Marvel Tokon: Fighting Souls: Hands-On Preview
It is well known that I am an avid fighting game player. I will preface that with, I am not a very good fighting game player, but I enjoy them nonetheless. So when Arc System Works, Marvel and Playstation all teamed up to make an anime-inspired fighter, well, I was in from day one. It has been quite a while since we have had a chance to take the Marvel heroes through the paces in this sort of environment, and the fact that the team behind Guilty Gear are the ones behind the joystick only increased my eagerness. Well, thanks to Playstation Australia, I have gone hands-on with this upcoming Marvel-themed bit of biffo, and as a result, my eagerness has only increased.
First things first, this is Marvel, but not as we know it. I was informed that Tokon is set in a brand-new Marvel universe that has no connection to the movies, comics or other games. Not that I needed to be told because this game wears its unique attributes like a badge of pride. That’s not to say they have drastically changed the fabric of what we know as “Marvel”, more that they have taken that familiar foundation and run off in a direction that no one expected. The character designs and levels are all known to Marvel fans, but here they take on a decidedly anime-based style that, as far as I am aware, hasn’t really been done before.
This could have been jarring for fans, but thankfully that is not the case. In fact, the whole look is absolutely stunning. There really is something super appealing about this approach that I just can’t get enough of. Taking well-loved heroes like Cap, Iron Man and Ghost Rider and giving them a helping of Japanese edge has made for a memorable visual look. In a world where we have been bombarded with excessive Marvel for a long-time, these designs stand out from the pack.
But ultimately, as striking as the style is, that isn’t what is important here. The gameplay is. Tokon stands out from the pack by being a 4v4 fighter, but not as perhaps you would expect. There is only one life bar, and that is shared between your four fighters. So there is no tagging out and healing as there was in Marvel vs Capcom. The other catch is, of the four characters you choose, only the first two are active initially, with the other two only coming into play if certain in-match conditions are met. This creates an interesting dynamic, one where I can see a certain type of player mainlining with just one character for their time, where others pick a varied team that allows them to adapt to different tactics on the fly. Only more time and watching the esports scene will really answer this question, but it is unique to say the least.
The fighting mechanics were where I was most concerned coming in. Arc System Works are known for their quite complex fighting systems. Games like Guilty Gear Strive feel quite different to more familiar fighters, so they take quite a bit of time to learn and even more to master. I was worried that this could carry over into Tokon, but those worries turned out to be unfounded. This is a much more relatable fighting system, with most fighters sharing the same special and super move inputs as each other. Classic quarter-circles are here to stay, folks and in a game that is built around such popular characters, I would say this familiarity is important.
In the interest of getting your partner/sibling/parent/mate who is terrible at fighting games to play, Tokon also includes a simplified control scheme where specials and supers can be fired off with a simple button and direction press. Mapped to the right trigger, this special button allows even the newest of rookies to fire off special moves to their heart’s content. I personally won’t be using it; the satisfaction just isn’t there for long-time fighting game players, but for newbies I can see this as a great way of getting them involved and making couch co-op sessions all the more engaging for those without the skills.
As for the characters themselves, I got the chance to go hands-on with a good range of the fighters. Not all were available, but I did spend time with a nice selection including Dr Doom, Iron Man, Peni Parker, Ghost Rider, Wolverine and more. My personal favourite from my early time was Magik. I loved the way her moveset let her portals come into play, and her sword combos were satisfyingly crunchy. This eventually built up to unleashing her Darkchilde persona, which is a nice altered state that does more damage. That said, I only got a limited time with the fighters, so I won’t mark Illyana as my main just yet.
Finally, I did battle across six different stages, all common locations from within the Marvel universe, but appropriately styled to suit the game. Spots like New York, Charles Xavier’s mansion and Wakanda all featured. These backgrounds were stunning and expandable. If certain moves are performed near the edge of the stage, then walls can be broken as combatants are blasted through them into a new area where the battle continues. It is something we have seen in fighting games before, but I always like this mechanic’s inclusion, especially when the stages are as beautiful as they are here.
In all my time with Marvel Tokon: Fighting Souls was too short to give any sort of final verdict. That said, it was extremely promising, and I really like many of the things that Arc System Works and Playstation are doing. There is clearly some depth here, despite the familiar mechanics, the way tags are handled is something new, and it is undoubtedly one of the best-looking games in the genre. I am really interested to learn about what the single-player component will include and just how well the online matches work, but if the devs can nail those components, well, Street Fighter and Mortal Kombat will have some serious new competition at the next EVO.
Marvel Tokon: Fighting Souls is coming to PS5 (with Pro enhancements if you’ve got one) and PC on the 6th of August.
