Marvel Tōkon: Fighting Souls Review – A Superhero Spectacle

Marvel Tōkon: Fighting Souls Review

Titans of industry join forces to create a fighter truly like no other. Marvel has a rich history in fighting games, while Arc System Works has established itself as one of the genre’s premier developers. Marvel Tōkon: Fighting Souls brings those legacies together, blending Arc System Works’ signature deep, multilayered combat and vibrant anime-inspired presentation with an iconic roster of Marvel heroes and villains. Will these elements assemble to create a battle for the ages, or will even Earth’s Mightiest Heroes fail to live up to their potential?

With any fighter, gameplay is king. Capturing the high-octane battles of heroic combat while underpinning this with systems that make this a skill-focused fight is no easy feat, but Marvel Tōkon: Fighting Souls rises to the challenge, creating a spectacular battlefield where strategy, teamwork, and precision are just as important as unleashing devastating attacks.

Avengers Assemble!

Although a 4v4 team-based fighter, this differs from traditional examples. Rather than individuals having a life bar, this is shared, completely removing the notion of juggling health and instead focusing on assists and teamwork to inflict damage. It’s here where the game truly shines. You can tag in and out, but not all characters are available at the beginning. Assembling your team is of the utmost importance, as doing so allows you to piece together blistering combinations. Teammates will join when you lose a round or activate a stage transition via a corner throw or combo. Adding extra heroes to your team provides more opportunities for assist attacks and expansive specials. This adds an intriguing dynamic as some players opt to mainline one character, using the others merely to support, whereas others hop between the four, requiring you to constantly adapt.

With the X button, you can call in a range, launch and air assist, giving you plenty of options to extend combos and create flashy, high-damage sequences. In addition, having more teammates allows you to pinball opponents to each other’s special attacks and gives the ability to unleash a huge Tōkon Assemble maneuver. This unique attack requires you to meet specific criteria, while also having a full team and meter, but can instantly get you back in the fight. Combining this with individual super and ultimate strikes creates a real spectacle in every fight.

I Can Do This All Day

Arc System Works employs a combat system which allows players to instantly engage while possessing the level of depth for members of the fighting game community to revel in. One-button combos and Quick Skill attacks help to lower the barrier to engage without compromising the skill required to truly master the game. While single-button maneuvers are easier to perform, command inputs deal more damage and build your Skill Gauge faster. While auto-combos and the Magic System establish the basis, there’s an almost endless number of ways to combine attacks through each character’s distinct abilities and the variety of systems.

Each of the 21 playable characters is wonderfully designed, capturing their comic book counterparts while contributing to a diverse roster in which every fighter feels unique. In addition to the plethora of special attacks, each character also has a Unique ability. These vary wildly, adding another layer to combat. For example, Spidey can use this to zip across the screen and web foes, while Magik can place Dark Portals on the battlefield, allowing her to use these to perform teleportation-based attacks and movement. This differs for each character, adding nuance to every member of the roster. Some can be quite difficult to master; however, when you do, this can lead to incredibly satisfying and rewarding gameplay.

Training Initiated

Player onboarding is excellent, with a clear tutorial that helps you get to grips with the basics of the game. An additional Battle Guide provides further explanation, while Character Lessons help you master each fighter’s mechanics. From basic actions to combo challenges and more, the tools are here to support you with learning the game at your own pace and developing the skills needed to succeed in battle. The Training mode allows you to experiment with the number of mechanics that imbue the game, so that you can get to grips with the multiple layers that permeate fights.

Environments are stunning, with each location capturing iconic locations from the Marvel universe. Characters and references sit within each area, giving fans familiar sights to discover while adding authenticity to each battlefield. Not only do these morph with each round, but stage transitions lead into new areas, showcasing the vast and epic toll of fights. While I would like a few more environments, the ones available at launch are well-designed and feature plenty of detail that makes each one feel distinct.

More Than Meets The Eye

There is a range of modes that allow you to develop your skills before ultimately heading online. Episodes are the story content, with each team having its own tale, penned by the brilliant Kieran Gillen. The setup and structure are the same for each story. The Champion is searching for a worthy battle; if one cannot be found, then he will simply destroy the world and venture on to the next planet. The leader of each group then builds their team, fights to prove themselves as the best candidate, and then takes on The Champion. Although the plot doesn’t stray from convention, well-written characters and strong performances create an engaging story that also serves as an introductory tutorial for each character.

All Star Arena is a fresh spin on a typical Arcade mode. Here, you must take on team-based groups and select different routes to complete each path. With 20 variations, you can spend quite a lot of time completing each aspect. The Arcadia Rumble massively differs from this. With the ability to either play online or offline, you trek through the region in search of items which you can use to alter fights. Although a fun option for newcomers to the genre, I can’t imagine aficionados sinking much time into this portion of Marvel Tōkon: Fighting Souls.

Arguably the most important aspect of any modern fighter is the online component. With Lobies, Casual, Room and Ranked Match options, there are plenty of ways to fight against others around the world. On PlayStation, matches are generally stable. Although launch day had its issues, those seem to have been resolved, with battles now providing a smooth and reliable experience.

A Sight to Behold

The presentation is marvelous. From its anime-inspired cutscenes to its moment-to-moment gameplay, every aspect creates a fresh and stylish aesthetic. Rather than relying on traditional designs, Arc System Works revamps character designs to create something truly special. This is further enhanced during fights where the background turns grey during special moves, leaving vivid colours of the heroes visible as they unleash a mighty attack. With an adaptive soundtrack that elevates every fight, the presentation works harmoniously with the action to create a spectacle that rarely lets up.

Marvel Tōkon: Fighting Souls is an incredible fighter that captures the high-octane, frantic fun of a superhero battle. Each character is distinct with unique abilities that add personality to every member of the roster. With a focus on assembling your team to unleash mighty combos and huge assists, this team-based battler adds a fresh spin on the genre. While there is plenty of support to aid newcomers, the number of systems in play can become overwhelming and may take time to fully understand. However, once everything clicks, the depth provides an incredibly rewarding experience that encourages experimentation and mastery.

***A PS5 code was provided by the publisher***