If you’ve ever played Marvel vs. Capcom, you might be familiar with the so-called ’touch of death’—the dreaded fighting game combo that can take a player from full health to a swift defeat. Although this is an edge case, it’s a significant frustration for newcomers to combo-heavy games.

Mike Willette, former lead producer of the 2013 reboot of Killer Instinct and now serving as the executive producer for Invincible VS, noted that the game aims to balance the fast-paced nature of typical tag fighters while prioritizing accessibility.

“Within our combo structure, there are opportunities to actually break out. We don’t want you to be passive; we want you to be an active participant, even when you’re getting hit… Similar to Killer Instinct, while performing attacks, specials, and supers, you build up a combo meter. Once it’s full, your opponent drops out of the combo.”

If you’re on the receiving end of a combo, you can utilize one of your assist characters (you select a team of three) to interrupt it, though doing so will cost you meter. If you’re delivering the hits, that may feel frustrating; however, if you catch your opponent low on resources, you can take advantage of it.

Willette confirmed that players can prolong combos by spending meter, performing a super, or tagging in an assist. The latter enables extensive combos across your entire trio, but timing is crucial; if your opponent miscalculates their counterattack, you can capitalize for even more damage.

The intention is to make sure that learning basic combos is straightforward, allowing new players to thrive without being overwhelmed. A basic combo can be easy to execute once players familiarize themselves with the controls.

Additionally, Invincible VS sports a magic chain system, enabling players to flow from light to medium and finally heavy attacks, launching opponents into the air if executed correctly. Players can even repeat this chain while airborne for lengthy combos, alleviating the need for complex frame mechanics.

Willette expressed the overarching goal: to teach players the fundamentals and how to effectively utilize assist characters, making them feel proficient during casual and online encounters. The developers hope to attract both fighting game aficionados and comic book fans who may be newcomers to the genre.

With features like overkills—defeating an enemy with specific moves causes gory endings—the game aims for an engaging visual experience, promising a unique spin in a landscape where superhero fighting games are thriving.