As an avid fighting game player and fan of Marvel Comics, I’ve been looking forward to Arc System Works’ Marvel Tōkon: Fighting Souls. Gameplay betas and showcases have shown this title evolving, shaped by player feedback over time. Featuring 4v4 team battles in a classic format, the final product is an impressive addition to a storied genre.
Everything about Marvel Tōkon is a visual marvel, with character animations and fighting styles beautifully capturing what makes certain heroes and villains special. This is further supported by a clear understanding of what makes Marvel figures beloved by fans, whether through character dialogue or the game’s unique Episode story modes. The stylized 3D look of this title is constantly a treat to watch, with creative anime-inspired twists on iconic Marvel source material.
Although there are some clear issues with online play, the core rollback netcode and lobby systems provide a great foundation for player competition. With other inventive single-player modes as well, Marvel Tōkon‘s exciting battle features are accessible, fun, and varied for all types of players.
Mastering Marvels Through Team Battles That Break Limits
4v4 Gameplay Structure Innovates And Expands Upon Titles From The Past
Every match of Marvel Tōkon: Fighting Souls is organized into 4v4 battles, where one “leader” character and three teammates enter fights together. This is one step further than the classic Marvel vs Capcom games of old, but players don’t get the 4v4 action right away. Rounds in this game start with two characters from a 20 fighter roster full of Marvel icons, from heroes like Spider-Man and Captain America to dastardly villains like Carnage and Doctor Doom.
As you play, you can “unlock” other team members, assembling a squad of characters all unique from one another. Fighting is a mix of universal mechanics and character-exclusive styles, with each Marvel character having something unique. For example, Carnage can inflict a deadly symbiote Necrosis onto enemies, enhancing his attack damage and placing a Parasite Bomb he can trigger for bigger combos or safer offensive pressure.
This kind of character specialization is the core appeal of Marvel Tōkon, yet it doesn’t detract from the approachable battle systems for newer players. Building a team is a genuine joy in this game, as the position of characters on your team determines what assist they’ll bring into battle. The Marvel fighters here come with a variety of interesting universal mechanics too, such as defensive Crossovers to disrupt opponents or breaking the wall on various stages.
All the systems of Marvel Tōkon serve a purpose together, whether it’s gaining an assist character after a wall break or using your team to extend combos in natural ways. The 4v4 element of the game never feels like an afterthought, nor does it get too chaotic, as you can tag into other members of your team frequently to adjust your strategy. With cinematic super moves and Assemble attacks, the presentation of Marvel Tōkon is amazing at every step.
Crafting Comic Stories Within Captivating Episodes
Fascinating Tales Build Living Comics For Players To Experience
The story of Marvel Tōkon is largely contained to its Episode mode, a single-player experience where you can follow one of five “canon” character teams that established the game’s roster. Each tale follows a team of heroes or villains receiving an invitation from an Elder of the Universe called The Champion, who threatens Earth with a deadly tournament to determine the planet’s survival.
The Champion himself is a deep-cut Marvel Comics character, showing that the creators of Marvel Tōkon have a deep knowledge and care for Marvel’s historic legacy. Characters like Danger on the roster prove this too, but Marvel Tōkon‘s love of comics is shown even better in Episode mode. Each story is written by legendary comic writer Kieron Gillen, most known for his work on Uncanny X-Men, Young Avengers, and other works.
Gillen’s writing is paired with several amazing comic and manga artists for each episode, making each feel like an actual story you’d find at your local comic store. The writing clearly demonstrates why certain characters are beloved, with Spider-Man and Doctor Doom standing out in the episodes I played personally. Although not too surprising a plot, there are some great moments that help Episode mode stand out from other fighting game stories, which often feel like an afterthought.
Episodes play out in fully voiced comic panels, only adding to the game’s amazing aesthetic. Most of Marvel Tōkon‘s aesthetic is meant to resemble comic book storyboards, but the episodic presentation truly brings that idea to the forefront. With a challenging final boss and multiple wonderfully animated cutscenes, players will discover a number of fascinating stories across episodes centered on classic Marvel characters.
