Disclaimer: This review of Marvel TOKON will not be covering the online portion of the game, entirely because when the reviewer tried to access the online portion of the game, Sony’s age verification blocked him from doing so despite numerous attempts to use mobile number verification. By all accounts, the netcode is great and there’s options for big lobbies, ranked and casual play; all the standard trappings of a modern fighting game.
It’s probably cliche to say this, but it doesn’t make it any less true: Marvel TOKON: Fighting Souls had some massive shoes to fill thanks to the usage of the Marvel brand. Previously stewarded by Capcom in their crossover franchise, the Marvel name had become synonymous with excellence, so long as we ignore that one huge blip in 2017. Adapting that universe into a completely separate fighting game franchise was always going to be a daunting prospect, but if any studio could pull it off, it’d be Arc System Works.
Through their games like Persona 4 Arena, Granblue Fantasy Versus, DNF Duel and, most obviously, Dragon Ball FighterZ, Arc Sys have proven their mastery at taking someone else’s world and making it their own. Perhaps they’ve never had as much freedom as they’ve had with Marvel though, but that’s allowed them to really put their own stamp on these classic characters, creating arguably the next great tag fighter. Granted, the last one was Dragon Ball FighterZ, so they can just pass the title around the office, I guess.
Marvel TOKON is a 4v4 tag fighter, which sounds like it’s confusing and overwhelming, and it kind of is. As much as Arc Sys have added easy combo paths to super moves and simple inputs for the special moves, there’s more mechanics in this game than a Jason Statham cosplay convention. Players pick a team of four and load into a match, but the fight actually starts as a 2v2. As the fight progresses, more teammates become available as you smack your opponent through a level boundary, or if you simply lose a round.
Unlike other tag fighters where each character has their own lifebar, teams share a lifebar in TOKON, so theoretically, you can simply play the game as a 1v1 game with three striker assists instead of a tag fighter like Marvel vs Capcom or FighterZ. You will miss out on some things though, like Super Assembles that serve as your standard Delayed Hyper Combos, letting you chain character super moves two additional times to stack more damage.
Beyond that, there’s your ex moves, supers, unique skills for every single character, Assemble Smashes, Assemble Counters, Crossovers and Crossover Reflects, giving players tons of universal offensive and defensive options to play with. There’s even a comeback mechanic in the form of Tokon Assemble, an Ultimate Super Move of sorts that can only be used with a full meter and your opponent one round from winning.
Needless to say, there’s a lot to sink your teeth into with this game, which might be too much for the more casual player. But because it’s an Arc System Works game, the tutorials on offer here are superlative. On top of your mechanic run downs and character guides/combo trials, there’s a new kind of trial here that I haven’t seen before but seems like it could be a gamechanger for guiding experimentation within the player. Called Level-Up Missions, you’re essentially given a couple of small parameters and told to create a high damage combo from it. They’re tough, but it’s a novel way to reward the player for figuring things out themselves.
Of course, if you’re simply a learn by scrapping kind of player, there’s plenty of single player offerings here that should train you up decently before broaching the deadly waters that are online fighting games. If you’re just hoping to get straight into the action, Arena and Survival offer old school fighting game thrills, serving as this game’s take on a standard arcade ladder and, well, survival. Admittedly, they’re both a bit of a grind, but there’s some unlockables to be found for completing them, and you’ll need all the practice you can get.
The main attraction though is the Episode mode. Told through five separate story arcs, this mode sees obscure antagonists and Elders of the Universe, Champion and The Promoter, come to Earth after decimating the galaxy to hold a fighting tournament. Yes, this whole game is just an anime tournament arc, complete with a killer opening theme and movie. Through various means, five teams of four compete in a battle to determine who gets to duel the Champion, with each episode culminating in a scrap with the big lad.
Admittedly, it’s not the greatest fighting game story ever made, playing it sillier than serious, but that’s probably the correct move for something like this. Marvel tends to have an inherent whimsy compared to something like DC, after all. What makes the mode compelling though is some pretty great voice acting throughout, and some outstanding comic book art. Each team has their own art and illustrator, leading to five different visual styles throughout the story, and it’s cool to see all these different takes on classic characters.
All that, and the amazing 3D cel-shaded visuals that Arc Sys have become known for ensure that this might be the best looking fighting game ever made. Maybe some of the backgrounds are a bit bland for that kind of praise, in fairness, but with the amount of chaos that can happen on screen at any one time, it’s for the best that the background doesn’t clash with the foreground.
Once the game gets going, and you figure out you can combine certain moves or link together some mechanics, Marvel TOKON is incredibly satisfying to play, and as per the disclaimer above, that’s just via the CPU. Even though the game has had some issues out the starting gate, especially for the PC version, it’s clear that it’s going to be the next big success in the FGC, becoming a core part of tournaments for years to come.
Like most modern fighting games, Marvel TOKON: Fighting Souls offers a blend of accessible controls and mechanics, combined with a deep, deep well of possibilities in how to use those mechanics. If you just like the cool characters and want to mash one button combos, you can, but anyone who wants to actually learn can find so much to keep them occupied here. Even Marvel fans will enjoy seeing their heroes and villains characterised in this way, with Deadpool in particular adapting better to fighting games here than he did in MVC3. Apparently, all you need to do is rip off every other fighting game and give him that moveset. It’s glorious.
A PS5 key was supplied by PR for the purposes of this review.
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