For me, there’s a specific, nostalgic kind of feeling that comes from playing a fighting game at an arcade. From watching the visuals explode across the screen, to scrambling to dig tokens out of your pockets. While fighting games aren’t my current bag, I have spent countless hours in front of Marvel vs. Capcom cabinets. Marvel Tokon: Fighting Souls is made by Arc System Works (Dragon Ball FighterZ, Guilty Gear) and is an anime-inspired take on the tag-team fighter. It doesn’t try to recreate the old era exactly, but the arcade-inspired feeling is unmistakable. 

With the game’s global Open Beta just a few weeks away, PlayStation invited Gamer Social Club to a hands-on preview to find out how the title is shaping up. After just over an hour with the game, one thing is clear: Arc System Works may have something special. In my opinion, Marvel Tokon is a fighting game that welcomes total beginners without insulting the genre’s pros. Longtime arcade fighting fans should feel satisfied, while newcomers to fighters have a great place to start.

Fifteen Characters, One Learning Curve

During my session, I was able to play with 15 of the game’s 20 confirmed launch characters. Blade, Carnage, Deadpool, Green Goblin, and Loki were recently revealed at EVO 2026 but were not available. Blade (a personal favorite character) will be playable during the Open Beta. 

All hands-on time took place on PS5 using a stock DualSense controller, the setup provided on-site. I was hoping to be able to try the recently announced FlexStrike wireless fight stick, with no luck.

I’ll say another thing upfront: I’m not a regular in the fighting game community. As mentioned, I don’t play fighting games as often as other genres. Veterans of fighters will find plenty to dig into, but Marvel Tokon: Fighting Souls makes a real case for itself as a first entry point for people like me. My session paired me against a YouTuber who very clearly had more reps in modern fighters. He handed me an early beatdown as I learned the button scheme and swap mechanics. However, within a few matches I was winning rounds. By the time the session was completed, I had won a match. That trend, combined with an accessible button setup, sold me on the game’s accessibility.

Every character carries a five-star “ease of use” rating on the select screen. It’s not a subtle detail added for fun, but is meant to denote each fighter’s learning curve. Certain characters, like Ghost Rider, sit near the bottom of that scale. Others such as Spider-Man, rated higher. It’s an honest way for newcomers deciding where to start, and I felt like the ratings were fairly accurate.

My personal favorites ended up being Black Panther (Shuri) and Storm, admittedly two characters who are my favorites in the comics. Both fighters, though, felt genuinely good in the hand. Shuri’s animations, speed and spear range gave me options to chip away at my opponent’s health while keeping distance. Storm was more difficult to get used to, but was a rewarding experience once I got more familiar with her moveset.

It’s also worth noting that the game’s quick-input options (like one-button specials and assists) clearly did a lot of the accessibility work here. While I didn’t feel like I was inclined to play in a spammy way, the control scheme definitely allowed me to execute moves and combos I may not have been able to learn as quickly.

Team Order Is A Real Strategy

One system that stands out more than I initially anticipated is the shared life bar across your four-character team. Additionally, only your first two fighters are available at the start of a match. The third and fourth fighters on your team unlock as you progress through rounds. I initially just started picking characters that were my favorites from the source material. Then, I started picking characters I hadn’t played with yet. By the end, I found myself strategically ordering my lineup. I put characters I was still learning or hadn’t tried yet up front, and saved whoever I was playing best that session for the back of the order. This was in case I needed a stronger closer to climb back into a set. Team order felt just as important as team composition, a new feeling for me.

Six Stages, Six Different Vibes

The preview build also included six playable stages. Savage Land, Marvel’s New York City (Day), New York City (Night), the X-Mansion, Knowhere, and Wakanda. This was more than double what was available in December’s closed beta. New York City’s nighttime stage is a moodier Hell’s Kitchen-style atmosphere. It felt distinct from its daytime counterpart. Knowhere gave me strong Guardians of the Galaxy/cosmic vibes, which was fitting given its Celestial background in the lore.

Each stage had its own visual appeal and easter eggs worth pausing to notice. In fact, I found myself getting distracted (and getting beaten up) by how well each stage was designed.

Most stages shift between multiple sub-sections during rounds. These changes are triggered by knocking opponents in different directions. This will feel familiar to anyone who’s spent time with Dragon Ball FighterZ, right down to the timing of the transitions themselves. The X-Mansion was a bit different. Rather than shifting sections from impacts, its look and feel changes dynamically between rounds instead. Each transition offered new references worth watching for.

Notably absent from this build was Asgard, the newest stage revealed. I personally hope it’s playable when the game’s Open Beta goes live.

Quips and Quirks

Gameplay generally felt great, and each individual character design (from the movesets to the voice acting and mannerisms) felt well thought-out. I felt myself becoming interested in learning more about each character as I played with them, and didn’t leave the session feeling like I heavily disliked any.

A less important (but still fun) part of the team selection process was the seemingly random team names. The game assigned various team monikers such as “The New Avengers” or “The Wild Mutants” depending on my first character choice and follow-up decisions. It’s a cute touch. It was fun watching characters interact differently depending on their opponent, which will appeal to fans of Marvel in general.

However, I did feel like the opening sequences and character quips got a bit repetitive over time. This could be due to the fact that I only played several matches of a versus-style battle against my assigned media partner. I also wasn’t able to preview any Story-like mode or much else of the game.

What’s Next

Marvel Tokon: Fighting Souls has an upcoming global Open Beta on PS5 and PC from July 24-26. This means every player has a chance to test the tag/assist system, team synergy, and a 16 (out of 20) character roster ahead of launch. Based on this hands-on session, you won’t need anything special to jump in. A stock DualSense was more than enough to go from getting beat up to closing out sets. Whether you’re already an FGC veteran or you just miss the sound of a Marvel arcade fighter, it’s worth setting aside this weekend. I will be, as I missed the first Beta. The full game launches on August 6th.