At the current Steam Next Fest, you can try out various demos for upcoming games. MeinMMO editor Nikolas Hernes grabbed the demo for a new Marvel game, which he has already played multiple times, even though there are only 2 levels.
What game is it? Marvel Cosmic Invasion was announced only this year. The beat ’em up in the style of Streets of Rage convinced me with the first trailer. A nice pixel look, a good mix of Marvel characters, and great animations promised a promising indie game.
Now, at the current Steam Next Fest (October 13, 2025, to October 20, 2025), you can test a demo of the game. You play through 2 different level segments and can choose from 9 characters. And what can I say? Even though you are always playing the same levels, I had to play the demo 5 times right away, because even that small section fulfills all my Marvel fan dreams.
You can watch the announcement trailer here:
The demo shows what a good, modern beat ’em up should look like
What makes the Marvel Cosmic Invasion demo so good? For one, the look is perfect for the genre. The development studio, Tribute Games, has already shown with Steel Assault or Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Shredder’s Revenge that they are masters of colorful and beautiful pixel art.
This is the perfect look for a Marvel game because it beautifully translates the comic style. This atmosphere is also conveyed by the soundtrack. Anyone who grew up with the old cartoons or the Marvel vs. Capcom
series will feel very comfortable here.
The 2 stages that could be played in the demo hid small comic details that fans can discover. In addition to the fighting action, there are also side comments from the playable heroes that create a relaxed atmosphere. You just have good vibes with everything that happens.
But the most important thing is the gameplay, and I can only say positive things about that as well.
Fun gameplay with a lot of potential
How was the gameplay of the demo? The current demo of Marvel Cosmic Invasion offers 9 playable characters that differ from each other. Even though the button layout remains the same, it feels fundamentally different to play as Rocket Raccoon or She-Hulk.
The animations and hit feedback of the characters were quite good in the demo and also represented the personalities of the various heroes. However, the true heart of the gameplay is the tag mechanic.
You select two heroes at the beginning between whom you can switch freely during the level. This not only provides variety, but also opens up more opportunities for combos. For example, you can switch during an attack to achieve a higher combo or give an assist command. This means you stay with your current character, but your second character performs a move.
This way, the variety of combos and the willingness to experiment increase. That’s why I played the demo a total of 5 times just to try every character. Just that alone was extremely fun for me, even though I was basically playing the same 2 levels.
Paired with a timer, this already ensures a rewarding motivation in the demo. I also liked the character selection:
- Captain America
- She-Hulk
- Rocket Raccoon
- Nova
- Venom
- Spider-Man
- Storm
- Phyla-Vell
- Wolverine
This is a good mix of different areas of the Marvel universe, and the other confirmed characters already show that they are not just relying on well-known MCU characters. Especially for fans who want to see something different, this could provide a successful change of pace.
Moreover, it is nice to see that not only big AAA games are being developed in the Marvel universe. Smaller titles allow for experiments and more absurd stories.
When is Marvel Cosmic Invasion supposed to be released? So far, it is only known that the game is supposed to be released in 2025. I will definitely keep an eye on Marvel Cosmic Invasion, as the demo convinced me. So much so that I even bought the predecessor TMNT: Shredder’s Revenge to keep myself occupied with another beat ’em up until then.
Marvel is full of absurd characters that deserve to be presented to a larger audience. One special character in Marvel Cosmic Invasion could even wield Thor’s hammer: Thor is not the only one in the Marvel universe who can wield his hammer: An important character has been missing from the films so far
