{"id":40413,"date":"2026-08-12T08:26:30","date_gmt":"2026-08-12T03:26:30","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/usnews-14267fa.ingress-comporellon.ewp.live\/?p=40413"},"modified":"2026-08-12T08:26:30","modified_gmt":"2026-08-12T03:26:30","slug":"marvel-tokon-fighting-souls-review-avengers-assemble-for-2026s-best-fighter","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/usnews-14267fa.ingress-comporellon.ewp.live\/?p=40413","title":{"rendered":"Marvel T\u014dkon: Fighting Souls review &#8211; Avengers assemble for 2026&#8217;s best fighter"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><script>\r\n  atOptions = {\r\n    'key' : '644b717812d811d6a1c1fc5b6ccd6fa6',\r\n    'format' : 'iframe',\r\n    'height' : 90,\r\n    'width' : 728,\r\n    'params' : {}\r\n  };\r\n<\/script>\r\n<script src=\"https:\/\/www.highperformanceformat.com\/644b717812d811d6a1c1fc5b6ccd6fa6\/invoke.js\"><\/script>\r\n<br \/>\n<\/p>\n<div>\n<figure class=\"img-container shareable-item wp-caption\">\n<div class=\"img-wrap\">\n\t\t<img fetchpriority=\"high\" width=\"646\" height=\"363\" src=\"https:\/\/metro.co.uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/SEI_308020668-f3e3.jpg?quality=90&amp;strip=all&amp;w=646\" class=\"article-image wp-image-29355301\" alt=\"Marvel T\u014dkon: Fighting Souls screenshot of tag team characters\" decoding=\"sync\"\/>\t<\/div><figcaption>Marvel T\u014dkon: Fighting Souls \u2013 fighters assemble (Sony Interactive Entertainment)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>There\u2019s a brand new <a data-ico=\"hyperlink-article\" href=\"https:\/\/metro.co.uk\/tag\/marvel\/\">Marvel<\/a> fighter in town and it\u2019s an impressively unique take on both the fighting game genre and the superheroes themselves.<\/p>\n<p>The days of licensed <a data-ico=\"hyperlink-article\" href=\"https:\/\/metro.co.uk\/tag\/games-news\/\" data-track=\"inline-tag-auto-link_article\">video games<\/a> being low quality shovelware, where the majority of money is spent on acquiring the licence rather than making the game, are thankfully long gone. The general standard of games based on movies, TV shows, and comics is now extremely high, to the point where it\u2019s more a sign of quality than an indication that you\u2019re about to be ripped off. And Marvel T\u014dkon: Fighting Souls is the latest proof of that.<\/p>\n<p>The turnaround has not simply been a case of making better games but of realising that trying to turn a two hour movie into a much longer video game is always doomed to failure. So the trick has been to focus on more specific elements of a franchise and, as we saw just this week with Bit Reactor and <a data-ico=\"hyperlink-article\" href=\"https:\/\/metro.co.uk\/2026\/08\/11\/star-wars-zero-company-hands-on-preview-xcom-fights-clone-wars-29352336\/\">Star Wars Zero Company<\/a>, to hire developers who are experts in their particular field.<\/p>\n<p>In this case, <a data-ico=\"hyperlink-article\" data-track=\"inline-tag-auto-link_article\" href=\"https:\/\/metro.co.uk\/tag\/sony\/\">Sony<\/a> has signed up <a data-ico=\"hyperlink-article\" href=\"https:\/\/metro.co.uk\/2021\/06\/08\/guilty-gear-strive-review-the-best-looking-fighting-game-ever-made-14736873\/\">Guilty Gear<\/a> and <a data-ico=\"hyperlink-article\" href=\"https:\/\/metro.co.uk\/2019\/02\/11\/blazblue-central-fiction-special-edition-review-final-fight-8515441\/\">BlazBlue<\/a> maker Arc System Works, one of the best fighting game makers working today, who already have experience with licensed games such as <a data-ico=\"hyperlink-article\" href=\"https:\/\/metro.co.uk\/2018\/01\/22\/dragon-ball-fighterz-review-anime-authenticity-7250225\/\">Dragon Ball FighterZ<\/a> and Persona 4 Arena. This time they\u2019re taking on a Western IP but, interestingly, they\u2019ve been allowed to put their own personal stamp on it, as a Japanese developer.<\/p>\n<p>You may be wondering why it is that, talented as they are, Arc System Works has been gifted the Marvel licence and not long-term custodians <a data-ico=\"hyperlink-article\" data-track=\"inline-tag-auto-link_article\" href=\"https:\/\/metro.co.uk\/tag\/capcom\/\">Capcom<\/a>. As much as we\u2019d love to see a new Marvel Vs. Capcom the reasoning is pretty straightforward: Sony wanted a new console exclusive fighting game and given their success with the <a data-ico=\"hyperlink-article\" data-track=\"inline-tag-auto-link_article\" href=\"https:\/\/metro.co.uk\/tag\/spider-man\/\">Spider-Man<\/a> games, Marvel seemed an obvious way to go. But since Capcom\u2019s name is literally in the title of the game that was never going to work for them.