Marvel Tokon: Fighting Souls offers a robust fighting experience with diverse character movesets and a visually striking art style that blends comic and anime aesthetics. However, the game is facing criticism for its tutorial, which is described as a significant barrier to entry for players unfamiliar with the genre.
The tutorial is characterized as lengthy and overwhelming, presenting players with every mechanic, from blocking and link attacks to assemble assists, within the first half-hour. While this comprehensive approach may satisfy seasoned fighting game enthusiasts, it fails to provide an effective learning experience for a broader audience. Many players find that the details of complex maneuvers fade from memory shortly after the tutorial concludes, leading to a reliance on in-game menus or constant external reference.
This issue mirrors challenges faced in other fighting games with similarly basic tutorials, where simply demonstrating moves against stationary opponents lacks the contextual understanding crucial for effective gameplay. The current tutorial structure rarely conveys the practical application of moves in actual combat scenarios, a problem exacerbated by the genre's inherent complexity.
While acknowledging the difficulty of designing engaging and informative fighting game tutorials that do not deter players with excessive length, the current implementation in Marvel Tokon: Fighting Souls falls short of creative solutions. Some games, like Street Fighter 6, have been praised for integrating tutorials more organically, gradually introducing new techniques through side-missions that allow players to practice and master moves before progressing. This approach aids in memory retention and builds confidence for online play.
Despite its tutorial shortcomings, Marvel Tokon: Fighting Souls is noted for its enjoyable tag-team combat and the potential for discovering cool combos even with less deliberate play. This aspect, coupled with the desire to master more advanced techniques like the Assemble Counter, motivates some players to persevere and actively seek to understand the game's deeper mechanics.