Most Anticipated Beat Em Up 2025
Marvel Cosmic Invasion vs Absolum
Welcome to another instalment of VERSUS. A segment where we take a look at two highly anticipated upcoming games that have a lot of similarities and stack these titles against each other. First, a little background, why we think each game will be great and finally, which one we are more excited for. This time we are going to be comparing two of the best looking and most anticipated Beat ‘Em Ups.
But first, one game in this segment will always have a slight edge and will be labeled the winner. However, we love games, celebrating them and comparing two amazing titles is only going to bring more attention to both, which is a win-win scenario. Spoiler alert, we are only going to compare two great looking games, which means that the real answer is that you can’t go wrong with either title.
As mentioned, this time around we are going to be heading into one of the oldest genres of gaming, which is the 2D, Co-Op, Side Scrolling Beat ‘Em Up and comparing MARVEL Cosmic Invasion and Absolum.
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If you want to see the previous instalment where we compared the two highly anticipated ninja reboots with Ninja Gaiden: Ragebound and Shinobi: Art of Vengeance, click here or where we compared two of the most anticipated Metroidvanias not named Metroid and look at Hollow Knight: Silksong and Crowsworn, be sure to click here.
Let’s take a quick look at what these games might have in common and a little background before diving into the essentials of each title and then finally, deciding which game should be the most anticipated beat ‘em up.
DOTEMU and the BEAT EM UP REVIVAL
Beat ‘Em Ups are one of the oldest genres that took advantage or technically made the most of the 2D technology at the time with side scrolling. Iconic titles like Double Dragon, Golden Axe, Streets of Rage and TMNT dominated both the arcade and the home console market. However, as technology evolved, many genres eventually faded out of relevance with Beat ‘Em Ups being one of them along with Side Scrolling Shooters and Bullet Hells.
It shouldn’t come as any surprise that the two most anticipated Beat ‘Em Ups are both coming from Dotemu, who have shown a consistent pattern with revitalizing older genres, especially beat em ups. In 2020, there was Streets of Rage 4 and in 2022, there was TMNT shredders revenge which was a huge tribute to the NES and Arcade TMNT titles from the early 90’s. Fans embraced these two titles as they kept the retro feel, but added a modern touch.
Shredders Revenge sold over a million copies in its first week, which is impressive especially considering it was also on Xbox Game Pass Day One. Streets of Rage 4 has also gone on to sell quite well selling over 2.5 million copies within the first few years. Due to the success of Streets of Rage 4, Sega realized there was still a hungry fan base for the series and announced a list of titles in development at The Game Awards in 2023. These titles included a new Streets of Rage in addition to other classics like Shinobi, Golden Axe, Jet Set Radio and Crazy Taxi.
Streets of Rage 4 was developed by lizardcube, Dotemu and Guard Crush. While we don’t know who will be working on Streets of Rage 5, based on the snippet that we were shown, it looks like Sega is taking the series in a more 3D direction and would be safe to assume it’s not any of the same developers from Streets of Rage 4.
TMNT Shredder’s Revenge was developed by Montreal based studio, Tribute Games, who were most known for Mercenary Kings prior to making it big with the bodacious turtles. As mentioned earlier, Shredders Revenge was a commercial smash, and was loved by critics as well. My only feedback was that gameplay was focused on the old school style a little too much. I would loved a few more modern gameplay mechanics or light levelling included to increase the gameplay depth. However, with any remake or reinvention, it’s always a double edged sword. If you don’t do anything, people will be upset that it’s just the same and if you alter too much, then people will be upset there were too many changes. Clearly with the commercial and critical success, Tribute Games walked the line perfectly.
MARVEL Cosmic Invasion
MARVEL Cosmic Invasion is a retro arcade style beat em up coming in 2025 and is the next game from Tribute Games after their great work on TMNT: Shredders Revenge. Just like Shredder’s Revenge, development is being handled solely by the Montreal based studio. Tribute looks to be bringing what people loved about Shredders Revenge to the Marvel universe with their dazzling pixel art that harkens back to the glory days of the genre, as well as plenty of co-op offerings and a few modern gameplay mechanics to feel fresh. Shredder’s Revenge featured up to 6 players co-op, both locally and online, and featured plenty of unique co-op additions to gameplay including being able to gain health by giving high-fives to other teammates.
Although it hasn’t been said, it would be safe to assume that a lot of the same elements will be included with MARVEL Cosmic Invasion. Even though only 4 player co-op has been confirmed, it would be surprising if it didn’t feature up to six player co-op, especially since Shredder’s Revenge already featured six, which means they are familiar with how to implement the mechanic and the Marvel Arcade Beat ‘Em Ups in the 90’s featured the extremely iconic six player cabinet.
Just like TMNT: Shredder's Revenge was a throwback to the 90’s arcade beat ‘em up cabinets, MARVEL Cosmic Invasion is a huge tribute to games like Captain America and The Avengers as well as X-Men. Details are still sparse, but in MARVEL Cosmic Invasion, the immortal Super Villain Annihilus has launched an unprecedented attack accross the galaxy. The only thing that can save Earth is this rag tag group of super heroes plucked from the colourful 90’s comic books.
