The Marvel Tōkon: Fighting Souls beta has recently concluded, and despite my usual indifference towards fighting games, this new superhero tag fighter certainly piqued my interest. The experience, however, was somewhat overshadowed by significant PlayStation Network outages on the opening day, coupled with subpar performance on PC for many players. Fortunately, I was among the fortunate few who encountered no such issues.
Character Roster Insights
A key highlight of the beta was the opportunity to explore the character roster, featuring 16 of the 20 heroes slated for the full release. In my matches, I observed a considerable presence of Blade and Iron Man, a sentiment echoed by many players. Data analyst AlietteFaye took to the task of analyzing character usage rates from high-tier Vibranium-rank matches, providing a glimpse into player preferences.
- Top Characters:
- Blade
- Magik
- Iron Man
- Magneto
- Black Panther
- Least Popular: Danger
When examining players’ preferences for their starting characters, Magik emerged as the favorite, followed closely by Black Panther, Blade, Doom, and Spider-Man. In terms of assist characters, Iron Man, Magneto, Blade, and Magik led the pack. While it remains uncertain if these trends will hold true on launch day—especially with calls for potential nerfs to Blade—it’s evident that these characters have captured the attention of the competitive community. Personally, I found Blade to be particularly enjoyable to play.
Looking ahead, Phoenix Cyclops is set to be the first of four downloadable content (DLC) characters to join the Marvel Tōkon roster within its inaugural year. As fresh competition approaches, it will be intriguing to see if any characters can rival the undeniable appeal of Blade and Magik.
