Superhero games are nothing new at this point, but superhero fighting games still feel oddly uncommon. That’s part of what immediately pulled me toward Invincible VS, as it’s been a long while since Injustice released, which was the last super hero fighter that I enjoyed and because the Invincible universe already lends itself perfectly to the genre. It’s violent, fast, emotional, and packed with larger than life characters who settle arguments by throwing each other through buildings. After spending a good amount of time with the game, I came away impressed by how well it captures that chaos while still managing to feel like a serious fighting game underneath all the blood and chaos.
What surprised me most is how confident the game feels right from the start. Invincible VS doesn’t waste time trying to slowly ease players into its systems and ideas. Within minutes, characters are crashing through city streets, pulverising each other into concrete, and leaving trails of destruction. The game fully commits to the brutality that made the comics and animated series stand out in the first place. Every punch feels heavy. Every super move looks catastrophic. Even basic attacks have a satisfying weight and impact that makes fights feel vicious.
At the same time, there’s a lot more depth here than I initially expected. At its core, Invincible VS is a 3v3 tag-team fighter, meaning you build a team of characters and swap between them during matches. Anyone familiar with games like Marvel vs. Capcom or Dragon Ball FighterZ will immediately understand the structure, but Invincible VS still manages to carve out its own distinct spot in the genre. Combat is fast without becoming completely overwhelming, and the controls are accessible enough that I was pulling off flashy combos pretty early on. But once I started spending more time with the mechanics, I realised there’s the potential for a lot of strategy hiding underneath the surface.
Assist attacks, juggles, combo extensions, defensive counters, and tag mechanics all play a huge role in higher level matches. It creates this constant sense of momentum where every fight can suddenly swing in either direction. One good combo can completely change the pace of a round, especially when you learn how to chain teammates together effectively.
The best part is that the combat simply feels good. That sounds basic, but it’s the most important thing a fighting game can get right. Hits have weight behind them. Characters move with speed and aggression. The visual effects make every exchange feel explosive without turning the screen into unreadable chaos. On PS5, the performance stayed smooth the entire time I played, even during the most ridiculous moments where multiple characters were flying across the screen at once while entire environments collapsed around them.
And yes, fans of the series will be glad to know the violence is absolutely excessive. This is probably one of the most brutal fighting games I’ve played in years. Bones snap during finishers. Characters get slammed through buildings hard enough to leave craters in the ground. Blood sprays across the screen. It’s graphic, but it never feels pointless because it’s completely in line with the source material. Invincible has always stood out because of how it contrasts traditional superhero ideals with horrifying levels of destruction, and the game captures that tone almost perfectly.
The story mode takes a smart approach by telling an original story rather than simply recreating the events of the show. I would have preferred if the story actually recreated the events of the comic or show as it would have provided a lot more content to work with and could have acted as a complete way for a newcomer to learn the events of the show and its insanely quirky cast of characters. Instead, the game creates a new conflict involving a multiverse timeline and new threat while pulling in familiar characters from across the series.
The story itself is entertaining, even if it’s not especially groundbreaking. The real strength comes from the character interactions. Mark and Omni-Man still carry the emotional core of the game, and their relationship remains one of the strongest aspects of the entire Invincible universe. Some of the quieter moments between fights actually landed better than I expected, especially when the game slows down long enough to remind you that these characters are constantly balancing personal trauma with world ending stakes.
Presentation helps a lot too. The cutscenes lean heavily into a comic-inspired visual style, using dramatic transitions and stylised framing that make everything feel like an animated graphic novel. The voice acting is also excellent across the board. The performances give the story enough personality that I stayed invested even when the plot itself became fairly predictable.
That said, the campaign is probably my biggest disappointment overall. It’s just too short. I finished the story much faster than I expected, and by the time things really started building momentum, the credits were already rolling. The ending feels abrupt, almost like the game is setting up future expansions rather than delivering a fully satisfying conclusion on its own. Fighting games traditionally aren’t known for lengthy story campaigns, so I wasn’t expecting a massive RPG-style experience, but I still wanted more than what’s here.
