A superhero showdown worth assembling for
By Paul Hunter
Marvel has a long history with fighting games, going all the way back to Capcom’s X-Men vs. Street Fighter in the ‘90s. I still have a soft spot for the Marvel vs. Capcom games that came later, not only for their superb gameplay but also the dream match-ups between these two iconic franchises. It’s been nearly ten years since Marvel vs. Capcom: Infinite, so seeing another major Marvel fighter arrive was pretty exciting.
This time, Arc System Works takes the reins with Marvel Tōkon: Fighting Souls, developed in collaboration with Marvel Games and published by Sony Interactive Entertainment. If you’ve spent time with Guilty Gear Strive or Dragon Ball FighterZ, you’ll already know the studio has plenty of experience with fighting games.
I was particularly excited to see Arc System Works put its own spin on Marvel’s superhero universe. So, has Marvel assembled another fighting-game winner? Let’s find out!
It's a lot of fun to explore the five stories individually, especially since their reasons for entering the tournament aren’t always the same. Some heroes step up and fight to protect Earth, other heroes sort of stumble into the role, while someone like Doctor Doom naturally sees an opportunity to advance his own plans.
Kieron Gillen, whose Marvel Comics work includes Uncanny X-Men, does an excellent job penning the comic book stories. I particularly liked the Unbreakable X-Men storyline, where Storm struggles with the responsibility of leading mutants through a world that continues to discriminate against them. Her determination to protect her team gives the campaign some genuine heart.
The Amazing Guardians team have a different vibe altogether. Spider-Man finds himself responsible for younger heroes, including an enthusiastic Ms. Marvel who’s determined to prove herself. Their interactions are entertaining, especially with Peter trying to keep everyone focused on the life-threatening matter at hand. I also enjoyed Robbie Reyes’ story, which explores the struggle between his caring nature and Ghost Rider’s violent side.
The Episodes share a similar chapter structure, although I like how each group approaches the conflict from its own perspective. Gillen’s dialogue gives even the lesser-known characters room to shine, making the tournament a really enjoyable Marvel crossover with some great fan service.
Even though you can get up to four heroes per match, the entire squad shares one health bar, so there's no switching characters to preserve or recoup their individual health. Once teammates become available, you can call them in for assists attacks or swap them in to control them directly. Their order matters too, since it determines when different characters and attacks become available.
The Assemble Meter is used to unleash assist attacks and replenishes over time, making you to think strategically about when to bring someone in for an attack. You can use assists to extend a combo or interrupt an opponent’s offence, and attacks can be more effective depending on your opponent's position (e.g. some assists are better hitting jumping opponents). There’s also Tokon Assemble, a full-team super attack that becomes available when your opponent is on match point and you have the required meter. Watching the whole squad get involved is pretty epic as the fight transitions into a brief cinematic showing your team doing a serious beatdown.
Combat itself uses light, medium and heavy attacks alongside a dedicated assist button. Gatling combos let you chain basic attacks without requiring strict timing, while auto-combos help you perform longer sequences. Special moves are done with simple directional commands or analog stick inputs, so you can choose whichever approach suits you.
The roster is full of Marvel headlining characters as well as some lesser known but interesting ones. I gravitated towards Captain America for his wide array of shield moves, which serve both offensive and defensive purposes. Magik is also a powerful and tricky choice with her using a sword for reach and portals to change position, while Magneto is great if you like controlling space with projectiles, including a huge ball of scrap metal. Ghost Rider deeply strategic hero with his Vengeance Gauge mechanic, which increases his skill power and expands his combos, but also has the risk of overheating.
With 20 characters available, I found that choosing a squad involves much more than selecting four favourites. You need to consider which assists complement your main fighter and how teammates can cover different situations. Even changing one member can help round out your team and give you the edge.
Outside regular versus matches, All-Star Arena offers two sub-mode that reward you with gallery artwork. Arena mode offers different circuits to follow, each with five battles to work through. There's also Survival mode where you fight continuous waves of opponents as you strive to defeat all 100. There are also Training lessons and combo trials to practise individual moves and more advanced techniques.
Arcadia Rumble is one of the more meatier modes, which is a party mode that supports up to eight players. Here, you control a little chibi hero character from the online lobbies and run around a map collecting items between battles. It’s got a bit of a Mario Party vibe, with the action switching between exploring the map and throwing down against other fighters. It’s a fun addition that lets yoi control adorable lobby characters, and is playable both offline against the CPU or online with friends.
Online is where I found the combat especially rewarding. Ranked matches and lobbies let you put your team against human opponents, and the rollback netcode generally provides a solid experience on PS5, although crossplay with PC competitors I found was often plagued with connection or latency issues.
