A cosmic battle awaits! Choose between 15 Marvel Super Heroes in this frenetic action beat 'em up to fight against the deadly Annihilation Wave threatening the galaxy. From New York City to the depths of the Negative Zone, the future of the Marvel Universe will be fought for across the stars!

This beat 'em up has two game play modes. Arcade is a straightforward playthrough like a classic beat 'em up. Campaign mode lets you attack a stage at time via the linear (at first) map with branching paths and challenges that unlock palettes, character profiles, Arcade mode play modifiers, and music. There's online co-op, where I had some fun playing some Campaign mode with Arcade Quartermaster! You can even play in Campaign mode with online co-op.

Every playable character has most of the same basic abilities, but each hero comes with their own set of unique abilities. For instance, some heroes (Captain America, Iron Man) and block and parry with their shields, other heroes use that button to evade and get the upper hand on rushing enemies. The special button does different from hero to hero, draining a finite amount of ammunition that recharges over time or by special actions. There is also a mega crash super attack that can only be unleashed when its meter is full. Your attributes will improve in Campaign mode as you gain experience points. Some characters in Campaign need to be unlocked by completing a specific stage.

This game pulls from decades of Marvel lore and combines bits and pieces to form its own era. You'll see evergreen versions of many characters side-by-side with more recent creations like Cosmic Ghost Rider, but the overall is based on the 2006 "Annihilation" comic book and its sequels and spin-offs. That event redefined the cosmic corner of Marvel, showcased Annihilus as the extinction-level threat found in this game, and led to the formation of the Guardians of the Galaxy team later seen in the MCU. Nova starred in that storyline (one Nova-specific Campaign mode challenge is based on it), but the version of Richard Rider seen here is based on his mid-90s Nova's look and attitude. The credits rightfully lists the legion of comic book artists, writers and others who created these characters or the stories involving them.