Marvel Cosmic Invasion: The Siege of Castle Doom Is A Damn Good Time (Review)

Tribute Games and Dotemu have been on a roll, releasing new content for Marvel Cosmic Invasion. This trend continues today when The Siege of Castle Doom drops on consoles and PC. Priced at $7.99, this premium DLC adds Doctor Doom and The Invisible Woman as playable fighters, plus an exciting new Castle Doom mode.

I was granted early access to this content and had a damn good time. Here are more details on the DLC, my thoughts on the overall experience, and why it might be worth checking out if you enjoyed the base game so far.

Let’s kick things off with Dr. Doom and The Invisible Woman, two iconic characters added to this already stacked roster. Not surprisingly, Dr. Doom is an absolute badass and one character that I predict will become a new favorite main for many players everywhere.

As the master of high-powered technology and occult abilities, Dr. Doom’s basic and special attacks are incredibly satisfying and easy to execute. He feels exactly like the powerhouse he’s portrayed as in the comics, which shows Tribute’s dedication to getting the character right. I promise you’ll never get tired of obliterating enemies and making each of them feel your wrath.

Switching gears to The Invisible Woman, Sue Storm uses her light-bending powers to defeat enemies. This includes several ground and air attacks. In many ways, her playstyle reminds me of characters like Nova and Storm, who can attack enemies from above.

Her brief moments of invisibility after pulling off a special attack also make her stand out. Adding these characters to the roster was a brilliant move by Tribute because the timing aligns with next month’s theatrical release of Avengers: Doomsday. I’ll be curious to see how these additions make players feel about jumping back into this game before or after that movie releases.

The main attraction of this DLC is the heavily anticipated, but slightly secretive, new Castle Doom mode. This run-based action mode involves players storming Castle Doom to stop this iconic supervillain from activating his galaxy-destructing Cosmic Inductor device. As you battle waves of enemies across three floors, you’re armed with a charging Stabilizer created by Reed Richards.

As you complete challenges and collect batteries, you build your gauge and earn defense, damage, and tactical upgrades. On the flip side, Dr. Doom also has his own Siege Gauge that grows in power. This makes enemies tougher as you take damage and lose fights. The goal is to reach and defeat Dr. Doom at the top of the Castle before his gauge fills up. If you fail, the game ends.

I love that this methodical cat-and-mouse game offers unpredictability and mounting challenges as you progress through each section. Players can expect multiple branching paths with different buffs that impact performance. You’ll face Doom Bots and various enemies and bosses from the base game. Difficulty spikes as you get closer to Doom. This mode takes about 90 minutes to complete, based on your skill level.

This means you’ll likely do multiple runs, while still collecting rewards to help on future attempts. The overall concept is very well done. It also makes me think Reed Richards and the Human Torch could be future DLC characters. I also think it’s funny that you can select Dr. Doom in this mode, which could lead to an interesting final boss encounter once you reach the top of the castle.

So do I recommend picking up this Siege of Castle Doom DLC? 1000% Yes. If you’ve already beaten the base game and need a compelling reason to come back, this is the strongest motivating factor yet. Let us know if you plan to check out this DLC and share your thoughts on the game so far.

This review was based on a review copy of MARVEL Cosmic Invasion: The Siege of Castle Doom for PC provided by Dotemu and Tribute Games.