Invincible VS

Many of us on the editorial team are fans of the TV series Invincible; Prime Video's superb superhero epic about "the guy next door" - Mark "Invincible" Grayson, who during his teenage years realises he is invincible. Also, he's the son of an extraterrestrial force of nature known as Omni-Man from another planet - a world protector gone rogue who cannot quite come to terms with humanity's flaws, whereupon Invincible is faced with a series of dilemmas. A narrative that tackles themes that are down-to-earth and mature, whilst being skilfully animated and hyper-violent. Skybound Entertainment, together with Quarter Up, felt that this would work very well as a fighting game where we battle a diverse array of unique superheroes with distinct character traits, and as it turned out, they were spot on.

Invincible VS is no ordinary, classic 1-on-1 game; instead, it's all about 3 vs 3. The focus is on tag battles, making it a frenzied affair of dynamic proportions. It's not entirely unlike Marvel vs Capcom 3 in terms of structure, and shares many similar gameplay elements, such as power gauges and special moves. The team behind it was involved in Microsoft's new version of Killer Instinct for Xbox One, so there's no doubt about their experience in fighting games, with fine influences serving as a foundation.

The first thing I did was dive straight into single-player mode, because it features a deliciously gory and well-executed story for solo play - something that's far from a given in fighting games and the genre as a whole. The team behind the TV series was brought in to write and direct the narrative and it shows. This could easily be a three-part episode in terms of length and playtime, capturing the essence of the source material. Invincible, Omni-Man, Atom Eve, Rex Splode, Robot, Cecil, Monster Girl and everyone you've come to know so far are on board - 18 fighters are available, with more to come via the annual pass. Although a few voice actors have been replaced (Steven Yeun as Invincible and Walton Goggins as Cecil are not featured), the majority return, with the replacements skilfully imitating their originals so no criticism should be levelled at them. An interesting new character created by Robert Kirkman is also introduced here - Ella Mental - who harnesses the four elements: fire, water, air and earth.

It's more than adequate and well-animated, offering a new art style that blends a form of digital rendering with more realistic environments - which differs slightly from the series, but works perfectly well in a gaming context. Mortal Kombat and Tekken have also invested in well-thought-out campaigns over the years, but in my opinion, Invincible VS does it a cut above its competitors, which can be attributed to the level of ambition with the TV crew involved between the fighters, weaving in and breaking up the narrative. It is a well-written side story that requires no prior knowledge and aligns well with the source material.

Tag-team battles are on the agenda, with up to three fighters to battle alongside. The basic formula is easy to get to grips with, but requires dedication to master. Nothing unusual in itself when it comes to fighting - but something I personally found a bit tricky at first is how the game's and characters' combos and moves have been labelled. This is because the game uses a localised language and, based on the controller layout, has chosen to name the buttons something other than cross, square, circle, R2 or whatever they might be. Not a huge concern, but slightly illogical for no good reason. Confusion set in before I learnt to think clockwise about the face buttons, with square as 'Light' (L), triangle as 'Medium' (M) and circle as 'Heavy' (H). R2 is called B here, as in 'Boost'. Once you've managed to reprogram yourself, however, the gates open to a decent beating, but I hadn't questioned whether the buttons were labelled as they're actually called or characterised by.

The combat system is based on relatively simple manoeuvres that link together naturally and in a relatively straightforward manner, rather than command sequences requiring ten inputs. Added to this is the three-fighter tag-team system, where your passive fighters in the background can jump in to spice up your combos with special moves. This setup means that virtually anyone can play and enjoy this brawler, where even the most die-hard fans will find deeper systems for effectively knocking out the active opponent and replacing them with one of the opponent's other fighters, creating a degree of strategy and dynamism from both sides when you least expect it. Switching between your three chosen fighters is also the key to success, as inactive fighters regenerate health within their health bar, visible via a secondary gauge within it.

Kicking the opposition's arse builds up your gauges, which are used not only to perform more extensive and upgraded versions of available combos, but also special attacks that rely on them. The violence we've come to love from Invincible is palpable, with blood and clothing splattering and tearing apart in real time, along with the environment. It's fast, hard-hitting and visceral. In addition to the campaign, there are also arcade ladders to climb, ranked and friendly online matches (with cross-play, if you so wish), as well as character cosmetics to unlock. Technically, it runs smoothly and the online code has also been satisfactory during my time with the game.

Invincible VS came as something of a bolt from the blue for me personally; it's surprisingly accessible, yet also offers deeper mechanics in the form of reversals, counters and strategic elements to outwit your opponent and their chosen fighters. However, certain graphical glitches have marred my gameplay, with arms and legs sometimes twisting and 'clipping' through bodies, which I'm sure a patch or two can fix. It's packed with profanity that rains down alongside the sarcasm we recognise from the series, featuring a colourful cast of characters that does justice to the Invincible universe in a fighting game that anyone can play regardless of prior experience, and have a right good laugh in the process.