MARVEL Tōkon: Fighting Souls Screenshot
Image: Arc System Works & PlayStation Publishing

Update []: And this is why stress tests are important. Shortly after the Marvel Tōkon beta went live, the entire PlayStation Network collapsed under the strain, as reported by VGC. I'm sure they'll have it back up and running before long (and there are reports that it's already improving), but good luck in the meantime!

Original Story: When's Marvel? Now's Marvel. Fighting game fans have been waiting years for a worthy successor to the classic Marvel Vs Capcom series of tag-team fighters. While there's no Capcom this time, MARVEL Tōkon: Fighting Souls features a whole lot of superheroes given an anime-style makeover courtesy of Guilty Gear developers Arc System Works. If you've played any of their newer games (Guilty Gear Strive especially), you know you're in for a treat. This one looks and sounds as good as it gets.

With the full game due out in just two weeks, this open beta is both a public demo and a final stress-test of the game's multiplayer framework. It'll be running over the weekend and ending at midnight (Pacific Time) on Sunday, so if you want to throw down free, you'll want to get in quick. The beta is a relatively slim 15 GB download and available with just one click on the game's Steam store page, but you'll have to jump through one additional hoop: Making a PlayStation Network account. Yes, it's an awkward requirement for the game's cross-platform online play.

The beta/demo is a big one, too. Fifteen of the twenty planned launch characters, full online multiplayer, six arenas (although those are just a cosmetic thing), all the tutorial and practice modes, plus the first three fights from the game's story mode. A manga-styled tournament arc as Earth is unwillingly entered into a cosmic challenge where eliminated planets get a'sploded if they can't beat the big bad OC final boss, who kinda reminds me of Rugal from King Of Fighters. It's a silly premise, but it's an excuse for superheroes (and villains) to beat each other up, which is all you really need.

The story might be boilerplate, but there's a lot of interesting stuff going on here mechanically. Yes, it's a tag-team fighter where you have a full four characters at your disposal, but each round begins with just your chosen leader available. Performing wall-smashes (by bouncing your opponent hard enough against the edge of the arena) moves the fight to a new location and unlocks another of your team-up characters. Of course, your flashiest, biggest team-up attacks once you've assembled your whole crew.

Surprisingly though, that big team finisher is performed as easily as mashing your light attack button a bunch. As with many other modern fighting games, Tōkon defaults to a simplified control scheme with basic auto-combos, automatically performed super-moves to end basic attack chains, and special attacks all mapped to one button plus a single directional input. While you can still play classic-style with more complex directional inputs for moves, this does at least lower the bar for new players, and you don't have to remember the full move list for four different characters.

Simplified controls don't mean a simplified game though. Every character has their own personal brand of new shenanigans. I especially like Captain America's 'Trick Shield' ability that lets him bounce his shield off the borders of the screen, eventually returning but able to be kicked back to continue the rebound assault - it kinda reminds me of playing Lethal League. While the classic MvC games are an inspiration and some iconic moves return, each character feels very different in practice.

So, if the PlayStation account stuff isn't a dealbreaker, this one feels like an easy recommend to try over the weekend. MARVEL Tōkon: Fighting Souls launches on August 6th (priced at a hefty £60/$60 even before the Deluxe edition's season pass), with the free open beta available now and running until Sunday evening.