scratch an itch for more. If you’re in a friend group aching for a chaotic fun time, this will serve you all very well. And if you’re a Marvel fan, there’s enough love on display in the characters and cameos to satisfy all the die-hards. Even my cynical, nitpicking heart can’t overcome the fact that I am all three.
Score: 8.6/10
Marvel Cosmic Invasion, developed by Tribute Games and published jointly by Dotemu and Gamirror Games, released on December 1, 2025, for PC, PlayStation 4 & 5, Xbox Series X/S, Xbox One, and Nintendo Switch 1 & 2. MSRP: $29.99. Version reviewed: Nintendo Switch 2.
Sean Cabot is a graduate of Framingham State University, where he also wrote articles for the student paper before writing for RPGFan. In addition to gradually whittling down his massive backlog, he enjoys reading comics, playing Magic the Gathering, watching as many movies as possible, and adding to his backlog faster than he can shrink it.
