The PlayStation has recently revealed great news to the gamers who prefer the fighting genre. Marvel Tokon: Fighting Souls has revealed its Closed Beta testing to begin on December 5th and to have the most liked characters like Spider-Man and Ghost Rider in it. This announcement has injected a new life into the gaming world but not every gamer is excited.
PlayStation‘s first tweet hinted at a “fire and web” battle but the comments section turned out to be the real fire. Without wasting any time, gamers got to analyzing the gameplay and a huge controversy broke out around it. One of the accounts going by the name Cody or @4everbuffy made a serious accusation that became the topic of the community and he wrote off the game saying it’s a one-vs-one fighter dressing as a four-vs-four.
At the heart of the debate is a point that is dividing the gamers. Cody and other video analyzers are saying that although four characters can be selected, only one will battle at any time that is the turn sharing a single life bar among the entire team. This is totally different from the classic Marvel vs Capcom games where every character in your team would have their life bar. So it is more of Mortal Kombat 1’s assist system than a true tag-team riot.
Discussions on the issue were very intense in the comments. Another user, @SaiyanPride45, replied bravely that one has to get four character’s synergies right, hence making it hard and “not for casuals.” But Cody replied with the statement that even if the number of characters is increased to hundred, sharing one life bar effectively makes it a one-on-one fight. This never-ending quarrel shows the level of dedication and the fact that fighting game players are deeply rooted in the mechanics. Players are demanding clear reasons for their demands, thus it is their high expectations that cause the problem.
The very same expectation is also directed towards the gaming platforms that have already pushed the argument about the best ways to get the game further. Some players are torn between buying it on PlayStation or waiting for a PC release. User @Chirag_S_kotian informed that just PS5 users can play the beta for now and that a PC version isn’t expected until 2026. For gamers who play on the PC, this is a long wait. He also brought up the issue of cross-play, which is one of the main concerns for merging the player base.
The contention over PC vs console turned into an intense argument. A person with the username @Luffygearmonger was very vocal promoting PC, but at the same time, he suggested that one could save money and slowly build up a powerful rig to use the wall of time. User @CrowYea was apparently not convinced with that comparison. Meanwhile, @games_lover__ appealed to PlayStation to cease the release of PC products completely, citing the piracy problem and the desire of the company to keep the brand exclusive as the two major reasons for his request. It’s a whole situation.
Along with that, there were also people who made unnecessary demands. @the_douchebag32 yelled for the change of design in Nightcrawler’s character and he should not only be allowed to be featured in the comic but also to be playable. Also, @darksouldream wished for the price in Latin America to be reduced using the hashtag #NoAlDolarPSN. So, the issues range from character lists to pricing.
Still, a large number of people are overjoyed despite all the criticisms and confusions. @IronRedSandHive merely commented, “Dec 5 can’t come soon enough,” and asked how to get access. The very idea of getting to control Spider-Man and Ghost Rider was more than enough to entice almost anyone no matter what their gameplay style was.
So the question is, what actually is Marvel Tokon: Fighting Souls? Is it a cutting-edge display of fighters or an undeserved misrepresentation of a regular 1v1? The second Closed Beta starting on December 5th will behave like a sharp-edged stone that cuts through all the doubts. Gradually, players will be able to possess it and determine for themselves whether the gameplay can maintain the Marvel status.
The debates about health bars, assists, and choice of platforms are also indications that gamers are very diligent and closely monitoring the situation. They know exactly what they want from a Marvel fighting game and they are not afraid to broadcast their opinions loudly and clearly. This beta is not merely a trial for server testing, it’s about a defeat. The fate of this fire-and-web brawler might be at stake. Xbox fans might also be interested in following this development.
