Arc System Works is at it again with a new tag battle game, albeit one that’s slightly different and features Marvel superheroes.

Enter Marvel Tokon: Fighting Souls (or Marvel Tokon), a new 2D fighting game featuring Arc System Works’ trademark anime aesthetics and anime fighting game engine combined with Marvel Comics and its Cinematic Universe. You have your heroes like Spider-Man and Captain America, as well as villains like Doctor Doom and Magneto, in teams of four characters duking it out in 4-versus-4 glory. The catch? You start off the fight with just two characters and have to “assemble” your team up to four max using special attacks and the game’s tag/Assemble/Assist system.

It can get overwhelming, like all tag games do, but never fear: we’re here to help. Here’s a one-stop guide of all the Marvel Tokon: Fighting Souls resources to help level your game up, not just for the beta that’s happening from July 24 to July 27 GMT+8, but also for the full game that’s slated for August 6. That’s a few weeks from now!

Check out all the basic guides and character guides below. Disclaimer: this guide is still a work in progress and will be updated to reflect the current playable build. All inputs are in numbpad notations: a quarter-circle motion Hadouken input is 236P. In Marvel Tokon’s case, it’s 236L/M/H.

General Tips & Hints

Once you’ve played through the game’s tutorial, do keep the following tips in mind when you’re playing online, either casually or competitively.

Know (and use) your defensive options. Crossover, Assemble Counter (4Light+Assemble), and Assemble Smash (L+A) are your defensive options when you’re getting rushed down by the team. Crossover (L+) while blocking) is the best “get off me” move that costs 1 Assemble Meter pip. However, it can be countered by Crossover Reflect if you’re predictable with it.

Out of the three, you can perform Assemble Counter and Assemble Smash WITHOUT Assemble Meter. It’s just that you won’t get tag opportunities, follow-ups, and combo damage opportunities with your team. Your defensive options are free to use; don’t waste them if you are getting rushed down. Also, Assemble Smash can be done in the air, and is an overhead whether you do it on the ground or in the air. If you played Dragon Ball FighterZ, it’s basically a variant of the Super Dash, except it hits overhead.

Wall Breaks are important. If you throw an opponent with their backs to the wall, do a Light Attack Link Attack (chain, gatling, autocombo, etc.) with their backs to the wall, or use certain character-specific moves with their backs to the wall, you trigger a Wall Break.

Whoever did the Wall Break will assemble one extra team member, get an increase in their Assemble Meter, and an increase in their Skill Meter (Super Meter). Wall Breaks = resource-building = more tools.

Want to get your full team Assembled? Lose a round. You’ll automatically get your remaining two members in your team in the next fight.

Link Attacks aren’t just for beginners. The Light version is the easiest way to build your Tokon team during a match. The Medium version lets you do your Super Skill at the end, while the Heavy version lets you do your Ultimate Skill at the end. While it’s important to learn manual combos and the universal tag game launcher bread-and-butter L>M>H>2H, just confirming Link Attacks from your regular attacks and footsies means ending the fight efficiently.

There’s a dedicated Tag and Assist button for your Marvel vs Capcom tag team shenanigans. You can raw tag one of your team members in with Tag + direction input (4, 2, or 6). If you’re in neutral, pressing the Assist button will summon your Assist attack at no cost. Yes, you can be specific with your Assist attack by pressing Assist + directional input.

Yes, you can summon ALL your Tag assists in one consecutive go if you just mash the Assist button. No, there’s no “Happy Birthday” scenario where two or more characters can eat a game-ending enemy combo if they’re all out at the same time, because your whole team shares one life bar.

Your Assist Gauge fills up pretty quick. So go ham with your Assist attacks if you have to, whether it’s during a combo string or just need to make mixups happen. Also, using Assist attacks during a combo brings down the Combo Gauge, meaning you can keep the combo going for big damage. Take note: if you get hit with a Crossover Reflect, you lose access to your Assist gauge for a short bit; you’re on your own in the meantime.

 

Character Breakdown

Captain America

If you’re new to fighting games, or just need a shoto character to teach you the ropes as you’re playing, Captain America is your go-to guy. Shield projectiles, anti-airs, reversals, charge attacks, good normals and reach: this Star-Spangled Soldier has it all!

Ms. Marvel

Another good beginner character to use. Ms. Marvel has good footsie tools and range, can chase down enemies when needed, and has extra defensive tools with her Unique. Plus, she has a surprise command throw she can use in a pinch for mixups.

Iron Man

Iron Man flies and can use Repulsor Blasts with his Unique button. He can also cancel to his Free Flight mode after doing either Repulsor Blasts or any of his special moves. This makes him quite a mobile character in the air, meaning more ways to get in an opponent’s space and do air combos/launchers/setups/what-have-yous.

