Invincible VS Review

Invincible is one of the greatest comic book series, which is praised by many fans around the world. The story defines one of the most compelling modern superhero narratives. Moreover, it is also great to see that the co-creator of the comic book series has brought the story to TV with an animated series. As a lot of fans have praised the animated series as well, I was thrilled to see Invincible VS, a fighting game based on the animated series. The show has captivated a huge audience, but how well it does with a fighting game, which is a very competitive space. Seeing the developers of Killer Instinct (2013) making Invincible VS got my hopes up for the title. This is our review of Invincible VS, developed by Quarter Up and published by Skybound Games.

NOTE: The devs provided the review copy of Invincible VS.

Story and Setting

Invincible VS is a through-and-through fighting game where you get to play as fan-favorite characters at iconic locations. Although you can fire up the Versus or play against other players in the multiplayer mode, Invincible VS does include a Story Mode. Invincible VS tells an alternate storyline in a different timeline of the Invincible universe. In this new timeline, Omni-Man remains a threat, but with returning characters like Rex fighting alongside others against Conquest.

However, the overall story mode is short, and I mean it. I completed the whole story in about 40 minutes, and it feels like the devs added it in the last minute. However, the overall concept of adding a new timeline to manipulate events shows an interesting turn of events. Another thing that I did not like about the story mode is that the story concludes on a cliffhanger. Maybe the Devs continue the trajectory with the updates in the future.

The setting of Invincible VS stays relevant to the comics and the show, but with Technicians’ interference. You get to fight in familiar arenas like the cityscapes and the GDA facility. However, some of the arenas do not show much meaning and feel like more of a background.

Gameplay

Invincible VS is a 3v3 fighting game, very similar to Marvel vs. Capcom. It is built around the tag and chaining attacks mechanism. You pick up a team of three fighters from the 18 rosters; the rest of the characters are locked behind DLC, bummer, and you fight against a team of three. It can be a bit confusing at first, especially if you haven’t played fighting games with tag and chaining attacks mechanics. However, the Quarter Up team has done a brilliant job of making this whole mechanic as beginner-friendly as possible. There is nothing really complex about the system.

Launch a combo at the opponent and switch up the combo by tagging your partner for chaining hits. Landing perfect chain hits with your team feels very authentic and refreshing. However, this is what you don’t have to master; what you need to master is when to channel a tag and when to fake it. The opponents can read your tag and counter it to punish you instead. Moreover, there are some other mechanics in the fight as well: Assist Breaker and Heroic Strike. You can get out of a beating with Assist Breaker, but at a cost of meter and inability to tag for 10 seconds. The Heroic Strike lets you absorb an incoming hit and unleash a devastating hit on the opponent to turn the battle in your favor.

Other than these main mechanics, the overall control system is very modern and easy to remember. You have light, medium, and heavy attacks, with special moves that you can perform by tilting a direction with a move. The matches are quite quick and fast-paced, making the whole fight exciting.

Modes

There are five modes available at the launch of Invincible VS, including a Story Mode, Arcade Mode, Versus Mode, Multiplayer Mode, and Training Mode. Story Mode is hardly 2 hours long, as many players can complete it in an hour. Arcade mode offers classic ladder-style matches against AI opponents. It is best for practicing different team synergies and combos. Training mode is mainly for learning tag mechanics and practicing countering opponents. The Versus Mode lets you battle against other players locally or AI opponents. It is ideal for couch play with your friends. Lastly, the Multiplayer Mode is for online play with both casual and ranked options.  

Audio and Visuals

The visuals of Invincible VS deserve praise for delivering comic-accurate gore and animations. Every time you strike hits on opponents, you can view the build-up of gore on the opponent and on the floor. The character design is spot on, and you get to experience the violent moves of each character fluently. Hearing the sounds of bone-crunching effects with gore on the screen will hype you while playing Invincible VS. The sound design is great, and I highly appreciate the voice actors for capturing the essence of the characters. Both visuals and sound make every fight cinematic and true to the franchise the fans love.

Verdict – Score 7.5/10

Invincible VS is a great fighting game, built by the developers of Killer Instinct. It delivers the accurate gore and brutal combat experience from the comic and Amazon series. The fighting mechanics stay in the modern route to be user-friendly, even for beginners. However, with such a short story mode and missing captivating modes like survival towers or mission challenges, some players might not find it as appealing or drawn to as other fighting titles.

Invincible VS is now available on PC, PlayStation 5, and Xbox Series X|S.