Marvel Tokon: Fighting Souls has garnered attention for its dynamic 4v4 tag-team combat and a story mode featuring motion comics, all presented with a distinct anime aesthetic. However, a significant criticism has emerged regarding the game's sparse costume variety for its roster of Marvel superheroes.
Developed by Arc System Works, known for its anime-style fighters, Marvel Tokon infuses familiar characters with an anime flair. Heroes like Iron Man are reimagined with designs reminiscent of giant mechs, offering a fresh visual take compared to other Marvel game adaptations. Yet, this artistic direction primarily extends to the base character models, with limited options for players to alter their appearance beyond simple color changes.
For many characters, such as Ms. Marvel, players are restricted to recolored versions of her primary uniform. While some color palettes can mimic iconic looks from the comics, like Wolverine's brown and tan or black and white outfits, or turn Green Goblin into Hobgoblin, many desired alternate costumes are absent. Fan favorites like Spider-Man's black symbiote suit, Magneto's white Krakoa-era attire, or Magik's New Mutants look are not available.
A select group of characters, including Captain America, Iron Man, Storm, Spider-Man, and Doctor Doom, do receive alternate costumes. However, access to these skins is exclusively tied to the more expensive Digital Deluxe and Ultimate Editions of the game, priced at $84.99 and $99.99 respectively. Players purchasing the standard $59.99 edition are limited to the default designs and their corresponding color swaps.
The issue of limited costume variety is not unique to Marvel Tokon. Other fighting games have faced similar critiques. For instance, Invincible VS, another 2026 tag fighter, also featured a noticeable lack of alternate outfits. Dragon Ball FighterZ, another Arc System Works title, similarly restricted customization to color variations of existing outfits, such as Goku's gi. NetherRealm Studios' Injustice 2, while offering some cosmetic changes through its gear system and color shaders, also faced criticism for its RNG-dependent approach to unlocking character appearances, making it difficult to achieve specific looks.
NetherRealm has since shifted its approach, with Mortal Kombat 1 providing a more robust selection of costumes, including some inspired by the Mortal Kombat 2 movie. The potential for extensive cosmetic options is particularly evident in Marvel Tokon, given the vast library of iconic costumes available to Marvel's heroes from various media, including the Marvel Cinematic Universe and comic runs. The possibility of incorporating looks like Tom Holland's Spider-Man suits from the recent films, complete with potential voice actor tie-ins, remains a missed opportunity for the current game.
While the development of new costumes with accurate hitboxes presents technical challenges in a 2D fighting game, the decision to gate the few available alternate costumes behind premium editions has been a point of contention for players hoping for greater customization in Marvel Tokon: Fighting Souls.