Every match in Marvel Tokon: Fighting Souls feels like it could be ripped fresh from the pages of a comic book in how it builds a tight narrative of clashing superheroes and supervillains. While it may begin as a traditional 2v2 bout, the end of a combo at the edge of a screen smashes the opponent out of one panel and across the stage when another hero suddenly joins, turning this into a 3v2, while each subsequent loss sees another hero jumping into the fray until it culminates in an epic 4v4 showdown. These are the largest teams of any tag fighter to date, and no franchise is better suited than Marvel, which gave birth to this sub-genre back in the '90s with X-Men vs. Street Fighter – which eventually morphed into the iconic Marvel vs Capcom.
The difference, however, is that this latest Marvel fighter has changed hands to another Japanese studio, and in the hands of Arc System Works, it's a much-needed course-correct following the nadir of Marvel vs Capcom: Infinite. Without the heavy hand of the Marvel Cinematic Universe influencing story and art direction, Marvel Tokon: Fighting Souls instead goes back to its comic book with an anime twist that naturally fits the studio behind stylish anime fighters like Guilty Gear Strive and Dragon Ball FighterZ like an Infinity Gauntlet.
