While not on the same scale as Marvel or DC, Image Comics is the third-largest comic book publisher in the United States. Its first flagship character was 'Spawn,' who is widely known even here, and in the 2000s, the company hit it big with 'The Walking Dead' before scoring another back-to-back home run with 'Invincible.'
And this 'Invincible' IP is quite unique.
Before this, superhero stories followed implicit rules. There are heroes who champion justice and, naturally, villains who oppose them, but even in fierce battles, they rarely 'destroy' each other. Since you cannot retire a carefully crafted character after just a few issues, characters who are defeated in one issue often reappear in the next, and heroes who are declared dead somehow find a way to return.
However, 'Invincible' twisted these rules. If a hero or villain is smashed to pieces and dies, they are gone for good. It even depicts this explicitly without hiding the gore. This unique concept—showing exactly what happens when superpowered beings truly clash—later influenced works like 'The Boys' and 'Logan.
Is there any other IP as thrilling for a fighting game? While 'Omni-Man's' guest appearance in Mortal Kombat eased the craving, now that a 'full version' is desperately needed, a fighting game titled 'Invincible VS' has arrived. It may not be quite on the level of Mortal Kombat, but it brings a level of brutality that comes a close second.
How does hero vs. hero work?
First, there is one thing to address. Because it is too extreme, I won't include it directly in the article, but 'Invincible VS' features uncensored brutality. Decapitation and dismemberment are common, and landing a finisher literally causes the entire body to explode. It isn't 'brutality for the sake of brutality' like Mortal Kombat, but it vividly shows what happens when a body is subjected to the force of a punch that can level a building. If you are curious, check the official trailer.
The problem here is that, as a fighting game, it frequently forces scenarios where heroes fight heroes or villains fight villains. For example, 'Invincible' and 'Atom Eve' are a couple, and in the original series, they are even parents. Yet, in this game, you might witness the grotesque sight of Invincible tearing off Atom Eve's head.
The original story of 'Invincible VS' resolves this dilemma. The game explains the premise through an original narrative based on the Invincible universe, which provides a context that makes any matchup understandable. It means you can accept even a brutal fight between spouses. Of course, I won't go into detail to avoid spoilers.
However, the length is absurdly short. It takes less than two hours to clear the entire story mode. While fighting games generally don't prioritize narrative, many recent titles have put significant effort into it. There is the grand scale of Tekken 8, and even Mortal Kombat has a dedicated story line.
But the story line in 'Invincible VS' ends right after the explanation. It stops at explaining 'how heroes can fight heroes.' It is like having only the 'introduction' of a classic four-act structure. Given that the original Invincible series gained popularity for its realistic narrative, I expected a bit more, which is a shame.
Controls are no longer the issue. What matters is 'psychology'
In terms of the 'fighting system,' the essence of the genre, this game shows a uniqueness that sets it apart from others. Invincible VS is essentially a 3-on-3 tag game where you can swap characters at any time. Also, since a portion of the damage taken is 'recoverable damage,' you must swap characters at the right time to survive. This is a system seen in many other games; even Tekken Tag Tournament, released nearly 30 years ago, allowed real-time tagging, albeit with only two characters.
The most unique aspect of Invincible VS is that there are no 'character-specific techniques.' All characters share the same control scheme. You don't need to input complex commands like 6n23 to dash, nor do you need to elegantly rotate the stick to align directions. Mashing the light attack button naturally triggers a combo, and pressing buttons in sequence—like the Gatling combination in the Guilty Gear series—also results in combos.
The variables here are the tag system and the techniques that create mind games.
Like many fighting games, Invincible VS has an escape mechanic for when you are on the defensive. You can also momentarily call in an ally to extend a combo, or tag them in entirely to continue the assault. Conversely, you can counter an opponent's tag to break the flow of their attack.
When to launch the opponent into the air, when to use a tag to extend the attack, whether to use your current gauge as a finishing blow or save it to block an opponent's counter—the battles in Invincible VS are decided by this 'mind game.'
At high levels, all fighting games eventually face this situation. Even 'Tekken,' where each character has anywhere from 60 to over 100 moves, eventually boils down to this at the top level. When both sides have mastered complex and difficult moves as if they were basic attacks, the fight ultimately comes down to psychology.
You might think there is little difference between characters, but that is not the case. Even when pressing the same special attack button, one character might perform a roundhouse kick while another fires a long-range projectile, and the hitboxes or damage of ultimate moves and basic combos differ slightly. The choice of character definitely influences how you approach the battle.
Easy for everyone, yet difficult for everyone
As such, 'Invincible VS' is a fighting game that anyone can easily get used to, but one where no one can be truly overwhelming. Once you go through the not-so-difficult process of 'mastering the basics,' anyone can fight convincingly, but if you fail to read your opponent's mind, you can lose to anyone. It is a somewhat leveled-out fighting game.
Of course, it is true that some of the core fun of fighting games is lost in this process. Unlike other games where you spend hours honing combos, enter matches, realize your weaknesses, and climb the ranks through a process of trial and error, this game decides victory or defeat based on who has better combat instincts from start to finish. Since this process is a legitimate part of the fun in fighting games, it is a regrettable aspect.
However, it has great potential as a couch game, as even first-time players can engage in familiar combat with just a little practice. While the initial roster of 18 characters feels a bit small considering up to 6 characters (3 per player) participate at once, this is something that can be resolved through updates, so it is not a permanent issue.
If you ask, 'Is it worth buying?', it is cheaper than AAA titles, but given its somewhat high price point, it is hard to say with confidence. Fans of the Invincible IP will welcome the animated presentation and high-purity gore, but in terms of narrative and character pool, the volume for the price is not very high.
Still, it deserves credit for properly removing the 'hurdle' that has been one of the eternal challenges of fighting games. And although short, the animated cutscenes that appear like a spice during the narrative presentation are of higher quality than the original animation, which is definitely a plus.
- Controls that are too easy for a fighting game
- Narrative presentation that rivals the animation
- Faithful reproduction of the original work
- Fun diminished by being too easy
- Story mode that is way too short
- No Korean translation
Review Platform: PC (Pre-release review build)
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