Fighting games and the Invincible franchise feel like a match made in heaven. The comic-turned-animated series is built on brutal, visceral combat, and translating that into a proper fighter seemed like an obvious win. Unfortunately, according to Destructoid's review, Invincible VS fumbles the execution in ways that are hard to ignore.
This isn't the first time developers have tried to crack the Invincible IP in the games space, and that history makes this stumble sting a little more. The source material gives you a rich roster of characters who routinely beat each other half to death across entire continents - the bones of a great fighting game are right there. Getting fans hyped for an Invincible fighter and then delivering something that feels incomplete is a tough sell.
Where it goes wrong
Destructoid's verdict zeroes in on the game feeling barebones in too many critical areas. For a genre where depth, polish, and content are king, launching with a sparse package is a serious problem. Fighting game communities are among the most demanding in gaming - they'll grind a title for thousands of hours if the fundamentals are tight, but they'll also walk away quickly if there isn't enough to sink their teeth into.
The review frames Invincible VS as a game that "could've, and maybe should've, been a lot more" - which is arguably the most frustrating kind of disappointment. It's not a disaster, it's a missed opportunity. There's clearly a version of this game that works, and that makes the barebones reality feel worse by comparison.
What this means for the IP
Invincible has serious cultural momentum right now thanks to the animated series on Prime Video, which means the audience is there and hungry for more content in this universe. Releasing a fighting game that doesn't fully capitalize on that goodwill is a costly misstep, both commercially and in terms of fan trust.
Whether Invincible VS gets post-launch support to flesh things out remains to be seen. The fighting game genre has seen titles recover through consistent updates and DLC, but that requires a committed developer and a player base patient enough to stick around. Right now, that's an open question.
For full scoring and a detailed breakdown of mechanics, head to Destructoid's complete review.
