Marvel Tokon: Fighting Souls, la recensione

Unlike the Marvel vs. Capcom, to which it is inevitably compared, Tokon is more closely inspired by the tradition of anime fighting games by Arc System Works, with a more staid overall pace compared to the frenetic combat to which the Capcom series had accustomed players. The choice is deliberate: characters like Wolverine, Storm or Magneto move with a less frenetic pace, still leaving ample space for aggression and dangerous mix-up situations for the opponent. The game is closer to Blazblue: Cross Tag Battle than to the classic Marvel vs. Capcom, while maintaining the spectacular combo component typical of the genre intact.

The strength of the combat system lies in the specific abilities of each character that define their game identity, such as Doom’s shield or Magik’s portals. Alongside this is the system that regulates the call for assists via a special indicator that recharges over time, transforming a usually immediate mechanic into a resource to be managed with more attention. However, the game suffers from relatively limited mobility and defensive options, which make it easier to suffer or inflict clear comebacks compared to other tag fighters of the same genre.

The real distinctive element of Marvel Tokon, however, is the care taken in building the roster. Each character reflects in their moveset not only a specific fighting style but also their own powers and comic book history: Magneto acts as a zoner who manipulates scrap metal, Star-Lord finally shows off his elemental attacks, Spider-Man moves with his webs, while Storm controls the weather to build pressure from a distance. Deadpool also receives a particularly successful treatment, including breaking the fourth wall and references to the history of fighting games. However, the absence of the Fantastic Four from the launch roster remains, a felt lack.

On the narrative front, Marvel Tokon gives up a single centralized plot in favor of separate campaigns for each team, presented in Episode mode with a style reminiscent of comic book panels. Each episode chronicles how a group of heroes band together to face the antagonist who has already defeated the Shi’ar Empire before turning their attention towards Earth. The narrative structure is repeated in a similar way between one episode and another, but the tones change depending on the team involved: the one dedicated to the Avengers is more classic and optimistic, that of the X-Men is darker and more attentive to issues such as discrimination. Kieron Gillen, already known for his work on Marvel publications, contributed to the screenplay and his hand can be recognized in the characterization of the characters.

On a visual level, Marvel Tokon probably represents the highest point of the game: the semi-anime style typical of Arc System Works goes surprisingly well with the Marvel aesthetic, offering redesigns that range from faithful reinterpretations of the original comics to successful reinterpretations, as in the case of Blade or Danger. The animations are accurate, the special moves and super moves are spectacular to look at and the scenarios, set in iconic places of the Marvel universe, are full of references for the most attentive readers.

The PlayStation 5 version, on which this review is based, runs stably at 60 frames per second, both locally and online thanks to effective rollback netcode. Marvel Tokon: Fighting Souls is a technically solid and visually refined fighting game, capable of speaking to both novices and more experienced players.

The game was reviewed thanks to a digital copy for PS5 provided by the publisher; is available for PlayStation 5 and PC. It is developed by Arc System Works and published by Sony Interactive Entertainment.