<\/p>\n<p>Despite there being no formal connection between the two series, it\u2019s not just the characters that are reminiscent of Capcom\u2019s work, since T\u014dkon (the name means <em>fighting souls<\/em>, making the subtitle amusingly redundant) is also a tag team fighter. You start off with two fighters at a time and, if you perform specific moves and actions, you can extend that to a grand total of four different fighters on your side. Although, unlike most other tag team games, your whole team uses the same health bar, so tagging someone out is not used as a way to recover.<\/p>\n<div class=\"factbox\" data-ico=\"factbox_article\" data-track-module=\"factbox_article\">\n<h2 class=\"factbox-title\">\n\t\t\t\tExpert, exclusive gaming analysis\t\t\t<\/h2>\n<div class=\"factbox-content\">\n<p>Sign up to the <a data-ico=\"hyperlink-article\" href=\"https:\/\/metro.co.uk\/newsletters\/game-central\/\"><strong>GameCentral newsletter<\/strong><\/a> for a unique take on the week in gaming, alongside the latest reviews and more. Delivered to your inbox every Saturday morning.<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<figure class=\"wp-block-embed is-type-video is-provider-youtube wp-block-embed-youtube\">\n<p>\n<span class=\"embed-youtube\" style=\"text-align:center; display: block;\"><iframe loading=\"lazy\" title=\"Marvel T\u014dkon: Fighting Souls - Launch Trailer | PS5 &amp; PC Games\" width=\"640\" height=\"360\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/rJqTurD4cew?feature=oembed\" frameborder=\"0\" allow=\"accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share\" referrerpolicy=\"strict-origin-when-cross-origin\" allowfullscreen><\/iframe><\/span>\n<\/p>\n<\/figure>\n<p>Although T\u014dkon is not as complex as the likes of BlazBlue, it is still a very technical fighter, where button bashing will you get you nowhere and the learning curve is steeper than the likes of Tekken and <a data-ico=\"hyperlink-article\" data-track=\"inline-tag-auto-link_article\" href=\"https:\/\/metro.co.uk\/tag\/street-fighter\/\">Street Fighter<\/a>. There are moves common to all characters \u2013 and you can trigger combos automatically, or simplify the inputs for special moves, if you want \u2013 but everyone has their own specific abilities and quirks.<\/p>\n<p>Headliners like Captain America and Spider-Man play much like they always have in a fighting game, but all the characters have their own unique systems, like Ghost Rider\u2019s tendency to overheat, Carnage\u2019s various parasites, and Peni Parker use of her giant mech.<\/p>\n<p>Since you have to have at least a passing knowledge of all four characters in your team the bar to entry is fairly high, as the game forces each of them to take on a specific role \u2013 leader, shooter, assault, and vertical \u2013 which determines what kind of move they perform when you call in a standard assist. If you want a more powerful attack you have to use a section of the Assemble meter, but the timing for getting this right, or taking over control of one of the non-leader characters, is easily fumbled and, in our experience so far, the hardest part of the game for less experienced players.<\/p>\n<figure class=\"img-container shareable-item wp-caption\">\n<div class=\"img-wrap\">\n\t\t<img width=\"646\" height=\"363\" src=\"https:\/\/metro.co.uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/SEI_308020592-eded.jpg?quality=90&amp;strip=all&amp;w=646\" class=\"article-image wp-image-29355297\" alt=\"Marvel T\u014dkon: Fighting Souls screenshot of combat\" decoding=\"async\" loading=\"lazy\"\/>\t<\/div><figcaption>For some reason Magik\u2019s moveset is the closest to Ryu (Sony Interactive Entertainment)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>It\u2019s a lot to take in, especially as these are non-standard concepts for a fighter, although new ideas are exactly what fighters are in need of at the moment, so we\u2019re loathe to complain too much. Especially as the simplified controls and combos do make the basics perfectly accessible, and that\u2019s all you need at first.<\/p>\n<p>The game\u2019s training mode is very good but the most enjoyable way to learn what you\u2019re doing is via the story modes which, unlike almost every other fighting game ever made, are very good. There\u2019s five character teams with their own story to play through, both heroes and villains, and while the actual plot is just a superhero version of Enter the Dragon the writing, by comic book scribe Kieron Gillen, is great. And we\u2019re not just saying that because he included Squirrel Girl in a bit part.