Invincible VS is off to a rough start on Steam - users are asking for refunds

Skybound Games' long-anticipated 3v3 tag fighter Invincible VS launched on Steam yesterday, April 30, priced at $49.99. Developed by Quarter Up, which is a newly formed in-house Skybound studio (led by former members of the Killer Instinct dev team), the game had generated a lot of hype ahead of release, which was helped by the shows' season 4 airing. The early signs, however, are not entirely encouraging.

On the critical side, things look reasonably solid. Invincible VS currently holds a 78 on OpenCritic, which is a decent score for a game adapting a popular IP into an already competitive genre. Reviewers praised the combat depth and movement system, though the lack of single-player content (which has changed since then) and a tutorial that does little beyond explaining what the buttons do have been consistent downsides. The story mode clocks in at roughly 90 minutes, which has unsurprisingly reflected poorly for a $50 release.

The Steam user review situation, however, is where things get messier. As of writing, the game is sitting at a "Mixed" rating (from 800+ reviews). A major chunk of negative reviews at launch were tied to pre-order bonuses not being delivered, Deluxe Edition content failing to appear, and aggressive day-one skin pricing - with some individual cosmetics costing nearly $10 each, and six skins collectively priced as high as the base game itself.

It's worth noting that some players have been upfront regarding their negative reviews - how they are mere placeholders for protest and will change once bonuses are resolved. That said, not all concerns are logistical. Critics (and players) are seeing that the game's presentation falls below expectations for a full retail release, with in-game character models not resembling the impressive pre-rendered cutscenes. The absence of an online training mode has also been criticized - a feature that is widely considered a baseline feature in modern fighting games.

Invincible VS doesn't look to be a bad game by any stretch - the core fighting mechanics appear to have merit. But between thin content, a rocky launch rollout, and "unfair" monetization techniques, Skybound will need to move quickly if it wants the Steam conversation to change for the better.