Two weeks have passed since MARVEL Tōkon: Fighting Souls was released, CEO has officially wrapped with SonicFox becoming the game’s first major champion, and after spending plenty of time in Ranked, experimenting with different characters and seeing what high-level Tōkon can actually look like, I think we can officially give our thoughts on the game.
Getting here has been a rollercoaster. When MARVEL Tōkon was first revealed, everyone seemed excited. Arc System Works was taking on Marvel, the art direction looked incredible, and after what the studio accomplished with Dragon Ball FighterZ, the idea of them developing a Marvel versus-style game sounded like a perfect combination. I first got my hands on it at EVO 2025, and while those short sessions left a great first impression, the first beta that followed raised some serious concerns. Auto combos were controversial, tagging didn’t feel as seamless as I wanted, and overall, the game had a level of jank that made me question where it was heading.
The second beta improved things, but it wasn’t until we saw characters like Magik and Danger that I really started to notice how much Arc System Works was changing. Ground and air assists added more possibilities, tagging looked smoother, and when I played the game again at EVO 2026, those improvements could immediately be felt. Then came the final beta, and as I wrote in my impressions at the time, the developers were onto something. The game was much better, but there were still questions surrounding the auto-combo system and how all of this would hold up once thousands of players got their hands on the final product.
Two weeks later, I think we have our answer.
The Marvel vs. Capcom series hands down my favorite fighting game series ever, so I knew I was going to be extremely critical of Tōkon. What Arc System Works managed to do, though, was capture a lot of what I love about Marvel fighting games without simply trying to create another Marvel vs. Capcom. Tōkon is fast, chaotic and constantly has you thinking about assists, positioning and multiple characters, but it still has a personality that is completely its own.
The characters are easily one of the biggest reasons why. Arc System Works has always been great at creating characters with completely different identities, and having the Marvel Universe to work with almost feels like they had a head start. These characters already have their powers, weapons, personalities and decades of history, allowing ArcSys to focus on translating all of that into how they actually play.
Every character feels different, and not just because their special moves look different. Their movement, approach, defensive options and overall game plans can completely change the way you play. There are still universal combo routes that make it easier to pick up different characters, which is something you expect from a versus-style fighter, but once you start digging deeper, the roster really separates itself. Storm continues to be my main, and she genuinely feels like you’re controlling the weather rather than simply playing another fighting-game character with different animations.
One of my initial concerns with the 4v4 system was the idea of having to learn four characters just to enjoy the game. Thankfully, Tōkon doesn’t force you to do that. I’ve been able to focus primarily on Storm while slowly learning how the rest of my team can complement her. For someone like me who has a full-time job, a business to run and a family, that makes a huge difference. I don’t have the time to sit in Training Mode for hours every day mastering four characters before I can start enjoying myself.
That accessibility is something Tōkon handles surprisingly well. You can find one character you enjoy, learn some basic routes and start putting together a functional team relatively quickly. At the same time, there is an enormous amount of depth waiting once you decide you want to take things further.
Even the character trials approach learning a little differently. Most fighting games give you a specific combo and ask you to reproduce it step by step. Tōkon has challenges that instead give you criteria to meet. You may need to incorporate an EX move, stun your opponent or use an assist, but exactly how you accomplish that is left up to you. I really like this approach because it encourages you to experiment instead of simply memorizing somebody else’s combo. It gives you a better understanding of what your character can do and starts pushing you toward creating your own routes.
The one accessibility mechanic I’m still not completely sold on is the auto-combo system. I understand why it exists, and after talking with players who don’t normally play fighting games during the final beta, I gained a much better appreciation for what ArcSys was trying to accomplish. New players can press buttons, make something exciting happen and start having fun without spending hours learning execution first.
Personally, I still wish I could turn it off. Sometimes I want to string together a few jabs or experiment with a sequence without automatically committing to the next part of an auto combo. I also think we’re going to see an interesting divide develop as the community gets better. Players are already learning how to defend against predictable options, optimize assists and punish mistakes, and the difference between someone who can play Tōkon and someone who truly understands its systems can become significant very quickly.
That ties into what I think is one of the game’s bigger weaknesses: skill scaling. Tōkon is relatively easy to start playing, but I don’t think the journey from beginner to intermediate and eventually advanced player is perfectly smooth. At some point, you hit a wall where understanding defense, assist timing, positioning and character-specific situations becomes significantly more important. Competitive players are going to love how much there is to learn, but I can also see that jump becoming super intimidating for more casual or new players.
I’ve experienced that firsthand in Ranked, where I’ve found myself hanging around. Tōkon has an interesting ranking system because progression isn’t simply about watching a points bar slowly increase after every match. You need to win two out of 5 required matches to move up a full rank. Also, when your losing and about time rank down, this system protects you but giving you 2 out of 5 wins to prevent going down.
Mid-Diamond has also been where I’ve started seeing just how quickly the game is developing. Players aren’t simply landing combos anymore; they’re understanding their teams, optimizing assists, learning defensive options and recognizing bad habits. Every time I start feeling comfortable, I run into someone who reminds me that there’s another level to this game, which is exactly what I want from a competitive fighter.
Unfortunately, the online experience itself isn’t always as good. I’m playing on PC, and this remains an issue with Tōkon. Some matches have been great, while others have been so laggy that they barely feel worth finishing. I’ve even seen PC players move over to the PS5 version looking for a more consistent experience. For a fighting game that I can easily see myself putting hundreds of hours into, that needs to improve.
Outside of those technical problems, Tōkon’s presentation is incredible. We already knew the game looked beautiful, but Arc System Works carried that same attention to detail through almost everything. The menus, battle screens, character animations and transitions all share the same visual identity. Even moving through the game’s different options feels polished.
There’s also a surprising amount of content. Episode Mode uses a comic-book-style presentation with full voice acting and artwork from different illustrators. Some of the art styles will naturally be hit or miss depending on your personal taste, but I appreciate that ArcSys leaned into Marvel’s comic-book history instead of simply giving us another series of traditional cutscenes.
All-Star Arena provides some of the more familiar alternative fighting-game experiences, including Survival-style challenges, while Arcadia Rumble goes in a completely different direction. Arcadia Rumble is essentially Tōkon’s party mode, allowing up to eight players to compete in an arena where you collect stars and build your score before putting those advantages to use in actual fights. Fighter Souls can provide different buffs throughout the mode, making it a much more unpredictable and casual experience than jumping into Ranked.
I like that it’s there. Not everything in a fighting game needs to revolve around becoming a better competitive player. Sometimes you want to grind Ranked, and sometimes you want to mess around with friends. Between Episode Mode, the character trials, All-Star Arena and Arcadia Rumble, Tōkon gives players several reasons to keep playing outside of the traditional competitive loop.
After two weeks, MARVEL Tōkon: Fighting Souls isn’t perfect. The PC experience needs work, online matches can be inconsistent, I still want more control over the auto-combo system, and I’m interested to see how the skill gap develops as players continue figuring everything out. But none of those issues have stopped me from wanting to play.
Versus-style fighting games are making a comeback, and there are some serious contenders fighting for our time right now. After the uncertainty of those early betas, the improvements leading into launch and now seeing what players are already capable of at the highest level, MARVEL Tōkon: Fighting Souls has earned its place in that conversation.