<\/p>\n<p>Story mode is also a prime way to show off the game\u2019s anime-influenced designs. Some characters have been changed more than others \u2013 most obviously Iron Man\u2019s new Gundam-inspired look \u2013 but although the animation is beautiful, we feel the anime aesthetic isn\u2019t quite pronounced enough to be a real selling point. We found the comic book panels, by various different artists and featuring full voice-acting, to be far more interesting and unique, which was a bit of a surprise.<\/p>\n<p>In terms of performance, the <a data-ico=\"hyperlink-article\" data-track=\"inline-tag-auto-link_article\" href=\"https:\/\/metro.co.uk\/tag\/playstation-5\/\">PlayStation 5<\/a> version is nowhere near as bad as the already <a data-ico=\"hyperlink-article\" href=\"https:\/\/metro.co.uk\/2026\/08\/10\/marvel-tokon-fighting-souls-gets-new-pc-patch-game-launch-goes-badly-29345405\/\">infamous PC edition<\/a>, but the online netcode could still be better and we experienced some choppy gameplay at times, even on console.<\/p>\n<p>T\u014dkon is not perfectly formed but it looks amazing, at least on a technical level, and it\u2019s got real depth. This isn\u2019t a shallow spectacle meant only to attract causal Marvel fans; it\u2019s a serious fighter, that we fully expect to become an <a data-ico=\"hyperlink-article\" href=\"https:\/\/metro.co.uk\/tag\/esports\/\" data-track=\"inline-tag-auto-link_article\">esports<\/a> favourite, that just happens to be about superheroes. It\u2019s also got some genuinely new and interesting ideas and for a genre like this, that so often seems frozen in time, that feels like a heroic effort on the part of the developer.<\/p>\n<div class=\"factbox\" data-ico=\"factbox_article\" data-track-module=\"factbox_article\">\n<h2 class=\"factbox-title\">\n\t\t\t\tMarvel T\u014dkon: Fighting Souls review summary\t\t\t<\/h2>\n<div class=\"factbox-content\">\n<p><strong>In Short: <\/strong>An impressive start to a new fighting game franchise, that has a few rough edges but also plenty of new ideas and some gorgeous animation for its varied roster of superheroes and villains.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Pros:<\/strong> Excellent combat system and a genuinely original take on tag team fighting. Great presentation and one of the best fighting game story modes ever. Large roster of very varied characters.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Cons: <\/strong>The game can be surprisingly hard to get to grips with at first, with a finnicky tag system that requires serious practice. Occasionally confusing UI and some online issues even on PlayStation 5.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Score:<\/strong> 8\/10<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<p><em>Formats: PlayStation 5 (reviewed) and PC<br \/>Price: \u00a359.99<br \/>Publisher: Sony Interactive Entertainment<br \/>Developer: Arc System Works<br \/>Release Date: 6th August 2026<br \/>Age Rating: 12<\/em><\/p>\n<figure class=\"img-container shareable-item wp-caption\">\n<div class=\"img-wrap\">\n\t\t<img width=\"646\" height=\"363\" src=\"https:\/\/metro.co.uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/SEI_308020673-152f.jpg?quality=90&amp;strip=all&amp;w=646\" class=\"article-image wp-image-29355300\" alt=\"Marvel T\u014dkon: Fighting Souls screenshot of Doctor Doom\" decoding=\"async\" loading=\"lazy\"\/>\t<\/div><figcaption>Now you face Doomsday (Sony Interactive Entertainment)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p><strong><em>Email\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/metro.co.uk\/2026\/08\/12\/marvel-tokon-fighting-souls-review-avengers-assemble-2026s-best-fighter-29355315\/mailto:gamecentral@metro.co.uk\">gamecentral@metro.co.uk<\/a>, leave a comment below,\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/GameCentral\">follow us on Twitter<\/a>.<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n<p>To submit Inbox letters and Reader\u2019s Features more easily, without the need to send an email, just use our\u00a0<a data-ico=\"hyperlink-article\" href=\"https:\/\/metro.co.uk\/submit-stuff\/\">Submit Stuff page here<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p>For more stories like this,\u00a0<a data-ico=\"hyperlink-article\" href=\"https:\/\/metro.co.uk\/entertainment\/gaming\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">check our Gaming page<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p class=\"metro-more-link\"><svg><title>Arrow<\/title>\n<use xlink:href=\"#common-right-arrow\" href=\"#common-right-arrow\"\/><\/svg><span class=\"mor-link\" data-track-module=\"mor-link_article\">MORE: <a data-ico=\"hyperlink-article\" href=\"https:\/\/metro.co.uk\/2026\/08\/11\/zelda-switch-2-console-leaks-nintendo-direct-hopes-increase-this-month-29353909\/?ico=more_text_links\" class=\"\">Zelda Switch 2 console leaks as Nintendo Direct hopes increase for this month<\/a><\/span><\/p>\n<p class=\"metro-more-link\"><svg><title>Arrow<\/title>\n<use