Some of the character redesigns are fantastic. Iron Man’s armour has a noticeable mecha influence, while Blade’s samurai-inspired outfit suits the game’s Japanese aesthetic. I also liked how Magik and Doctor Doom maintain their familiar comic-book appearances. The animations are excellent too, with attacks clearly telegraphing their range and timing even when the action gets busy.
The arenas deserve some praise as well. Locations such as the X-Mansion and Marvel’s New York contain little references to the wider comic-book universe, including familiar characters appearing in the backgrounds.
I also enjoyed Episode Mode’s visual presentation. Each campaign uses illustrated comic panels from different artists, with panels changing size and position as conversations unfold. The different artistic styles give the stories individual personalities.
Sound-wise, there’s plenty to enjoy. The soundtrack mixes heavy metal, rock and J-pop influences, with character themes that suit the personalities of the roster. Attacks have satisfying impact sounds, especially during supers, while the voice acting gives the cast plenty of personality.
Nolan North is great as Deadpool, delivering jokes and references to other fighting games. I particularly loved the contextual dialogue during battles too, as certain teammates and rivals have different exchanges depending on who’s involved in a match.
On PS5, the game also makes good use of DualSense haptic feedback during the story campaigns. Performance is equally impressive, with combat maintaining a smooth 60 FPS console experience. The combination of detailed animation, entertaining voice work and responsive presentation makes the whole package a treat to experience.
Final Score: 9/10 - Amazing
Developer: Arc System Works
Publisher: Sony Interactive Entertainment
Genre: Fighting
Modes: Single-player, Multiplayer
By Paul Hunter
Marvel has a long history with fighting games, going all the way back to Capcom’s X-Men vs. Street Fighter in the ‘90s. I still have a soft spot for the Marvel vs. Capcom games that came later, not only for their superb gameplay but also the dream match-ups between these two iconic franchises. It’s been nearly ten years since Marvel vs. Capcom: Infinite, so seeing another major Marvel fighter arrive was pretty exciting.
This time, Arc System Works takes the reins with Marvel Tōkon: Fighting Souls, developed in collaboration with Marvel Games and published by Sony Interactive Entertainment. If you’ve spent time with Guilty Gear Strive or Dragon Ball FighterZ, you’ll already know the studio has plenty of experience with fighting games.
I was particularly excited to see Arc System Works put its own spin on Marvel’s superhero universe. So, has Marvel assembled another fighting-game winner? Let’s find out!
Story and Narrative
Marvel Tōkon: Fighting Souls ships with a massive "Episode"story mode that gives its five superhero teams their own adventures told through comic book-style storytelling with full voice acting. The story centres on a mysterious figure known as the Promoter, who brings together Earth’s mightiest heroes and villains for a competition that decides the fate of the planet. Waiting at the end is the Champion of the Universe, a powerful cosmic threat who’s already defeated the Shi’ar Empire and now has Earth in his sights.It's a lot of fun to explore the five stories individually, especially since their reasons for entering the tournament aren’t always the same. Some heroes step up and fight to protect Earth, other heroes sort of stumble into the role, while someone like Doctor Doom naturally sees an opportunity to advance his own plans.
Kieron Gillen, whose Marvel Comics work includes Uncanny X-Men, does an excellent job penning the comic book stories. I particularly liked the Unbreakable X-Men storyline, where Storm struggles with the responsibility of leading mutants through a world that continues to discriminate against them. Her determination to protect her team gives the campaign some genuine heart.
The Amazing Guardians team have a different vibe altogether. Spider-Man finds himself responsible for younger heroes, including an enthusiastic Ms. Marvel who’s determined to prove herself. Their interactions are entertaining, especially with Peter trying to keep everyone focused on the life-threatening matter at hand. I also enjoyed Robbie Reyes’ story, which explores the struggle between his caring nature and Ghost Rider’s violent side.
The Episodes share a similar chapter structure, although I like how each group approaches the conflict from its own perspective. Gillen’s dialogue gives even the lesser-known characters room to shine, making the tournament a really enjoyable Marvel crossover with some great fan service.
Gameplay and Mechanics
I had an absolute blast with Marvel Tōkon’s take on tag-team fighting, it's easily among the best Marvel fighting games ever. Similar to other tag-team fighters, you choose four heroes or villains, but matches begin with only two available on each side. Additional teammates join through the Assemble system as the fight progresses, with new members added to your team when you knock an opponent through a stage transition or when you lose a round.Even though you can get up to four heroes per match, the entire squad shares one health bar, so there's no switching characters to preserve or recoup their individual health. Once teammates become available, you can call them in for assists attacks or swap them in to control them directly. Their order matters too, since it determines when different characters and attacks become available.
