Marvel Tokon: Fighting Souls from developer Arc System Works isn’t an ordinary entry in its genre.
Like Marvel Rivals and its ever-expanding PVE modes atop an excellent PVP experience, Tokon hopes to be the pinnacle all-around fighting game experience.
To that end, there’s a must-have story mode and characters that appeal to many, plus the critical hardcore fighting game checklist items like proper netcode, tutorials and labbing.
Oh, and the gameplay is simple-yet-deep in a way that appeals to all skill levels and ages.
A four vs. four tag fighter, Marvel Tokon hits all the right marks, perhaps even exceeding expectations along the way while laying the groundwork for what could be a decade-long presence in the space.
Visually, Tokon was always going to hit the mark with its comicbook-like dressing.
Even so, with those strong expectations set, Tokon is still incredibly eye-catching and fluid in motion. Each character looks and feels unique, the voice acting is excellent, the soundtrack fitting and memorable and the backdrops are sheer fighting-game greatness in detail and distinctiveness.
If there’s an issue on the presentation front, it’s that, almost as expected, screen clutter is a thing, just like Rivals. Call it a staple of the super hero genre. It’s not a game-ruining experience, but it can certainly be tough to tell what is going on amid the chaos sometimes, especially for newer players.
As a fighter, Tokon reels in the chaos of eight swappable characters per match in unique ways.
First up, and the big one: All four members of a team share the same health bar. That is not the usual approach for tag fighters. And one might think that removing some of the strategy, like removing a fighter to let them heal their own health bar on the sideline, does the game a disservice.
Instead, a singular lifebar means matches don’t run too long and it’s a boon for accessibility, too. One doesn’t need to deeply learn at least four characters to be competitive.
A fight doesn’t start with all eight characters available, either. Riffing off the assemble thing from Captain America, players have to unlock access to their other two fighters after the start of a match through things like combos or a stage transition. Doing so grows the health bar
Within those four teammates, each one must be assigned a role: Leader, Shooter, Vertical, and Assault. Where players slot them determines what type of assist they do (vertical flies into the vertical hitbox, for example). But if players use the assist mid-combo, it will be a universal attack assist that costs a bit of a meter.
If it sounds complicated…it is. At first. Tokon clearly wants to keep a pretty tight leash compared to other tag fighters that go buckwild with tag assists and control over the assisting characters for gaudy combos.
Team building is a big part of the strategy, of course. Creating a diverse roster of zoners and mix-up fighters will let players counterplay whatever an opponent throws out there.
Overall, it just feels great. It’s super responsive and with obvious deep skill gaps the competitive scene will explore. But it’s also an excellent button-masher for kids who just want to suit up as their favorite heroes.
Over the years, stories in fighting games have ranged from feeling tacked-on to mark it off the checklist to writing a blueprint the rest of the genre should follow.
Tokon certainly lands closer to a top-of-the-line blueprint.
A five-episode romp that reads like a comic book, a new baddie dubbed The Champion challenges a team of heroes to overcome trials in order to face him.
Not an original backdrop, no doubt. But the stories and characters, as expected from writer Kieron Gillen, author of excellent X-Men, Star Wars and other comics at Marvel, are fantastic. It gets an assist, too, from some amazing artists from the comic and manga spaces to give each tale a unique flair.
And seriously, kudos goes to Tokon for absolutely nailing the characters here. Magik spawns hellfire. Magento sends scrap metal all over the place. Peni Parker litters the screen with robot drones. Deadpool is a treat for fighting game fans, given his moveset that consists of Street Fighter, Mortal Kombat and other series’ moves.
Beyond the story mode, Tokon offers a survival mode that offers 100 challenges that are fun to tackle. It’s not a full-blown roguelike or anything, but the challenge is certainly there, as are the rewards.
Arcadia Rumble is a pretty unique way to experience the game, too. This mode slants more toward a Mario Party-like lobby system with avatars and various challenges that players can tackle together. Critical to experience? Maybe not, but more agency, customization and relaxed social stuff is welcome.
Tokon goes deep on tutorials, too. It boasts lessons, deep character guides and combo explainers with challenges. It’s one of the best fighting game teaching scenes ever and should encourage players to deeply learn multiple characters, not just their “mains” as they progress.
Online play, beyond having the expected suite of modes and lobby systems, even lets players practice combos and stuff in the training mode while queued for a match. There’s a deep list of options and the game, post-launch PC issues that have been patched out aside, runs well with the expected things of a fighter like rollback netcode.
Given the above, it’s really encouraging to think where Tokon could go over the years with the proper support, which should be a given.
Tokon would be a massive hit in the fighting game space for a long time with any license. Or no license. The overall package is robust and simply that good.
That it’s a Marvel game will amplify its reach and guarantee it sticks as a heavyweight for a very long time.
There’s just too much going for it. The combat is accessible for all ages, from kids to elite pros. It’s fun. The visuals pop. The story is solid for the genre. A robust set of teaching tools really makes sure players can learn at their own pace. And the overall suite of options and netcode checks off every important item that fighting games demand in the 2020s.
With an endless supply of new characters to add and ample support, Tokon is right up there with the best fighting game releases of the last decade…and bound to be around well into the 2030s, setting an example for the rest, too.
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