This leads to two of the biggest questions about MARVEL Cosmic Invasion: Who are the heroes in MARVEL Cosmic Invasion? and how many characters will be in MARVEL Cosmic Invasion? Although we don’t know everyone just yet, we do know that there will be 16 playable superheroes including Wolverine, Spider-Man, Venom, Captain America and Storm. Only about half of the heroes have been revealed so far, and the remainder will likely be revealed in the lead up to the games release to increase the titles visibility. This is the exact same blueprint that Tribute used for TMNT Shredders Revenge. As the release date approached we were drip fed new playable characters like Casey Jones, and April, which increased hype
MARVEL Cosmic Invasion will see you brawl your way across the universe including planet earth and the Streets of New York City all the way to the depths of the Negative Zone far off in the galaxy. The big mechanic with MARVEL Cosmic Invasion is that you get to choose and control your own team of two super heroes with the ability to swap them in and out during battles. Not only will this add a much needed level of variety, but it is also implemented into gameplay to improve depth as you can capitalize on distinct super powers depending on what the situation requires and create unique team ups. Experimenting with different dynamic duos will lead you to discovering stellar power ups and rewards.
Just how things already sound, it appears that MARVEL Cosmic Invasion will have more depth and variety than Shredder’s Revenge. According to the CEO of Tribute their goals are “to once again modernize and push forward the genre while respecting what made the classics great”. If I have any hopes, it’s that the game is slightly longer than Shredder’s Revenge, which was able to be beaten within 3-4 hours. Judging from the trailer and the press release, MARVEL Cosmic Invasion is going to be following the Shredder’s Revenge blueprint, which ended up with an 87% on OpenCritic and it would be safe to assume that this will land somewhere between 85-90 as well.
Absolum
Absolum is Beat ‘Em Up with Rogue-lite elements in what is likely the world’s first Rogue ‘Em Up and they are initially referring to it as. Absolum also is the beginning of something very important as it will be Dotemu’s first original IP. The importance of Absolum and the future of Dotemu can’t be stressed enough. New IP is risky and without success, they might not continue to pursue original ideas, which would be a shame.
Absolum is a rich fantasy adventure that channels the spirt of Golden Axe. According to the press release, Absolum features an engaging narrative with themes of foiling an unbridled, dictatorial power and cheating death itself” A magical cataclysm has happened and in the wake, the Sun King Azra has taken this moment of weakness to conquer all the lands and eliminate all sources of magic through his Crimson Order. Any wizard who is unwilling to bend the knee and serve the king will be slaughtered for treason. The last hope of the people lies in the hands of a few courageous rebels with the help of an ancient, forbidden magic.
Absolum promises to be an unforgettable journey with a campaign that is playable in either solo or two player co-op (local or online). The small band of rebels that you will control features four unique heroes. Galandra the Warrior, Karl The Dwarf, Brome The Wizard and Cider The Assassin. Each hero plays differently with their own unique skill set, personality and motivations. Galandra is far more than your typical warrior as she combines her colossal sword with necromantic powers. Karl The Dwarf is a master of close range combat with his tanky nature, but he is also armed with a blunderbuss to add in some long range support. We don’t know much about the other two heroes just yet, but Brome is a wizard prodigy fighting to keep his ancestral heritage alive and Cider is a nimble skirmisher in search of answers.
BEST UPCOMING BEAT EM UP
Once again, it’s very important to stress this, but both of these games look incredible and I cant wait to play both of them. However, I am more excited to play Absolum and the reasons are almost endless.
MARVEL Cosmic Invasion looks like an experience that I had with TMNT Shredder’s Revenge, which is solid, but Absolum is reaching higher and trying to innovate. I want to experience something that I haven’t before.
In the beginning, the genre was known for simplisitic combat and shallow storylines. With Absolum there is the sounds of a promising story with different character motivations that takes place in a universe that sounds captivating and unique. There is the Dwarven mines of Grandery to the lush forests of Jaroba, everything about Absolum seems steeped in high fantasy.
Absolum is also trying to incorporate rogue-lite elements, four unique character classes, items to unlock, permanent upgrades and quests to add variety as well as to increase the replay factor. More than just having four unique classes, Absolum is also trying to offer a combat system with plenty of depth to keep players engaged with elemental powers, in run upgrades, chained combos, synchronized attacks, and magical counters that demand skill and timing.
If all of that wasn’t enough, the visuals are absolutely jaw dropping, which is thanks to the collaboration on this project. There is Guard Crush and Dotemu who have been honing their Beat ‘Em Up skills, but when it comes to the visuals, that is being handled by animation studio, SUPAMONKS. I might not be overly familiar with their works, but judging by the trailer and gameplay snippets that I have seen, I am sold.
Absolum has a unique look, but it’s also going to have a very sound thanks to the score, which is being led by composer Gareth Coker. There are maybe a dozen composers in the video game industry that people know by name and Gareth Coker is one of them thanks to his incredible scores for the Ori Series, Prince of Persia: The Lost Crown and Halo: Infinite. It doesn’t end there either as the score will feature guest compositions from Mick Gordon, best known for Doom and Yuka Kitamura from Dark Souls and Elden Ring.
Absolum is checking all of the boxes to get excited for: Story, Gameplay, Visuals, Score and most importantly an experience that looks refreshing. Without a doubt it looks to be taking the Hades blueprint that was used for rogue-lites and applying it to Beat ‘Em Ups.
Absolum is more than just a new IP for Dotemu, it’s their attempt to push the genre forward by infusing it with modern elements and other genres to give more depth. In the words of the CEO, Absolum is a “crucial new venture”.
