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Marvel Tokon: Fighting Souls Review – Shockingly Good?
Marvel Tokon: Fighting Souls – A Beginner’s Guide to the Open Beta Experience
What Is Marvel Tokon: Fighting Souls?
Imagine a fighting game where you pick four Marvel heroes, but they all share one health bar. That’s Marvel Tokon: Fighting Souls in a nutshell. Developed by ArcSystem Works (the studio behind Guilty Gear and Dragon Ball FighterZ), this game takes the chaotic fun of tag fighters and adds a unique twist.
I (Mitchell Saltzman from IGN) spent many hours in the recent open beta. While I didn’t get the full game early, I can already tell you: the fighting is a blast once you get the hang of it.
The Core Idea: 4v4 With a Shared Lifebar
Most tag games (like Marvel vs. Capcom) give each character their own health bar. You swap out a hurt fighter to let them heal. Tokon throws that out the window.
Important Point
All four characters on your team share ONE lifebar.
This means:
- No healing by swapping
- Matches don’t drag on forever
- Cleaner screen (less UI clutter)
- You don’t NEED to master multiple characters to compete
You Can Start Small & Grow
Here’s the best part: You can be a strong player knowing just ONE character.
How the Learning Curve Works
- Pick a main (I started with Spider-Man)
- Learn the basics:
- A few high/low mix-ups (attacks that hit high or low to confuse blocking)
- "Bread and butter" combos (reliable, go-to damage sequences)
- Movement tools (Spidey’s web-zip for zipping around)
- Jump online – you’re ready!
- Hit a ceiling? Go learn a second character (I added Blade)
- Layer them together – swap mid-combo for more damage or better matchups
Important Point
This "start small, build up" design is the ideal way to learn a fighting game.
Tokon feels built specifically for this.
Team Synergy Still Matters
Even though one character is enough, a well-built team gives you huge advantages:
| Situation | Team Solution |
|---|---|
| Bad matchup (e.g., vs. Magneto’s zoning) | Swap to a counter-character |
| Trouble opening enemies up | Start with a mix-up heavy character, swap to a damage dealer (like Blade) after landing a hit |
| Need specific tools (anti-air, projectiles) | Have them waiting in the wings |
The Assist System: Where It Gets Wild (and Complex)
This is the most confusing part – even for fighting game veterans.
How Matches Start: 2v2, Not 4v4
- Only 2 characters per team are available at round start
- The other 2 are locked until you unlock them
How to Unlock Locked Characters
You unlock a locked character by doing any of these:
- Landing a light auto-combo
- Hitting a move near the corner that causes a stage transition or wallsplat
- Connecting a throw
- Losing a round (auto-unlocks the rest)
Important Point
Unlocking characters = more Assist Meter bars.
Each unlocked fighter adds one bar to your Assemble Meter, which powers your assists.
The Four Assist Slots (Set Before Match)
Before fighting, you assign your 4 characters to roles:
| Slot | What Their Assist Does (in Neutral) |
|---|---|
| Leader | Current point character (you control them) |
| Shooter | Fires a projectile |
| Vertical | Covers vertical space (anti-air) |
| Assault | Uses their strongest/most unique assist |
Neutral = just standing/walking, not attacking or blocking.
Two Types of Assists
| Type | When Used | Cost | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Neutral Assist | While standing still/walking | FREE | Based on slot (Shooter/Vertical/Assault) |
| Combo/Block Assist | After hitting or getting blocked | 1 Assemble Bar | Always a universal dash-attack (same for everyone) |
Tricky Part: You must time the assist call perfectly. Too early/late = nothing happens.
This makes the Active Tag (swapping to the assist character mid-action) feel stiff and less fun compared to games like 2XKO.
The Characters: Style & Authenticity
Despite the complex systems, every character oozes personality:
- Spider-Man – Zips across stage, hangs on webs, baits anti-airs
- Storm – Controls weather, pulls/pushes foes, command-grab wind from half-screen
- Magneto – Fills screen with metal debris, uses it as weapons
ArcSystem Works nailed the comic-book feel while making each fun and distinct to play.
What’s Still Unknown (Full Review Coming Soon)
I only scratched the surface. The full review (early next week) will cover:
- Story Mode – 10+ hour original campaign
- Teaching & Training Tools
- Online Lobby (huge, only glimpsed in beta)
- PC Performance (beta had issues; testing on live servers)
Summary
| What Works | What’s Tricky |
|---|---|
| Shared lifebar = faster matches, lower barrier | Assist unlock system is confusing at first |
| Learn 1 char → add more at your pace | Neutral vs. Combo assist rules are hyper-specific |
| Team synergy rewards creativity | Active Tag feels restrained/awkward |
| Gorgeous, authentic character design | Timing windows for assists are strict |
| Deep but accessible foundation | Full package (story, netcode, tools) untested |
Bottom Line: Marvel Tokon: Fighting Souls is a mechanics-driven fighter that respects your time. You don’t need a PhD in tag fighters to start – just pick one hero, learn their moves, and grow from there. The assist system is a steep hill, but the view from the top looks promising.
FAQ
Do I have to learn all four characters to win?
Nope! You can be competitive with just one well-practiced character. The shared lifebar removes the "must know 3 chars" barrier of traditional tag games.
Why do matches start 2v2 instead of 4v4?
To pace the chaos. You unlock the other two by playing actively (combos, throws, corner play) or by losing a round. It adds strategy: when you unlock changes your assist options.
What’s the Assemble Meter?
It’s your assist fuel. Each unlocked character adds 1 bar. Neutral assists are free; combo/block assists cost 1 bar and become a universal dash attack.
Is the Active Tag system like 2XKO?
Similar idea, stricter execution. In 2XKO, you can swap freely for wild mix-ups. In Tokon, the timing window is tight, making offensive tagging feel clunky and less rewarding.
When is the full game out? / Where can I read the full review?
The full review drops early next week on IGN. Release date hasn’t been confirmed in this preview – stay tuned!
Mitchell Saltzman is an editorial producer at IGN. Follow him @JurassicRabbit for more fighting game takes.