Doctor Doom

Storm

Note: she does NOT play like her Marvel vs Capcom counterpart. In fact, her Unique wind skill lets her do the “chasedown” work for her as she can do jump crossups and trap setups using it. Storm is the definition of a setplay character (like BlazBlue’s Rachel Alucard, whose Drive is clearly being used in a Marvel game).

Spider-Man

A rushdown character, Spider-Man’s Unique button lets him shoot out his web to traverse across the screen quick. Web hang, swing, zipline: combine all these and he can just get into opponents in a blink of an eye, mixing and crossing them up while they keep guessing where to block. Also, his 623L/M/H move is a counter, so you can keep on the offensive and then bait your opponent to throw a punch, only for you to retaliate with a surprise Spider Sense uppercut/dropkick.

Star-Lord

Star-Lord’s plethora of Elemental Guns can be switched up during matches. You can have his standard beam attack, or have the slow-travelling projectiles fired from his Fire gun. His Ice gun is short-ranged, but can freeze opponents for a short while when hit. His Earth gun comes with a shield and is meant to reflect projectiles and counter with his own. He has some air dashing and flying capabilities, but he feels more like a half-and-half character: some good zoning, some decent close-ranged offense, but neither excelling in any.

Ghost Rider

The best zoner-slash-footsie character in the game so far thanks to his long-ass chains. Just mind the Vengeance Gauge as you’ll be in a stun state if it goes overboard via your special moves. Cool it down with your Unique button (Revelator Chain, Hell Throttle).

Peni Parker

A big-body tank character with some forward-charging moves, wall climb, and random gadget-summoning (ala Guilty Gear’s Faust) to pollute the battlefield with. However, she is a big target and can eat cross-ups and certain moves with big hitboxes.

Magik

An X-Man long overdue for a fighting game appearance, this magic-using demon-powered baddie can mix you up with teleports and fast sword slashes. Get used to seeing her being used in tournaments by combo fiends and high-level players given that her toolset is built for a game with potential rushdown meta.

Magneto

Take note that this Magneto is nothing like his Marvel vs Capcom counterpart. Instead, you have to fill the screen with his magnetic debris (using his Uniques and projectile command special) and attempt to magnetize your opponent (Iron Tager style) so that you get your opponent to come to you. THEN you can blow them up with Yipes-level scoops and open them up Pringles-style.

Wolverine

This version of Wolverine plays sorta like his Marvel vs Capcom counterpart except (a) he has a projectile and (b) he can take one hit (or more) of armour with some of his special moves and Unique skill. Half rushdown, half bully (plus frame moves in Berserk state), all new in this ASW title.

Blade

Blade’s gameplan is simple yet effective. Throw stake, teleport into opponent’s face, hit them with sword attacks. Get your sword red, then deal more damage + combo opportunities the next time you hit them. Half-Yasuo from 2XKO, half-Nagoriyuki from GGST, all ready to make some motherf***ers ice-skate uphill.

Black Panther

Another rushdown character(ish), her Unique skill is Bask’s Blessing. When the Bask’s Blessing gauge is full, she can perform a super-fast 8-way dash (ground AND air) that can be cancelled out of any move she does. This is in addition to her spear that gives her some poking distance and some zoning capabilities (since you can chuck it). So just keep your opponent at bay with your spear & footsie tools, then use Divine Rite to charge your Bask’s Blessing gauge (and also guard you from an attack or two). Once you’re ready for a rushdown/mixup, just super-dash away.

Danger

A zoning character, Danger can summon Calibration Orbs with her Unique button. They don’t do much on their own, but they can be interacted with. Using your laser on it charges them and then fires a homing laser when fired on again. Firing your rocket will make them explode and damage enemies close to them. Best of all, if she has these Orbs on-screen still, they can power up her Special Skill -Synchro Beam- to deal more damage than usual. She also has a forward dash that makes her go upward ala Darkstalker’s Morrigan, so she can be tricky to deal with when she approaches you since this means overheads and traps galore.

Green Goblin

As close as you can get to a puppet character in Marvel Tokon, Green Goblin can either ride on his glider for air combos and dirty mixups, or just have it do its own attacks while you do your zoning with your boomerangs and pumpkin bombs of various status effects. The glider runs on a meter; if it’s out, you need to stay away from your opponent for a bit before it recharges. Green Goblin is only dangerous when his glider meter isn’t on empty; he can summon it at will or just do a safe attack that makes him get onto it quick. Not to say he isn’t a threat on the ground, but he relies a lot on assists while his glider is out of commission.

 

This guide is still in development…

Marvel Tokon: Fighting Souls is available on August 6 for PC and PlayStation 5. Do note that Sony & PlayStation are pushing an all-digital future without being upfront about its limits. PS5 downloads can’t be played from USB, and expanding storage requires an expensive NVMe SSD. Digital games are licenses, not true ownership. Physical discs preserve choice, competition, and ownership. 

Also do note that Marvel Tōkon is currently blocked in over 130 countries on PC because it requires a linked PlayStation Network (PSN) account, which is restricted in those areas.