xlink:href=\"#common-right-arrow\" href=\"#common-right-arrow\"\/><\/svg><span class=\"mor-link\" data-track-module=\"mor-link_article\">MORE: <a data-ico=\"hyperlink-article\" href=\"https:\/\/metro.co.uk\/2026\/08\/11\/marvels-wolverine-ps5-console-revealed-dualsense-steals-show-29353196\/?ico=more_text_links\" class=\"\">Marvel\u2019s Wolverine PS5 console revealed but the DualSense steals the show<\/a><\/span><\/p>\n<p class=\"metro-more-link\"><svg><title>Arrow<\/title>\n<use xlink:href=\"#common-right-arrow\" href=\"#common-right-arrow\"\/><\/svg><span class=\"mor-link\" data-track-module=\"mor-link_article\">MORE: <a data-ico=\"hyperlink-article\" href=\"https:\/\/metro.co.uk\/2026\/08\/11\/highest-rated-game-2026-sells-1-000-000-copies-six-days-29350936\/?ico=more_text_links\" class=\"\">Highest rated game of 2026 sells 1,000,000 copies in six days<\/a><\/span><\/p>\n<section id=\"share-buttons-bottom\" class=\"share-buttons share-buttons-bottom\"><a class=\"metro-button share-bar-comments\" data-vars-position=\"bottom\" href=\"#metro-comments-container\"><br \/>\n\t\t\t<span><svg><title>Comment now<\/title>\n<use xlink:href=\"#social-comment\" href=\"#social-comment\"\/><\/svg><\/span><br \/>\n\t\t\t<span class=\"share-bar-comments__label\">Comments<\/span><br \/>\n\t\t<\/a><a data-ico=\"hyperlink-article\" class=\"metro-button share-bar-preferred-source\" data-vars-position=\"bottom\" href=\"https:\/\/google.com\/preferences\/source?q=https:\/\/metro.co.uk\" target=\"_blank\"><br \/>\n\t\t\t\t<span><svg><title>Add Metro as a Preferred Source on Google<\/title>\n<use xlink:href=\"#social-preferred-source\" href=\"#social-preferred-source\"\/><\/svg><\/span><br \/>\n\t\t\t\t<span class=\"share-bar-preferred-source__label\">Add as preferred source<\/span><br \/>\n\t\t\t<\/a><\/section>\n<div class=\"newsletter-end-card accent--gaming\">\n<div class=\"newsletter-end-card__inner\">\n<h4>GameCentral<\/h4>\n<p>Sign up for exclusive analysis, latest releases, and bonus community content.<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<p><script async src=\"\/\/platform.twitter.com\/widgets.js\" charset=\"utf-8\"><\/script><br \/>\n<br \/><script async=\"async\" data-cfasync=\"false\" src=\"https:\/\/pl30214220.effectivecpmnetwork.com\/9ab3d4df8a7e1a6171e16ddbf732cc19\/invoke.js\"><\/script>\r\n<div id=\"container-9ab3d4df8a7e1a6171e16ddbf732cc19\"><\/div>\r\n<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Marvel T\u014dkon: Fighting Souls \u2013 fighters assemble (Sony Interactive Entertainment) There\u2019s a brand new Marvel fighter in town and it\u2019s an impressively unique take on both the fighting game genre and the superheroes themselves. The days of licensed video games being low quality shovelware, where the majority of money is spent on acquiring the licence&#8230;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":40414,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/metro.co.uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/SEI_308020591-2c60_1786486902.jpg?quality=90&strip=all&w=1200&h=630&crop=1","fifu_image_alt":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[20],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-40413","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-celebrity-gossip"],"brizy_media":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/usnews-14267fa.ingress-comporellon.ewp.live\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/40413","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/usnews-14267fa.ingress-comporellon.ewp.live\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/usnews-14267fa.ingress-comporellon.ewp.live\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/usnews-14267fa.ingress-comporellon.ewp.live\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/usnews-14267fa.ingress-comporellon.ewp.live\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=40413"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/usnews-14267fa.ingress-comporellon.ewp.live\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/40413\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/usnews-14267fa.ingress-comporellon.ewp.live\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/40414"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/usnews-14267fa.ingress-comporellon.ewp.live\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=40413"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/usnews-14267fa.ingress-comporellon.ewp.live\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=40413"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/usnews-14267fa.ingress-comporellon.ewp.live\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=40413"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}