MARVEL Tōkon: Fighting Souls
MARVEL Tōkon: Fighting Souls taps straight into my long running love of the Marvel fighting games. Over 30 years ago I burnt through countless hours and a shit-load of 50 cent coins, playing Marvel vs Capcom on an arcade cabinet in a Video Ezy store in Queenstown. Now in 2026, it has been so cool to be back playing with the heroes I love, with modern approachable gameplay, and sublime AAA graphics.
So, the presentation is the first thing that jumps off the screen here. MARVEL Tōkon: Fighting Souls is gooorrrgeous. The Japanese influenced Marvel characters are all fresh takes on well established fan-favs, with a clear tip of the hat to the beloved 90s era for most. Their crisp design and art style has next level attention to detail both in the costumes but animations too.
Oh, it looks soooo good.
The story in fighting games tend to be a mere vehicle for characters to fight. And…it’s no different here. Like, how will this minor disagreement between team mates over something that a quick 2 minute chat could resolve be figured out? Let’s beat the shit out of each other! But as stated, it’s to be expected and accepted considering the genre, right?
There is an overarching narrative though. An intergalactic champion is looking to have a fight with the absolute best. So, teams from across the Marvel universe have their own pathway to being in this fight. Avengers, X-men, Midnight Suns, even the “Bad Guys” have a team. The main line story has wonderful fully animated cutscenes, detailing who the champion is and how we get to fight them. But as you play through each Teams chapter, like X-men path for example. These story beats with Wolverine and the crew are delivered in fully voiced comic book panels.
The story delivery is solid, with many voice actors from across the Marvel Animated shows reprising their familiar characters, which is great. It is just a shame that the script they had to work with is pretty poor. The dialogue for the comic book panels has a “ho-hum” feel. It is just inert and pushes the team’s overarching trajectory towards the final battle, but that’s about it. It would have been nice to have had some proper comic book calibre controversy and dialogue in the mix.
Gameplay wise, it is a traditional fighting game with hi-low, Light, Medium and Heavy attacks that need to be modified and combo-ed. And like my beloved Marvel vs Capcom, teams mates can be subbed in for extra tag-team damage or swapping out for a change of tactics mid-match.
The shared health bar is a great change, so you know exactly where you and where the opponent sits, and you always know how dire things are getting. One critique would be that the developers, Arc System Works, have not managed to hit the sweet spot of on-screen chaos and information/HUD display. To my eyes, there is just too much going on at times, and button mashing ensues until I can get back to a frame of understanding.
If all else falls… Button Mash!
Obviously, online multiplayer is where the long tail is for fighting games, but I haven’t ventured into this space. I learnt a few years ago that I have not got the skill or patience to develop online fighting chops. So I can’t pass comment or judgement. But the general rumble online is very positive.
Overall, MARVEL Tōkon: Fighting Souls is a stunning package. I loved just loading up an arcade battle and watching the characters move, chirp and beat the crap out of each other. It is a beautiful game to watch in motion, with depth for the pros and fun for the noobs. If you have any love for the Marvel Universe and Fighting Games, go get this game!
