Summary
Arc System Works and Sony Interactive Entertainment had a fighting game bombshell to unveil at the recent Sony State of Play event in the form ofMarvel Tokon: Fighting Souls, a brand-new title featuring Marvel characters. In the vein of classic fighting games like theMarvel vs. Capcomseries,Marvel Tokon: Fighting Soulswill feature teams of multiple characters fighting against each other, thoughMarvel Tokonexpands the team size to four.
Just ahead of the rush of the summer game event, Sony launched a new State of Play stream filled with new announcements and unveilings. Some were rumored earlier, like theremaster of beloved RPGFinal Fantasy Tactics.Others had been announced before, but received new details or trailers, likeSilent Hill f. Some were even “announcements of announcements,” like a brief teaser asking fans to look forward to more fromGhost of Yoteiin July. Other games, though, seemed to be entirely new, drawing surprise and excitement from fans looking for games to add to their hype lists.
One such game wasMarvel Tokon: Fighting Souls, which looked like it could be vying for the crown of the premiere Marvel-themed fighting game held by theclassicMarvel vs. Capcomseries. Developed byDragon Ball FighterZstudio Arc System Works in collaboration with Sony Interactive Entertainment,Marvel Tokonwas unveiled with a new trailer and a short presentation detailing some of the thinking behind the game. The game’s most notable feature is its use of a larger team system. Where theMarvel vs. Capcomgames topped out at three-character teams,Marvel Tokonplayers will choose no fewer than four characters from a roster of Marvel heavy-hitters. Those characters will unite to tag in and fight for dominance.
Marvel Tokon: Fighting Souls Brings New Takes on Marvel Characters and 4v4 Battles
Marvel Tokon Confirmed Playable Roster
Other than the team size, the most distinctive aspect ofMarvel Tokonrevealed so far is its character designs. Like thehero shooterMarvel Rivals,Tokonfeatures original takes on now-familiar Marvel characters like Iron Man, Captain America, Spider-Man, and Storm, and the trailer also showed off Ms. Marvel (a.k.a. Kamala Khan), Star-Lord, Ghost Rider, and Doctor Doom. The character designs were heavily anime-inspired, such as with Iron Man’s mecha-style armor.
Online reactions to theMarvel Tokonreveal was quite positive, with many players excited to see a new Marvel fighting game years after a relatively lukewarm reception toMarvel vs. Capcom Infinitein 2017. Others were excited by the presence of more unusual character picks, like the Robbie Reyes version of Ghost Rider. Reyes last showed up asGhost Rider inMarvel’s Midnight Sunsand is more obscure than other incarnations of the supernatural antihero.
So far it looks likeMarvel Tokonhas managed to drum up some excitement from fighting game fans. With luck, Sony and Arc will raise a new pillar of the genre destined to attract Marvel fans and fighter aficionados both.
