Invincible VS is Dragon Ball FighterZ tag fighting mixed with Mortal Kombat-level gore

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For several years now, Robert Kirkman’s Invincible has mesmerized comic book enthusiasts with its unique portrayal of superhero stories, showing no mercy in terms of graphic violence and gore. The series leaves no stone unturned, making viewers cringe at the sight of buckets of blood and broken human bodies. It seems that a video game adaptation of this series would need to follow suit, and Skybound Entertainment appears to understand this. Invincible VS is Skybound’s initial foray into creating a fighting game based on their popular comic book series and successful animated series on Prime Video. Before its official unveiling, Shacknews had the opportunity to give it a spin.

Initially showcased during the Xbox Games Showcase, Invincible VS is a 3-on-3 tag fighting game reminiscent of Dragon Ball FighterZ. It shares more resemblances with Bandai Namco and Arc System Works’ collaboration than one would anticipate. The similarities become apparent right away as each round commences with the active fighters from both teams colliding dramatically in the center, much like Dragon Ball FighterZ does. This pattern repeats whenever a character is knocked out, as the remaining fighters charge towards each other and a powerful clash marks the start of the next round.

The battles will occur in either Reactive or Transitional Arenas. Reactive Arenas are designed to change based on the progression of fights, sometimes even exploding. Transitional Arenas allow for stage changes, such as moving from a city setting to the Himalayas, as seen in an animated series. The transitions usually occur through Super or Ultimate moves, but a Snapback move (where a character is momentarily knocked out of play and a partner enters) can also trigger a stage shift during one fight. The game will reportedly include eight arenas with both day and night variations.

Developing a tag fighter similar to Dragon Ball FighterZ and Ultimate Marvel vs. Capcom 3 requires a skilled development team, and it seems that Skybound has assembled one. This week, Skybound unveiled its first in-house developer called Quarter Up. Prior to getting hands-on with the game, members of the development team demonstrated a brief demo of the game in motion, while also sharing insights into leveraging the lessons they’ve gathered from their collective past projects.

In essence, the game Invincible VS is user-friendly with its straightforward mechanics. It has light, medium, and heavy attack options, with the special moves assigned to the fourth button and directional inputs – much like in the Smash Bros. series. To execute a special move, you press a button and input a specific direction. A crouching heavy attack can send opponents flying, initiating lengthy air combo sequences. Tapping a direction twice will initiate a dash to cover distance quickly; alternatively, there’s also a dedicated dash button available. If the opponent attacks aggressively, pressing the medium or heavy buttons will activate a counter tag, but this comes at the expense of the Heroic Boost meter.

In Invincible VS, although it shares the intricacies typical of tag fighters, beginners can still perform well by repeatedly pressing the light attack button in a rhythm to trigger an easy-to-use auto combo. This auto combo incorporates powerful Super and Ultimate moves when the player has built up enough meter. It also allows for partner summoning if an auto combo is initiated while holding the tag button. It was during our research on the auto combo’s development that Quarter Up’s background as a studio of experienced fighting game veterans, including ex-developers from Double Helix who created 2013’s Killer Instinct, began to shine through.

Characters from Invincible, whether you’ve watched the series on Amazon Prime Video or read the comics by Skybound, will be easily identifiable due to their unique traits and abilities. For instance, they might showcase special Super and Ultimate moves, or distinct mechanics like Atom Eve’s hover ability. However, what truly sets Invincible VS characters apart is the visual evolution of their appearance during battle. While gore has always been a key element in Invincible, what makes Invincible VS unique is that it accumulates over the course of a fight. Regardless if you’re playing as Mark, Eve, Bulletproof, or Thula (the four playable characters during this session, with more expected later), blood will gradually appear on their fists, costumes, and the battlefield as fights progress. This innovative approach to gore in fighting games is refreshing, especially considering that established series like Mortal Kombat haven’t adopted a similar strategy yet.

2026 seems poised to become the year of the tag fighter, with Invincible VS joining Marvel Tokon: Fighting Souls on the roster. If you’ve been missing the excitement of Ultimate Marvel vs. Capcom 3 and Dragon Ball FighterZ, there’s plenty to look forward to! Keep an eye out for Invincible VS, which is planned for release on PC, PlayStation 5, and Xbox Series X|S when it’s ready.

This game originates from a preliminary demonstration that was played directly at the Skybound Games headquarters in Los Angeles, California. However, please note that the completed version may still undergo changes.

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2025-06-10 18:28