Missions And Challenges Make Learning The Game Fun
The Training modes of Marvel Tōkon have all the features you’d want from a fighting game, including recent innovations in the genre, such as Replay takeover and frame data display. Beyond free training, there are other ways Marvel Tōkon’s learning aspectinnovates on what has come before. For starters, the game has an entire glossary for players to check out, breaking down even the smallest gameplay details with visual examples to answer almost any question.
Players can also go to individual character Action Checks, or tutorials that break down how every fighter works. This can be perfect for discovering who looks most interesting to play, evolving into Combo Challenges for that character to further master their techniques. However, the biggest drawbacks of Marvel Tōkon‘s gameplay approach here are the complexity of its button layouts, which can often feel cluttered or confusingto learn.
The input buffer system of Marvel Tōkon is far from perfect too, leading to a number of input errors when trying to do certain commands. The window for specific inputs is far too generous at times, preventing you from successfully matching the strict timing some combos or offensive sequences require. That being said, stronger restraints in place could make it harder for fighting game newcomers to input moves or skills, so this is somewhat of a mixed bag.
On the other hand, Marvel Tōkon promotes creativity in its gameplay through other training options. Characters have an additional set of trials called Level-Up Missions, where players have to invent their own combos under specific restrictions. This allows you to discover a whole rabbit hole of possibilities with your favorite fighters, where you can develop ideas to use in player matches step by step.
Forging Champions In Rollback Competitions (Except On PC)
Lobby-Driven Matchmaking Works On Almost Every System
The biggest problem with Marvel Tōkon: Fighting Souls right now is the unfortunate state of the PC version of the game. As of this time of writing, there have been many reported issues of stuttering, crashes, and other performance problems that prevent players from experiencing Arc System Works’ anime-inspired take on the Marvel IP. Long load times and the requirement for a PlayStation Network ID have also prevented this game from being played in several regions, adding further frustrating obstacles.
The existence of refined rollback netcode provides a strong foundation for Marvel Tōkon‘s online matchmaking, with stylized lobbies where players can customize theirAvatars and meet others to play matches. However, while multi-platform crossplay in online modes would normally be a big plus for Marvel Tōkon, the PC issues pose a larger problem. I had to turn off crossplay to ensure I didn’t match with PC players, as it often led to significantly higher ping and lag during games.
Without a link to the PC setbacks, my experience was largely good for online matches. The existence of Ranked and Casual modes offer some variety, with large and stylized lobbies being better than similar environments Arc System Works has put into their fighting games before. Some character colors can also be unlocked by winning online matches, tying interesting rewards to fighting other players.
Balancing Out The Action With Other Single-Player Modes
Arcade And Survival Settings Offer Different Places For Your Team To Fight
For those who aren’t interested in online battles, Marvel Tōkon offers several single-player modes in addition to the story episodes. All-Star Arena is a Survival mode in which players can form a team and face opponents endlessly until they lose. Much like a rougelike, there are goals to reach, like checkpoints and bosses you can face, offering a space for you to slowly but surely find comfort with your team without the pressure of opponents.
Similarly, the Arcadia Rumble mode is a single-player or multiplayer mode where players can control their Avatars in a shared space. In this mode, Avatars can attack each other and level up a team of characters throughout three rounds, scoring points by knocking out other Avatars, beating other players in traditional matches, or charging up their Avatar through special items shown in lobby events.
The chaotic battles of Arcadia Rumble almost act as a smaller arcade mode for Marvel Tōkon, providing a different experience from the usual 4v4 fights. Throughout my time with the game, I didn’t see much participation in this mode, but it’s a nice alternative that expands on what Avatars can do in normal matchmaking lobbies. At the very least, it’s a mode that adds more single-player content to a genre that tends to lack in that area.
An extensive Gallery also highlights how visually stunning this game is, pairing well with an excellent soundtrack for stages and characters. The battle systems for this fighting game are easily among the most accessible the genre has seen in years, while paying homage to famous Marvel tag-team titles of the past. By building off what’s come before and establishing its own identity within its Marvel adaptation, Marvel Tōkon: Fighting Souls stands out as a game fans will be playing for years to come.
A digital PS5 code was provided to Screen Rant for the purpose of this review.
