The Invincible comic series by Image Comics was created and written by Robert Kirkman in 2003, running for 144 issues before concluding in 2018. It was a unique take on the superhero genre, and although it found niche success, it was still critically acclaimed by avid comic readers and even some of the industry’s biggest veterans. In 2021, Invincible got a new lease on life with an animated series on Amazon Prime Video, with the criminally underrated story finally getting its due and becoming an instant hit.

Season 4 just wrapped up this month, and season 5 is already in development, set for release in 2027. So far, Invincible has had two video game adaptations on mobile and PC, and its characters have appeared as skins in Fortnite, and Omni-Man was even a playable DLC character in Mortal Kombat 1.

Now, in 2026, Invincible enters the fighting genre as Invincible VS, published by Skybound Games and is the first game developed by Quarter Up, a new studio with some former developers from the now-defunct Double Helix who worked on the 2013 reboot of Killer Instinct. Invincible VS is now on Xbox Series X|S, PlayStation 5 and PC. 

Invincible and his allies are battling against Omni-Man and the Viltrumites on Earth, but begin to suspect something is wrong, noticing their foes are acting out of character. Briefly glimpsing a strange enclosure after taking a heavy blow, Invincible begins purposefully injuring himself until his surroundings disappear, finding himself in a high-tech facility. When he is attacked by Robot, Rex Splode and new hero Ella Mental, he realises they all have implants that cause hallucinations. 

Determining that damaging the implants is the only way to shut them off, Invincible defeats the others in battle, overloading their implants and restoring them to normal. Unsure where they are or how they arrived, the heroes venture deeper into the facility to uncover the mystery behind it all. 

Invincible VS is a 3v3 tag-fighting game based on the animated series, which made a few changes from the comics. The base roster consists of 18 playable characters, including Invincible, Omni-Man, Atom Eve, Rex Splode, Dupli-Kate, Monster Girl, Robot, Bulletproof, Cecil Stedman, Allen the Alien, Battle Beast, Conquest, Anissa, Thula, Lucan, Titan, Powerplex and Ella Mental, a brand new character made just for the game by series creator Robert Kirkman. Unfortunately, some characters miss out, but more are confirmed to be on their way via Season 1 DLC with Universa and The Immortal, plus another two yet to be revealed. 

The overall gameplay is similar to Marvel vs. Capcom 3, a 3v3 tag fighter, but it also has some unique features. The controls have four attack buttons with light, medium, heavy and special, two assist/tag buttons to call for assist to extend your combos or tag out to allow a character to recover, a dash button which can also be done by double-tapping the joystick or d-pad in a direction, and a boost button to enhance special moves with enough boost meter. Supers can also be performed with each character having two Level 1 Supers to deal heavy damage and one Level 3 Super to deal even bigger damage.

Special moves are simplified, as is common in newer fighting games, but that doesn’t necessarily make it easier to win matches, especially online. Players wanting to be competitive will still need to practice, but it feels rewarding when that practice pays off and satisfying when your combos land. Players can also perform team-based combos and link their Level 1 Supers to deal as much as possible.

If players are caught in a big combo, they can call an assist to cancel their opponent’s combo, provided they have enough boost meter. The game mechanics are designed to provide opportunities to find or create openings for big combos and counters to decimate your opponents.

Players will pick a team of 3 and utilise their movesets to deliver moves and combos representing each character’s superpowers and abilities. With six characters being Viltrumites and two non-Viltrumites possessing the same super strength and flight, it would be hard to make them distinct, but somehow the developers have managed to give them different move sets that reflect their personalities. The rest of the characters bring a ton of variety to the game with their unique superpowers. It’s up to each individual player to decide what team combination works best for them, or just pick their favourite characters. 

Being made by former Double Helix developers who worked on the Killer Instinct reboot, some of that animation style can be seen in this game. As good as the characters look using their different powers and abilities against each other, some of the Supers look generic and too simple. Supers in other fighting games are flashy and over-the-top. A select few character Supers are certainly spectacles to behold, but other characters’ Supers pale in comparison and don’t look much different from their regular moves.

