Marvel Tokon: Fighting Souls' open beta has offered a compelling glimpse into Arc System Works' latest entry in the Marvel fighting game pantheon, suggesting it's poised to live up to the legacy of its predecessors. While the full scope of the game remains to be seen, early impressions indicate a mechanics-driven experience that, despite a learning curve, proves to be deeply engaging and fun.
At its core, Tokon is a 4v4 tag fighter that introduces several unique mechanics designed to manage the inherent complexity of eight characters in a single match. A significant departure from traditional tag fighters is the shared lifebar for all characters on a team. This change streamlines the user interface, prevents matches from overstaying their welcome, and crucially lowers the barrier to entry by diminishing the necessity of mastering multiple characters to field a competitive team.
This design choice allows players to excel with a single, well-understood character, while still providing substantial strategic depth through team synergy. The ability to tag out characters can be employed tactically; for example, a player struggling against a zoning character might tag in a character with better tools to close the distance. Similarly, a character who excels at initiating offense but struggles with combo extensions can be paired with a teammate who can capitalize on openings for greater damage.
This incremental approach to learning feels integral to Tokon's design. Players can begin by focusing on a single character, mastering fundamental combos and movement, and then gradually expand their repertoire by learning new characters and integrating them into their gameplan. This makes the process of learning the game more manageable and rewarding.
Where the system becomes more complex is with the introduction of assists and the staggered unlock of characters. Each match begins with only two characters available, with the remaining two unlocked through specific in-game actions such as landing a light auto-combo, executing a corner-wall splat, or successfully landing a throw. Each unlocked character adds another bar to the Assemble meter, which governs the use of assists.
The rules surrounding assists are particularly intricate. Characters are assigned roles—Leader, Shooter, Vertical, and Assault—which dictate the type of assist they provide when called in neutral. These neutral assists do not consume meter. However, calling an assist to extend a combo or cover a blocked move requires expending one bar of the Assemble meter, resulting in a dash-attack assist. Precision is key, as mistimed assist calls will result in them not activating.
Tokon also features an active tag system, allowing players to briefly control their assist character. This system is more restrained than in similar titles like 2XKO, where active tags are more freely usable for mix-ups. While this limitation may prevent overwhelming offensive pressure, it also results in an active tag system that feels less intuitive and less dynamic for offensive maneuvering.
Despite the complexities of the assist system, individual characters are imbued with significant style and personality. Spider-Man's fluid movement and web-based evasion, Storm's weather manipulation and far-reaching command grab, and Magneto's screen-filling projectile attacks are all rendered with faithfulness to their comic book origins while providing unique and enjoyable gameplay experiences.
Further elements to be explored in the full review include the promised 10-plus hour story mode, comprehensive training tools, and the expansive online lobby. Performance on PC will also be thoroughly examined, given previous beta issues. A full review is expected early next week.