Arc System Works, a studio known for its fighting game prowess, has crafted Marvel Tōkon: Fighting Souls, a 4v4 tag fighter that manages to charm even those traditionally outside the anime fighter or superhero sphere. The game offers a unique take on the tag fighter genre by featuring a larger team size than typical, while implementing mechanics that aim to lower the barrier to entry for new players.
A New Approach to Tag Fighting
Mobilizing a team of four characters is a daunting prospect in most tag fighters, as learning even two characters can be a significant hurdle. Tōkon mitigates this by providing a shared health bar for all characters on a team. This approach allows players to engage in the game as if it were a one-on-one match with occasional assists, or to fully utilize their entire team. Progression within a match involves acquiring more characters through stage breaks, wall splats, or losing a round, which introduces a strategic layer and prevents matches from becoming one-sided snowball events.
The game features a diverse roster, with characters loosely grouped into thematic teams. Notable teams include the classic Avengers lineup with Captain America, Iron Man, Black Panther, and Hulk, as well as the Samurai Outlaws, comprised of Ghost Rider, Blade, Deadpool, and Loki. Each character's moveset is designed to reflect their distinct personality and abilities. Spider-Man, for example, utilizes his webs for agile movement, while Deadpool's kit is filled with meta-references and easter eggs, playfully nodding to other fighting game characters and mechanics.
Accessibility and Design
Marvel Tōkon incorporates both traditional motion inputs and a simplified control scheme, similar to Granblue Fantasy Versus: Rising. This dual input system allows newcomers to bypass complex quarter-circle motions in favor of basic directional inputs and a dedicated special button. While this simplified method results in slightly less damage, it significantly improves the game's approachability, addressing a common challenge for fighting games seeking to attract a wider audience.
The game offers several modes, including five Episode stories penned by comic author Kieron Gillen. These narrative segments are presented with comic book panel art and anime cutscenes. While the stories are generally formulaic for the genre and vary in their engagement, they provide a fun, albeit text-heavy, experience.
The core of the Tōkon experience lies in its multiplayer component. Players can engage in matches within customizable rooms featuring avatars or dive directly into casual and ranked play. The online infrastructure allows for matches to be initiated from the training mode, facilitating a seamless transition into competitive play.
Performance and Platform Concerns
Despite its strengths, Marvel Tōkon faces notable platform-specific issues. The PC version requires a mandatory PlayStation Network sign-in, a step that has been met with frustration by players. Furthermore, the game currently does not support Linux, rendering it inaccessible on platforms like the Steam Deck, which limits its portability and accessibility for a segment of the gaming community.
PC-specific performance problems, including frame drops and microstutters that can cause rollback issues, have also plagued the game. While Arc System Works has released patches, some players with high-end hardware continue to experience suboptimal performance, preventing smooth 60fps gameplay. This has led to some PlayStation players disabling crossplay to find more stable matches, impacting the overall matchmaking pool. A clear disparity in quality exists between the PC and PlayStation versions, which remains a significant drawback.
Conclusion
Even with its performance shortcomings on PC, Marvel Tōkon: Fighting Souls stands as a commendable achievement. Arc System Works has successfully created a tag fighter that feels accessible without sacrificing depth. The game's design, which lowers the initial barrier to entry while maintaining a high skill ceiling, makes it a compelling title for both seasoned fighting game enthusiasts and newcomers to the genre. Its engaging mechanics and diverse roster offer a robust experience, though potential players on PC should be aware of the ongoing performance concerns.