Thankfully, the roster helps make up for some of that missing content because the characters are genuinely fun to use. The lineup pulls together most of the major fan favorites, and nearly everyone feels distinct in combat. Invincible himself is balanced and beginner friendly, making him a solid starting point. Omni-Man is slower but absurdly powerful, built around devastating hits that punish mistakes hard. Atom Eve focuses more on ranged pressure and setup-heavy gameplay, while Rex Splode thrives on unpredictability and explosive attacks. Battle Beast feels like pure aggression, rewarding nonstop offensive pressure, and Allen the Alien ended up becoming one of my personal favorites because of how durable and versatile he feels.
What I appreciated most is that the roster doesn’t just rely on visual differences. Characters genuinely play differently enough that learning someone new changes how you approach matches. That variety adds a lot of replay value, especially online.
Speaking of online, this seems like where Invincible VS is meant to thrive long term.
The online experience was surprisingly stable throughout my time with the game. Though I don’t often play fighters competitively or spend a tonne of time online, to be honest. Matches felt responsive, inputs registered cleanly, and I rarely encountered serious lag issues. That’s incredibly important for a fighting game because no amount of flashy presentation matters if online matches feel sluggish or inconsistent. Thankfully, the netcode here seems strong enough to support competitive play, which gives the game a much better chance of building a lasting player base.
There’s also a decent amount of customisation and progression outside of standard matches. Unlockable cosmetics, alternate colors, player cards, and extras give you something to work toward as you continue playing. Training mode is especially well-designed too. It does a good job teaching advanced mechanics without making newer players feel completely overwhelmed, which is something a lot of fighting games still struggle with.
Still, there are areas where the overall package feels a little thin.
Outside of online play, there simply aren’t enough modes to keep solo players engaged for very long. Arcade mode is enjoyable, and the story mode is entertaining while it lasts, but after that, the game starts relying heavily on replaying fights online. A survival mode, challenge tower, or some kind of roguelike progression system would have added a lot more longevity for players who prefer offline content.
I also think the roster could have been slightly larger at launch. The current lineup is good, but there are a few noticeable absences that stand out if you’re a longtime fan of the comics or show. Some characters feel almost guaranteed to appear later as DLC, which is always a little frustrating in modern fighting games. But is the model they all operate on these days so I can’t say it’s overly surprising.
Balance is another area that will probably need ongoing updates. Certain characters feel overwhelmingly aggressive online, especially once experienced players start mastering advanced combo chains. Newer players may find themselves getting steamrolled pretty quickly if matchmaking pairs them against veterans.
Even with those issues, though, I had a genuinely great time with Invincible VS. More importantly, it feels like a game made by people who actually understand why fans love this universe. So many licensed games end up feeling shallow because they rely entirely on recognition and nostalgia. Invincible VS avoids that trap by building a legitimately fun fighting system first and layering the license on top of it instead of the other way around.
The result is a game that captures the sheer insanity of Invincible better than I expected. The fights feel brutal. The characters feel powerful. The world feels dangerous. And underneath all the blood and destruction is a surprisingly solid competitive fighter with real long-term potential.
It isn’t perfect. The story mode ends too quickly, the offline content could be much stronger, and there are balancing issues that still need attention. But the foundation here is excellent, and I can easily see this becoming one of those fighting games that steadily grows over time through updates and community support.
For fans of Invincible, this is an easy recommendation. For fighting game fans, it’s absolutely worth paying attention to. It may not reach the heights of the genre’s biggest legends just yet, but it lands one hell of a first impression.
A PS5 review code was provided by the publisher for the purpose of this review.
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8
- + A solid 3v3 fighting experience
- + Captures the tone and gore of the source material
- + Has a lot of strategy layers that can be learned
- + Good NetCode and online experience
- - The story mode is short and a missed opportunity not recreating the existing story
- - The roster is missing some noteable characters
