Marvel Tōkon: Fighting Souls is the next big game from Arc System Works, the studio behind Dragon Ball FighterZ, Guilty Gear, and several other anime fighters. While it’s a tag fighter set in the Marvel superhero universe, it’s not an anime fighter reskin of Marvel vs. Capcom. It has its own systems, characters, and mechanics. Whether you’re a Marvel fan who doesn’t play a lot of fighting games or an MvC veteran looking for a new tag fighter itch, here’s everything we know.
How Does Marvel Tōkon: Fighting Souls Play?
Marvel Tōkon: Fighting Souls is a 4v4 tag fighter. If that sounds like a lot to manage, keep in mind that this isn’t like Marvel vs. Capcom where you’re constantly swapping between multiple heroes and managing several health bars. Rather, you start out limited to just two characters and meet up with the other members of your team over the course of a match, with those additions also increasing your health bar and skill gauge.
You can add characters to your team through:
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Stage transitions
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Pushing an enemy into a corner
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Losing a round
Each time you add a member, you’ll be able to access more assist moves or swap between members for the rest of the match. The assist moves that characters use are determined by which slot they occupy in your team, with a directional input assigned to each. You can also use the team-up gauge to execute combos and mix-ups, and even unload multiple special attacks across your team in seconds.
Who Are the Playable Fighters?
Marvel Tōkon features five teams of four. Some are approximations of certain superhero teams Marvel fans will recognize, while others feel like they were clumped together so the game could include individual fan-favourite characters. Though they’re grouped into sets of four, you can freely pick from the roster to make your own team.
Amazing Guardians
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Ms. Marvel
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Peni Parker
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Spider-Man
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Star-Lord
Fighting Avengers
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Black Panther
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Captain America
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Hulk
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Iron Man
Knights of Doom
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Carnage
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Doctor Doom
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Green Goblin
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Magneto
Samurai Outriders
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Blade
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Deadpool
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Ghost Rider
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Loki Laufeyson
Unbreakable X-Men
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Danger
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Magik
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Storm
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Wolverine
Is There a Story Mode?
Yes — Tōkon will feature a 10-hour-long story mode. While it was initially believed to be only cutscenes after a misreport from a 4Gamer story in May, it has since been clarified that there will be actual matches in-between all the dialogue.
Marvel is also releasing a one-shot comic on launch day called Marvel Tōkon First Strike, which will follow the Avengers and X-Men teams and include variant covers for different characters across the roster.
What’s This About Region Locking?
Marvel Tōkon: Fighting Souls is coming to both PS5 and PC, but the Steam and Epic Games Store versions will still require a PlayStation Network login. This means countries that can’t access PSN cannot get the game on PC — and there are over a hundred countries on that list.
What Special Editions Does Marvel Tōkon Have?
Tōkon has three editions:
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Standard Edition ($60) – Just the game
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Digital Deluxe Edition ($85) – Includes the game, all planned DLC characters for Year 1, a stage pass, a Howard the Duck lobby avatar, and a Cosmo lobby pet
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Ultimate Edition ($100) – Includes everything from the Digital Deluxe Edition, plus five costumes and an animated chromatic colour unlock
Final Word
Marvel Tōkon: Fighting Souls is shaping up to be a fresh take on the Marvel fighting game formula — distinct from MvC but carrying the pedigree of Arc System Works’ legendary combat design. With a robust tag system, a 10-hour story mode, and a roster packed with fan favourites, it’s one to watch for both fighting game enthusiasts and Marvel fans alike.
