As the one who took a look at MARVEL Cosmic Invasion at Summer Game Fest last year, I could see the potential oozing from it. The devs behind games like Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Shredder’s Revenge and the recent Scott Pilgrim EX? Sign me up. Our reviewer Jack Zustiak thought the same, awarding it an 80/100. Now, the first DLC characters have arrived for the roster: Cyclops and The Thing. Are they worthy additions? Or do they fall flat in the fight against evil?
Jack Zustiak
First up is Cyclops. Spoiler alert: This is the best of the two characters. The classic blue and yellow design is perfection, along with Scott Summers holding a hand to his visor. It’s wholly Cyclops, a great rendition of an iconic superhero. I appreciate his agile nature in movement; he’s not Wolverine or anything, but a quicker champion for the roster.
His skillset is also fantastic. As you’d expect, you’ll be able to fire projectile eye blasts at your foes. Cyclops will also engage in hand-to-hand combat if you get in close, following some attacks with a final laser blow. The heavy attack allows you to fire an intense beam, which is best used at a distance for full effect. It does run out eventually, but will recharge. My favorite part of Cyclops’ abilities is your special attack, which has him firing a wild laser blast that envelopes both sides of him as he whips it around. It’s stylish and over-the-top, which rounds out your offensive moves. A bonus: his block/dodge. When activated, he scooches backwards and fires a thin laser; I enjoy being able to add a little damage in with a dodge.
The Thing, while a great character, comes in second in this DLC. He reminds me of Venom, but a tad slower and with less reach. His character design seems a bit more subdued than I’d expect; he’s The Thing alright, but I’d like the rocky crags of his body to be more jagged. Ben Grimm should be more like his personality and not so smooth.
Still, he’s a brute, clobbering his way through whatever enemy is in front of him with aplomb. His attacks are pretty straightforward – punching or grabbing opponents. I do like being able to punch the enemies I grab, along with throwing them at other baddies, though it’d be better if you could throw them further than right to the ground beside you. Your special attack is Thing spinning around, fists out, which does a lot of destruction to any nemesis on the screen. Overall, I feel like The Thing is a better supporting character – a tough cookie to clean up behind your main hero with the tag team attacks.
At the price of only four dollars, this is a win of a pack. Cyclops is an easy number one with a unique skillset that not only fits the game but feels fresh. Even though The Thing isn’t as impactful, he’s a good addition and works well in that secondary slot. I highly recommend picking up this DLC – fleshing out the roster of a four-player co-op game is always a great call.
MARVEL Cosmic Invasion - Cyclops & The Thing is now available on PC, PlayStation 4 & 5, Xbox Series consoles, and Nintendo Switch 1 & 2.
