I’m a massive fan of anything Marvel and fighting games in general, so it’s no secret that I’ve had my eye on Marvel Tokon: Fighting Souls for a while. I also believe that Marvel vs. Capcom 2: New Age of Heroes is one of the best fighting games of all time, so I was worried I was putting a little too much pressure on the newest fighting game from Arc System Works, given it was doing its own thing and is considered more of a spiritual successor as opposed to a direct sequel.
While Marvel Tokon: Fighting Souls has its flaws, it ultimately comes together to create a fantastic package that draws more casual fans in with a more forgiving learning curve, while keeping hardcore fans happy with plenty of unique systems and modes that encourage not only experimentation but also dedication to mastering.
Punches in (Four) Bunches
This 2D 4v4 fighting game offers plenty of unique characters and systems to mess around with, and they all work incredibly well together. You’ll essentially take four fighters into each battle, while being able to not only switch between them, but also involve them in your attacks and combinations.
The catch here is that unlike most tag-team fighting games, you’ll only get one health bar between the four fighters, so the stakes feel consistently high.
Fighters will have access to light, medium, heavy and tag-team attacks, finished by a couple of special abilities confined to R1 and R2. The only real difference here is that Marvel Tokon: Fighting Souls gives players the chance to essentially mash buttons to link combinations and special moves with the press of a single button, but also gives players the chance to manually input combinations as well.
I really felt conflicted at first, as I found myself almost spamming these attacks out of habit, and less encouraged to go through the motions of a more intensive and specific command input. That being said, it’s here especially that I believe Marvel Tokon: Fighting Souls finds some of its depth, appealing to both casual and hardcore gamers alike.
The auto-link combinations will essentially deal less damage when compared to combinations inputted manually, so it really comes down to not only the option you feel comfortable with, but the option that the situation really calls for.
The roster of 20 fighters does feel a little slimmer when compared to previous Marvel fighting games, and some characters are generally way more exciting and effective than others. I must admit, while I love Blade as a character, he feels utterly wasted here, as one of the more mundane options. Taking your team of four fighters into each matchup does offer its own advantages, and it’s fun to explore them.
You’ll also be able to build your special metre throughout each fight, which allows you to utilise your EX abilities by pressing R1 or R2, or both together. They’re incredibly fun to use, and can also result in you smashing opponents through to another area of the arena, which looks fantastic.
While I can imagine most hardcore fans bypassing the auto-linking combinations after a couple of hours, especially during competitive play, I do admire the approach to cater for more casual fans, as this ultimately feels great to pick up and play.
Visually speaking, things can get rather chaotic, but it only really feels that way when you choose to tag your teammates in. Pressing the X button will involve them in your current combination, while pressing the L2 button soon after allows you to switch to them within that same combination.
It takes some getting used to, as does tagging between each of the remaining three teammates off to the side, but it all works in the end once you’ve had an hour or so to come to grips with its mechanics.
Save the World Again
Marvel Tokon: Fighting Souls is a 4v4 tag-team fighting game at its core, but I would encourage most players to start with the dedicated Episode Mode to come to grips with its multiple fighters, teams and controls. The Champion of the Universe has arrived on Earth, and thanks to their sidekick known as the Promoter, we know that they’re intent on destroying the planet unless a group of fighters can challenge them in battle.
Presented in the style of a tournament set across five distinct chapters, we see our roster of 20 heroes and villains team up in groups of four to take on the Champion of the Universe. It does feel rather contrived for the most part, but it never overstays its welcome, and you’ll breeze through it in around 8-10 hours.
The only real gripe I have with the story is its pacing, as there’s plenty of gorgeous comic book-inspired cutscenes to sit through before jumping into a fight, which only really lasts around 2-3 minutes. While you can skip these cutscenes, it does take away from the overall experience. That being said, the introductory cutscenes are incredible, and almost deserve an anime series of their own.
The Fight Continues
Outside of the story-based Episode Mode, there are multiple ways, both online and offline, to continue the fight. Players can jump into a rather standard Arcade Mode that sees you taking on a range of AI-controlled opponents. It’s relatively straightforward, but what would a fighting game rally be without it?
There’s a Survival Mode, which sees players taking on up to 100 individual encounters, activating special ability-boosting cards along the way; a Score Attack mode to chain together the highest score; and even a cool Arcadia Rumble mode that sees players running around a small map and collecting power-ups before others, which can be used as an advantage in certain fights. It’s a fun party-style game that admittedly caught me off guard at first, but I actually grew to love this the most. Finally, there’s a training mode which lets you test out fighters and moves.
Online play gives you the chance to partake in both ranked and casual matches, and while I gave this a fair crack, I can safely say I’ve been consistently humbled. Finally, online room lobbies and matches give you the chance to host sessions with friends.
Look the Part
It’s hard to argue with just how good Marvel Tokon: Fighting Souls looks. The anime-inspired design extends not only to the cutscenes and comic-book panels, but also to the character designs and arenas. There’s a vibrancy to most of the visuals, and a playfulness that feels like it’s always belonged here.
For the most part, Marvel Tokon: Fighting Souls runs like a dream. As you would hope with most fighting games, this runs locked at 60 FPS in 4K, and on the PS5 Pro, it even delivers some extra PSSR upscaling for more detailed textures and accurate lighting across the board.
Either way, I had little to complain about here.
Final Thoughts
Marvel Tokon: Fighting Souls is one of the biggest surprises of 2026 for me, simply due to how good it feels to play. Arc System Works have successfully walked that admittedly fine line of hardcore combinations and intense pacing with a more forgiving learning curve and straightforward controls.
It also looks fantastic and runs like a dream, which is a huge bonus. At the end of the day, it’s a massive win for Marvel and fighting game fans alike and one that begs you to jump in and play.
FOUR STARS (OUT OF FIVE)
Highlights: Forgiving learning curve and straightforward controls; Stunning visuals; Awesome performance
Lowlights: Episode Mode stumbles in its pacing; Can get quite chaotic visually
Developer: Arc System Works
Publisher: Sony Interactive Entertainment
Platforms: PlayStation 5, Windows PC
Available: Now
Review conducted on PlayStation 5 Pro with a code provided by the publisher.
Featured header image also provided by the publisher.
