Marvel Tokon: Fighting Souls was one of the big surprises of the Summer Game Fest season. With Marvel Comics’ famous character roster, Arc System Works’ fighting game development prowess, and Sony Interactive Entertainment’s publishing might powering it, it’s easy to see how Tokon has quickly become one of the most anticipated fighting games.
Nowhere was that excitement more palpable than at Evo 2025, where Tokon made its public playable debut. Throughout the entire three-day event, lines to try the game stretched around the Arc System Works exhibition booth, with many eagerly waiting for hours for a brief Tokon trial session. So when Sony and Arc System Works offered me a special hands-on session to try out the superhero scuffles of Marvel Tokon, I leapt into action. What I found was a striking, highly approachable fighter that feels like it’s poised for success.
Arc System Works’ pedigree among fighting game fans needs little introduction: It won over fans in the early aughts with the sharp visuals and in-depth gameplay of the Guilty Gear series, moved into the HD era with BlazBlue, and have since become widely known for its games’ signature anime-style, incredibly detailed graphics and high-octane, technically oriented combat. It’s worked with other companies’ IPs to create titles like Persona 4 Arena, Dragon Ball FighterZ, and Granblue Fantasy Versus to great success.
While Marvel Tokon marks the first time Arc is handling an American IP, it seems to have been given a great degree of artistic freedom. The visuals are presented in the company’s well-loved 3D anime style, with characters like Captain America, Iron Man, Storm, and Ms. Marvel receiving design flourishes from Arc’s art design team that set them apart from the characters’ depictions in other media. Character animations are smooth and packed with detail, and while there was only one background available for combat in the show demo, it was packed with details while not being overly distracting from the frenetic on-screen battles.
Players couldn’t use their own controllers for the demo, so instead of my customized joystick, I picked up a DualSense and gave Tokon a whirl. The game’s control scheme fit the layout perfectly: Face buttons were mapped to light, medium, and heavy attacks, with the bottommost one acting as a dedicated assist call (the “Assemble” button). While recent fighting games like Street Fighter VI have made an effort to appeal to genre newcomers by offering a classic and simplified control scheme, Tokon offers players both at the same time: special moves can be input with traditional fighting-game commands, or by holding down the Quick Skill button (mapped to one of the shoulder buttons) and inputting a direction. Unlike Arc’s earlier Granblue Fantasy Versus, which imposed a skill cooldown for using these simplified inputs, Tokon does not penalize players for executing special attacks this way. Another specialized button, Unique–again mapped to the shoulder during the demo–activates distinct skills that a particular character wields. Other buttons provided easy access to dashing and throws. Despite not being able to use my own controller, I adapted to the feel of the game’s controls quickly, as the layout felt optimized for pad play. (Of course, you’ll be able to swap buttons as you please in the final game.)
From the outset, Marvel Tokon sets itself apart from other tag-based fighting games by changing up two core gameplay mechanics: the team and the lifebar. You pick four characters before starting combat, assigning each character to use a projectile, anti-air, or specialty assist attack. However, fights are round-based, and you begin battle with only two members of your team available . To use your other two fighters, you’ll need to unlock them through fighting: using special throw attacks, blasting the opponent through the “wall” and causing a background transition or–if you’re unfortunately on the receiving end of a beatdown–losing rounds. It was explained to me by staff that the intention was to make it feel like you assemble your team over a match, and I think that element sets Tokon apart from its peers.
The other big change is the lifebar. Many tag-based games have a separate lifebar for each team member, and swapping out will allow them a bit of recovery over time. Marvel Tokon instead has a shared lifebar, with the use of assists managed through a specialized gauge. This means that you won’t be left without the use of a key assist character due to them being KOed–though you will still have to manage the gauge, restricting how often you can use them. (And yes, you can still score extra damage by smacking around both the point and assist characters at the same time, an occurrence players call a “Happy Birthday.”)
Though the demo’s roster was limited, the character choices were excellent, as each member of the cast felt distinct in combat. Captain America gives players the standard Dragon Punch- and projectile-style special moves many are familiar with but can change things up by throwing out his shield at funky angles or using it to guard and counter. Storm can control spacing and exert pressure, restricting the opponent’s movement while enhancing her own. Both Iron Man and Star Lord offered up projectiles and aerial movement, with Iron Man delivering incredible aerial mobility and Star Lord offering the fun twist of being able to change his unique projectile attacks’ elemental properties (and thus effects) in the midst of combat. Ms. Marvel’s limb-stretching abilities let her navigate across the screen, as well as add some additional range to her normal strikes. Finally, Doctor Doom’s array of projectiles and distance attacks–including a space-controlling barrier–make up for his relative lack of speed.
I also found that some of the universal mechanics Tokon introduces made it very easy to jump in and begin playing around with characters. Besides rapid-button-press auto-combos–a common feature across Arc’s recent fighting games–all characters have access to a universal aerial launcher by pressing down and heavy attack. This isn’t the only way (or even the most optimal in some cases) to start air combos, but it does act as a solid springboard to learning the flashy air combos common to tag-based fighters. Tagging in characters mid-match is also made simple by allowing you to hold the tag button down to switch the character you just called in to the point position. Crossover, a counter-type skill performed by pressing light attack and Assemble when guarding, allows you to summon an assist for a disruptive counterattack. However, if you can predict when your opponent is going for a Crossover, you can actually counter with one of your own–and if your timing is just right, you’ll disable use of their assist characters for a brief window.
There’s a lot more nitty-gritty to combat, including special moves and some incredible-looking supers, and team-driven Assemble techniques, but I feel like I’d ruin some of the fun of experiencing Tokon for yourself if I went too deep into the weeds here. Thankfully, you’ll have a chance to do so very soon: sign-ups for a closed beta test in early September have gone live. I would encourage anyone interested to apply, since part of what makes fighting games so exciting is going on your own journey of learning, discovery, and improvement. While the final game’s a ways off–the current release date is a nebulous “2026”–Marvel Tokon is already poised to be a top contender.
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