The Assemble Meter is used to unleash assist attacks and replenishes over time, making you to think strategically about when to bring someone in for an attack. You can use assists to extend a combo or interrupt an opponent’s offence, and attacks can be more effective depending on your opponent's position (e.g. some assists are better hitting jumping opponents). There’s also Tokon Assemble, a full-team super attack that becomes available when your opponent is on match point and you have the required meter. Watching the whole squad get involved is pretty epic as the fight transitions into a brief cinematic showing your team doing a serious beatdown.
Combat itself uses light, medium and heavy attacks alongside a dedicated assist button. Gatling combos let you chain basic attacks without requiring strict timing, while auto-combos help you perform longer sequences. Special moves are done with simple directional commands or analog stick inputs, so you can choose whichever approach suits you.
The roster is full of Marvel headlining characters as well as some lesser known but interesting ones. I gravitated towards Captain America for his wide array of shield moves, which serve both offensive and defensive purposes. Magik is also a powerful and tricky choice with her using a sword for reach and portals to change position, while Magneto is great if you like controlling space with projectiles, including a huge ball of scrap metal. Ghost Rider deeply strategic hero with his Vengeance Gauge mechanic, which increases his skill power and expands his combos, but also has the risk of overheating.
With 20 characters available, I found that choosing a squad involves much more than selecting four favourites. You need to consider which assists complement your main fighter and how teammates can cover different situations. Even changing one member can help round out your team and give you the edge.
Outside regular versus matches, All-Star Arena offers two sub-mode that reward you with gallery artwork. Arena mode offers different circuits to follow, each with five battles to work through. There's also Survival mode where you fight continuous waves of opponents as you strive to defeat all 100. There are also Training lessons and combo trials to practise individual moves and more advanced techniques.
Arcadia Rumble is one of the more meatier modes, which is a party mode that supports up to eight players. Here, you control a little chibi hero character from the online lobbies and run around a map collecting items between battles. It’s got a bit of a Mario Party vibe, with the action switching between exploring the map and throwing down against other fighters. It’s a fun addition that lets yoi control adorable lobby characters, and is playable both offline against the CPU or online with friends.
Online is where I found the combat especially rewarding. Ranked matches and lobbies let you put your team against human opponents, and the rollback netcode generally provides a solid experience on PS5, although crossplay with PC competitors I found was often plagued with connection or latency issues.
Presentation and Audio
I absolutely love what Arc System Works has done with Marvel’s characters. The artwork combines traditional comic-book designs with Japanese anime influences, giving the roster a distinctive appearance while keeping everyone recognizable. The cel-shaded 3D models often resemble hand-drawn animation, especially during regular attacks, before the cinematic camera angles reveal just how detailed they are.Some of the character redesigns are fantastic. Iron Man’s armour has a noticeable mecha influence, while Blade’s samurai-inspired outfit suits the game’s Japanese aesthetic. I also liked how Magik and Doctor Doom maintain their familiar comic-book appearances. The animations are excellent too, with attacks clearly telegraphing their range and timing even when the action gets busy.
The arenas deserve some praise as well. Locations such as the X-Mansion and Marvel’s New York contain little references to the wider comic-book universe, including familiar characters appearing in the backgrounds.
I also enjoyed Episode Mode’s visual presentation. Each campaign uses illustrated comic panels from different artists, with panels changing size and position as conversations unfold. The different artistic styles give the stories individual personalities.
Sound-wise, there’s plenty to enjoy. The soundtrack mixes heavy metal, rock and J-pop influences, with character themes that suit the personalities of the roster. Attacks have satisfying impact sounds, especially during supers, while the voice acting gives the cast plenty of personality.
Nolan North is great as Deadpool, delivering jokes and references to other fighting games. I particularly loved the contextual dialogue during battles too, as certain teammates and rivals have different exchanges depending on who’s involved in a match.
On PS5, the game also makes good use of DualSense haptic feedback during the story campaigns. Performance is equally impressive, with combat maintaining a smooth 60 FPS console experience. The combination of detailed animation, entertaining voice work and responsive presentation makes the whole package a treat to experience.
The Verdict
Marvel Tōkon: Fighting Souls is a fantastic return to superhero fighting games, and I enjoyed everything Arc System Works has brought to the table. The four-character combat system is approachable, but deep enough with plenty of tactical possibilities for anyone who enjoys competitive fighting. I loved the varied roster, the entertaining Marvel storylines and the gorgeous anime-inspired presentation. The strong PS5 performance and smooth online competition (at least against other PS5 players) make the experience even better. Whether you’re a longtime Marvel fan or someone who spends hours practising combos, this is an excellent fighter that’s absolutely worth playing.Final Score: 9/10 - Amazing
Marvel Tōkon Fighting Souls details
Platform: PS5, PCDeveloper: Arc System Works
Publisher: Sony Interactive Entertainment
Genre: Fighting
Modes: Single-player, Multiplayer