| Marvel Tōkon: Fighting Souls | |||
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| Release Date | Gameplay & Story | Pre-Order & DLC | Review |
Marvel Tōkon: Fighting Souls is a 4v4 tag team fighting game where Marvel heroes duke it out in a unique format. Read on to learn how it plays, what it's about, and everything else we know so far.
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Marvel Tōkon: Fighting Souls Gameplay
Marvel Tōkon: Fighting Souls is a tag-team fighting game, much like other Marvel fighters like Ultimate Marvel vs. Capcom 3, where heroes and villains in the Marvel Universe fight in team-based, 4v4 combat. The goal of the game is to drain your opponent character's lifebar through attacks and combos until they're knocked out and defeated.
Basic Mechanics
Light, Medium, Heavy, and Unique Attacks
Much like other tag- team fighters, such as 2XKO, Dragon Ball Fighter Z, and Ultimate Marvel vs. Capcom 3, Marvel Tokon: Fighting Souls will feature three kinds of attacks: Light attacks, which are usually fast, short range attacks that deal the least amount of damage, Medium attacks, which lie in between Light and Heavy moves in terms of speed and strength, and Heavy attacks, which deal the most damage and usually have the most range but are slow to come out.
These attacks will have different variations if the character is crouching, and it's also worth noting that every character has a safe way of intercepting jumping opponents by performing a Heavy attack while crouching. These attacks can usually be linked together in a Light -> Medium -> Heavy sequence, forming the basis of the game's combo system.
Unique attacks, meanwhile, are character-specific moves that help define a fighter's playstyle and identity while drawing from a core part of their design and lore. For example, Captain America's Unique attack has him throwing his shield at different angles to bolster his combo game and close-up offense.
Movement
Movement in Marvel Tokon: Fighting Souls is a straightforward and essential element of gameplay, as all characters can move forward and backward on the screen, as well as jump in the air. For faster movement, every character can perform a forward dash by pressing forward twice and a back dash by pressing back twice, covering more space while moving. Certain characters, such as Iron Man, can perform an airdash, while characters like Storm and Spider-Man have unique movement options, including flight and web swings.
Tagging and Assemble Assists
As a tag-team fighting game, your success in fights depends on how well you build and use your team of fighters during the match. There are two key ways to use your teammates: tagging and assists, which are called "Assist" in this game. Tagging in an opponent is how you switch from playing one character to another, though it is worth noting that tagging in teammates haphazardly can be punished greatly, and, unlike other tag-team fighters, characters share one health bar.
"Assemble Assists," meanwhile, are like assists in other tag-team fighters, where you can call upon one of the fighters on your team to perform certain attacks before safely retreating. Assists are best used to extend combos and inflict further pressure on opponents, with each Assist being accessible by pressing the Assemble button and a certain direction. Be careful about calling in assists, though, as if they're interrupted and attacked while they're out, they will be unable to block and can be combo'd for full damage.
Skills, Super Skills, and Ultimate Skills
The classic fighting game special moves and super combos are known as "Skills" in Marvel Tokon, with every character's Skills being accessible by pressing the attack button simultaneously as a motion input. These inputs will usually range from combining the attack button at the same time as a direction to full-on fighting game motion inputs like the Quarter Circle Forward and Dragon Punch motions.
For players seeking a less daunting way to perform special skills, the game will also include a dedicated button for special moves called a "Quick Skill" button, reminiscent of Street Fighter 6's Modern control system.
Skills are special moves that help reinforce a character's playstyle and gameplay, such as Spider-Man's web-based abilities and weapons, solidifying him as a fast and tricky all-arounder. Super Skills are similar to super combos in other fighting games in that they're cinematic combos performed on the opponent that deal a lot of damage, but cost one bar of Skill Meter and can be punished with a full combo when blocked. Ultimate Skills, meanwhile, cost one bar of Skill Meter and one bar of Assemble Meter, but deal the most damage and are fully invincible at the beginning of their animation.
Assemble Skills
Alongside the Skill Meter, certain attacks and maneuvers can also be performed using the Assemble Meter. One of these is the "Assemble Smash," an attack that hits overhead and has invincibility on startup, leading to highly damaging combos. A more defensive option is the "Assemble Counter," an invincible backstep that acts as a sort of pseudo-parry.
