Despite not being the best fighting game player out there, I couldn’t contain my excitement as soon as I saw Marvel Tokon: Fighting Souls announced. Right off the bat, Marvel Tokon: Fighting Souls had many things going for it: Arc Systems Works would spearhead the project, and it would feature some of the most iconic Marvel heroes and anti-heroes in one of the flashiest fighting games ever. After being lucky with a closed beta invite, I can say that it has all the potential to become the best tag team fighter of recent memory.
The closed beta test for Marvel Tokon: Fighting Souls featured six playable characters and a best-of-3 game mode. For the roster, I was able to try Captain America, Iron Man, Ms. Marvel, Star-Lord, Dr. Doom, and Storm. Beyond that, a brief explanation was provided regarding the game’s systems, delving into key mechanics such as guarding, tag-team fighting, and skills. I would’ve loved to see a training mode or a way to test out some combos, but again, it was a beta test, so, understandably, some features were missing.
In any case, Marvel Tokon: Fighting Souls stands out due to its fast-paced fighting. When you enter a match, you have a team of four characters, but you can only swap between two at first. Once you manage to knock your enemy away to the next area, a new character unlocks, allowing you to swap between them. Additionally, another character becomes available at the start of each new round.
The system isn’t bad, but it feels clunky to use. In terms of what works and what makes it so fun, it is the fact that your team helps you with your light combos and chaining attacks to send your opponent flying to the next stage. However, changing to a new character mid-fight felt a bit weird, as you had to hold down the “X” button and one from your D-Pad, and switching just felt odd. I hardly saw players engaging with this system during the fight. Most of us, including myself, waited until a new round began to swap to a new character, as it was much easier to do. Now, I don’t think it is impossible, but a different button combination could make the swapping easier to understand and pull off.
When executed right, however, it works like a charm. You can start by performing a combo, followed by a tag-team attack that sends your opponent away, and then wrap up with a skill. The transition between all these systems is seamless and quite exciting to pull off. Yet, it also leads me to another minor complaint: the lack of defensive capabilities. While there are counters and other moves to punish your foes, it almost always felt that being stun-locked in a combo would lead to a lost round, and that was the case. Yes, you can avoid this with a bit of practice, but I still feel you need some more evident counter mechanics to get out of a combo-lock to try to get your footing during the fight.
Beyond these extremely minor and almost unnecessary complaints, as it was a closed beta, everything else was perfect. The netcode is one of the best, and even when my opponent had a shaky connection, I never experienced lag of sorts or input delay. Everything worked like a charm, even in the busiest lobbies.
Technical aspects aside, the art style and moves are flawless, capturing the essence of every Marvel character that made it to the test. From Cap’s heroic shield smash to Tony’s devastating Hulkbuster’s Omnibeam, and even Dr. Doom’s exploding robots, every character was portrayed perfectly. This is, undoubtedly, the flashiest and most epic Marvel fighting game we’ve had in ages.
A Promising Road Ahead
While the closed beta felt almost ephemeral, it lasted enough for me to realize that it could easily become the greatest tag-team fighting game of 2026. Even if the tag-team system needs its controls to be a bit easier, everything else was excellent. The visual style is terrific; the stage transitions during a bout are fast and don’t disrupt the flow of the encounter. Each character has a unique playstyle that captures their essence, and the pacing of each counter hits the perfect spot, making each fight feel engaging without becoming a drag.
As someone who’s spent countless hours in Granblue Fantasy Versus: Rising, I’m excited to see that there’s a new fighting game I’ll soon call home. Arc Systems Works has always stood at the top of the fighting ladder by bringing unique mechanics and top-notch visuals, and Marvel Tokon: Fighting Souls isn’t an exception. The only difference is that this time is better, flashier, and more chaotic, and I’m eager to experience what the whole game has in store for us.
