Marvel Tokon’s beta sparks mixed reactions: Players criticize the PC version but praise Magik.

This weekend, Marvel Tokon: Fighting Souls kicked off its first public playtest on PlayStation 5 and Windows PC, attracting both Marvel fans and fighting game aficionados. Players quickly jumped into the action, showcasing intricate combos and flashy moves. However, it didn’t take long for debates to spark online about the game’s quality.

The playtest faced some initial hiccups, starting with a significant outage on Sony’s PlayStation Network that rendered the game unplayable for many. Later that day, server maintenance added to the frustration. Once the servers were back up, players discovered a more serious issue: the PC version of Marvel Tokon is struggling. Gamers shared videos highlighting glitchy graphics and severe frame drops, with many noting that the game demands a lot from PCs despite its stylized visuals. Launching the game from a fresh install could result in a stuttering PlayStation Studios intro that takes ages to load.

While some players found clever fixes, like pre-compiling shaders and tweaking settings in the Nvidia control panel, achieving a stable 60 frames per second proved challenging—an essential requirement for fighting games. Many attributed these performance issues to the game’s heavy-handed anti-piracy DRM and its mandatory integration with PlayStation Network, which requires a manual login each time you start the game. Even if your setup runs smoothly, online matches can still suffer if your opponent’s system is lagging. Arc System Works has committed to looking into these concerns.

For those who managed to play Marvel Tokon, opinions were mixed. On the bright side, social media was soon filled with clips of impressive combos, showcasing complex routing that involves strategic resource management. Players appreciated the diverse character roster and their unique play styles. One user noted how Spider-Man excels at frustrating opponents, while others highlighted clever mix-ups with Black Panther.

Most players agree that the game is visually stunning, featuring vibrant animations and creative character designs. Magik, in particular, has emerged as a fan favorite, not only for her popularity at the Vibranium rank (the second-highest tier) but also for her striking idle animation and her badass persona wielding a giant sword. It’s no surprise, given her popularity in other titles like Marvel Rivals and Marvel Snap.

The beta peaked at an impressive 33,233 players on Steam, a solid turnout.

However, some players left feeling let down. A common critique is that Marvel Tokon feels slower than most tag fighters. Character run speeds are sluggish, air movement is floaty, and attacks generally have long recovery times, making the overall experience feel lethargic.

Additionally, despite being a tag fighter known for fast-paced mix-ups, many of Marvel Tokon’s mechanics seem to restrict high-speed gameplay. There’s significant protection against cross-ups, and overhead attacks tend to be slow. Top player Sonic Fox expressed frustration, stating, “It feels like I’m constantly fighting the game and I hate that.” While there are still opportunities to mix up opponents, it often feels like a missed opportunity rather than a core feature.

Lastly, the game’s input recognition system can be problematic, frequently misreading commands and leading to unintended moves. For instance, uppercut motions (a Z motion on the stick) are often registered as quarter circles unless executed with precision.

With the release date of August 6 approaching for PC and PS5, Arc System Works has limited time to address these issues, and it seems unlikely that all concerns will be resolved in just over a week. We’ll find out soon enough.

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