Marvel Tōkon: Fighting Souls Story Plot
Marvel Tōkon: Fighting Souls Story
Marvel Tokon's story mode will be playable through an "Episode Mode" which follows the heroes and villains of the Marvel universe as they battle an impending cosmic threat. While not much has been revealed yet about the game's story, a recent trailer showcased some story elements, including the fall of the Shi'ar Empire and the destruction of their home planet, Chandilar, at the hands of a mysterious enemy. This prompts the X-Men to engage in battle, leaving most of their core members immobilized.
Marvel Tokon: Fighting Souls Setting
Marvel Tokon takes place all over the Marvel Universe, with a few key locations being revealed in the game's stages. The game will take place in New York, the X-Mansion, and the Savage Lands, with more stages to be released soon.
Marvel Tokon: Fighting Souls Characters
Captain America
As the leader of the Avengers, Captain America enters Marvel Tōkon as a hard-hitting all-rounder. His main strength comes from his shield, as it can change direction when hit with Captain America’s special attack, Ricochet Volley. Combine his thrown shield with his ability to counter people jumping into him to attack with his anti-air attack, Soaring Justice, and Captain America becomes extremely difficult to approach. As such, he can play defensively in midrange very well, exploiting mistakes made by opponents to achieve victory.
Iron Man
Tony Stark as Iron Man can be played similarly to Captain America, where you use his many projectiles and beams to keep the opponent away from you when they’re within range. However, his ability to fly and his ability to cancel attacks in his flying state lead to a plethora of combo opportunities that are too effective not to use. Iron Man players can take to the skies, using their lasers, missiles, and mechanical fists to juggle the helpless opponent.
Ms Marvel
It would be a stretch to say that Ms. Marvel is a character with limited utility. While not having an airdash might seem like a huge weakness when the game is so focused on mobility, Ms. Marvel actually has tools in her arsenal that more than make up for the lack of an airdash. Her unique move allows her to stretch her limbs and grab onto something or the opponent to close the distance between them.
When they’re close to each other, Ms. Marvel can easily unleash powerful throw or combo attacks to deplete the enemy's health pool. If, for some reason, Ms. Marvel wants to keep her distance, her stretchy limbs allow her to keep away and poke at the enemy, possibly frustrating them into making a mistake.
Star-Lord
Star-Lord is a shooting character who can switch between different elements for his blaster. Like Iron-Man, he can fly and has different combo opportunities because of it. By changing the element he wields, Star-Lord can change the properties of his two attacks, Elemental Blast and Elemental Outlaw. From setting his opponents on fire or completely freezing them, he can change the tide of battle by choosing the right element at the right time.
Storm
Channeling the power of the Tempest comes Storm. Her unique ability, Tempest, changes the direction or power of her other attacks. This ability can be used while she is channeling other normal or special moves. While not the flashiest of abilities, the power to change the direction of your opponent’s movement is not to be scoffed at.
Some of her attacks, like Cold Embrace, can have their properties altered when Tempest is used, changing the distance or direction the opponent gets knocked back. This can allow for lengthier combos, greater damage, and flashy taunts.
Dr. Doom
Doom your enemies to defeat with Dr. Doom and his legion of Doombots. He specializes in ranged combat and peppering the opponent with projectile attacks. His unique ability, which helps him specialize in this role, is the Nullify Shield, which, according to its name, nullifies projectiles and can even serve as a wall that prevents an opponent from getting in or out. If things ever get too dicey for Dr. Doom, he can also fly so that he can make a getaway.
Spider-Man
Look out, here comes Spider-Man! Similar to his iterations in other video games, Spider-Man swings onto the Marvel Tokon roster as a fast, versatile character with flashy combos and high-mobility. Key to this are his different Web Zips, which players can use to control Spider-Man's movement and trajectory across the stage. Spidey can also place Web Bombs all over the stage, which detonate when an enemy hits or comes into contact with them.
Ghost Rider (Robbie Reyes)
Ghost Rider, the Spirit of Vengeance, blazes his way to Marvel Tokon with long-range attacks courtesy of his iconic chain whips, playing at his best from across the screen. Unique to Ghost Rider is his Vengeance Gauge, which empowers his moves the more Robbie attacks, but leaves him vulnerable when it fills up. He's a high-risk, high-reward character that requires a lot of forethought to master because of his many unique systems and mechanics.
Marvel Tōkon: Fighting Souls Similar Games
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