Ever since I got my hands on Marvel Tōkon at EVO 2026, I’ve been looking forward to this beta. The build at EVO left me wanting more, and after spending the weekend with it, I can honestly say Arc System Works is onto something. The first thing that stood out was just how beautiful this game is. From the menus and online lobbies to the character animations and overall presentation, everything feels polished. Creating rooms with friends was simple, getting matches going was easy, and the overall experience felt smooth. There were a few moments where I couldn’t log in, some disconnects, and spectator mode didn’t always work as intended, but that’s the kind of thing I expect from a beta. Once I was in matches, performance was solid, and I was able to spend most of my time actually playing instead of dealing with technical issues.
What really impressed me was the roster. Every character feels unique, and that’s something I don’t think gets enough credit. It’s easy to compare fighting games to something like Street Fighter, where characters such as Ryu, Ken, Akuma, and even Sagat share similarities despite having their own identities. Marvel Tōkon feels like it went in the opposite direction. Every character I picked up felt completely different from the last, not just visually but mechanically as well. Arc System Works did an incredible job of taking these Marvel characters and translating who they are into the way they actually play. Storm continues to be my favorite because she genuinely feels like you’re controlling the weather, while Shuri and Hobgoblin quickly became two of the biggest surprises for me throughout the weekend.
Gameplay also feels much better than the previous beta. Tag mechanics are smoother, assists are easier to incorporate, and within a short amount of time I was already putting together full team combos that felt satisfying without spending hours in Training Mode. I also spent a good amount of time in Ranked Mode, which gave me a much better feel for how the game plays when everyone is actually trying to win. Whether I was grinding ranked or playing long sets with friends, the game never felt overwhelming, and I think that’s exactly what Arc System Works was trying to accomplish. The game wants players to jump in, experiment, and feel like they’re making progress almost immediately. At first, I wasn’t sure how I felt about that approach, especially because of the auto-combo system. Coming from a more traditional fighting game background, I immediately found myself wishing there was an option to turn it off, similar to Modern and Classic controls in Street Fighter 6 or Pulse in 2XKO. Marvel Tōkon doesn’t really give you that choice, and initially that was probably my biggest criticism.
The more I played, though, the more my opinion changed. After talking with friends who don’t normally play fighting games, I realized they were having a completely different experience than I was. They loved how accessible the game felt. They weren’t worried about difficult execution or spending hours learning combos before they could have fun. They were landing exciting sequences, feeling competitive, and wanting to keep playing. That’s when it clicked for me. Arc System Works wasn’t trying to make execution the barrier to entry, they were trying to make sure anyone could pick up the controller and enjoy the game. I actually think they succeeded. Newer players have a way to enjoy Marvel Tōkon immediately, while experienced players still have plenty of room to optimize teams, movement, and advanced combo routes.
That said, I do have one concern going forward, and it’s really my biggest takeaway from the beta. After spending time in Ranked Mode and experimenting with both auto-combos and more advanced routes, I don’t think there’s enough incentive to learn the harder combo paths. If players can get similar damage from much easier auto-combos, then from a competitive standpoint it’s hard to justify spending hours mastering more difficult execution. Why take the harder route in tournament play if the easier option gets the job done? I understand why Arc System Works built the system this way, and I actually think it’s a fantastic way to welcome new players into the genre. But I also believe competitive players should be rewarded for investing the time to master the game’s deeper mechanics. Right now, that gap doesn’t feel large enough, and I hope it’s something the developers continue to look at before launch.
Outside of that, I came away from the beta excited. Marvel Tōkon is fun, it’s visually stunning, the roster is fantastic, and it already has that “one more match” feeling that keeps you coming back. More importantly, it feels like Arc System Works understands that a fighting game can be approachable without sacrificing its competitive potential. If they can fine-tune the balance between accessibility and rewarding high-level execution, I think Marvel Tōkon has all the ingredients to become one of the biggest fighting games in the genre. For now, all that’s left is waiting to see who joins the roster next.