Even some of the Viltrumite characters don’t look like they’re trying their hardest to destroy their opponents. Some of the Supers may look as devastating as they should and feel like the developers ran out of ideas, but they still serve their purpose by dealing heavy damage and giving you the edge in battle. 

The blood and gore make everything look more brutal, even the generic-looking Supers. Despite its bright and colourful art style, there is plenty of extreme violence for your guilty pleasure, which is a big part of the Invincible franchise’s identity.

Cuts and bruises will also appear on the characters, and their outfits will be torn the more they take a beating. If a Super depletes the rest of the character’s health, their bodies will explode with all their bones, guts and other organs splattered everywhere, much like the Brutalities in recent Mortal Kombat games. 

The game comes with all the important single-player and multiplayer modes, including Story Mode, Arcade, offline and online VS, Practice, Tutorials, and Extras. Completing an Arcade ladder unlocks a character ending, a unique scenario narrated by the character. This provides a lot of single-player content, and Invincible fans will love seeing scenarios not seen in the comics or show. 

Story Mode features an original story set in the Invincible universe written by Helen Leigh, a writer/co-executive producer for the animated series and Mike Rogers, the narrative director for the game, in collaboration with series creator Robert Kirkman. With them working on the game’s story together, you’d expect big things. Unfortunately, Story Mode is short and underwhelming. It can be completed in about an hour, and it feels like a filler episode. 

The best part is literally right before the credits roll, leaving you on a cliffhanger when things actually get interesting. The Arcade endings are actually more interesting and provide more lore. There’s currently no word on whether it will continue with a DLC update, because fans want to know what happens next. Hopefully, they don’t cheap out on us.

Extras is where all the unlocked endings, Story Mode cutscenes, soundtracks, concept art and even pages from the comics can be enjoyed. Anything not yet unlocked will have text explaining the conditions for unlocking it, giving players plenty of incentive to keep playing. 

The real fun is in VS mode, either at home against a friend or at an eSports event, or online, where there are currently plenty of opponents to match up with. Ranked, Casual and Lobbies are included, and in my personal experience, the online play has been solid with little to no delay. Occasionally, some matches may struggle depending on the connection strength, but for the most part, they have been smooth thanks to its rollback netcode. Crossplay is also included, so players on Xbox Series X|S, PlayStation 5 and PC can duke it out online. 

Presentation-wise, each character has the same personality and mannerisms, making them feel like they came straight from the show. It uses 3D graphics but has a kind of comic book art style, reflecting the look of the comics and TV show. Even the Viltrumite characters wearing the same uniform have distinct features that set them apart. The show is well known for its strong voice performances, and many of the voice actors reprise their roles in the game, including J.K. Simmons as Omni-Man and Gillian Jacobs as Atom Eve.

A few characters were recast for the game, possibly due to scheduling conflicts, such as Aleks Le as Invincible and James Adomian as Allen the Alien, but they do just as good a job, and it’s hard to tell they were recast at all. 

The soundtrack has a nice mix of techno, rock and some orchestral tunes. They don’t stand out as much as other fighting game soundtracks, but they still help add excitement and intensity to the matches as characters pummel each other. The announcer also adds to the excitement whenever combos, counters and Supers happen, similar to the Killer Instinct announcer. 

The single-player content can be completed in a day or two, but the online play is what will keep players coming back for more. Invincible characters are on their way. Just like the source material, it doesn’t shy away from all the violence and gore, adding to the intensity of a match. The base roster of 18 characters gives plenty of variety for your team of 3, the gameplay is fun and chaotic, and the online play is smooth and solid. How long it remains relevant in the Fighting Game Community, only time will tell, but it is a solid entry for the fighting genre and a strong first game by Quarter Up. 

Players looking to create dream matches with their favourite Invincible characters while having chaotic fun and pulling off devastating combos, should look no further than… [cut to the title screen] Invincible VS. 

Written by: Sammy Hanson