PS5 Fighter Marvel Tokon Has a 10-Hour Single Player Story, But It’s a Comic with No Gameplay

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Well, this is going to be divisive.

If you enjoy playing fighting games by yourself and were hoping Marvel Tokon: Fighting Souls on PS5 would have a deep story mode, you might be expecting something like the World Tour mode in Street Fighter 6 or the story found in Mortal Kombat 1.

Arc System Works recently announced in an interview with 4Gamer that they’re creating a 10-hour comic book or manga, featuring animated panels.

This experience is purely story-driven – you’ll simply read through the narrative. While it will utilize the DualSense controller’s haptic feedback for immersion, there won’t be any interactive elements like choices, battles, or minigames.

You can adjust how quickly the comic progresses and pause to appreciate the art. It will also feature complete voice acting in 10 different languages, with Sony assisting with translation and adaptation for various regions.

Players who enjoyed the story mode in Guilty Gear Strive will find this similar, as it’s presented like a short anime. Like before, this section doesn’t involve any actual playing of the game.

Producer Takeshi Yamanaka explained, via Google Translate:

Marvel’s roots are in comics, so we wanted to find a way to make them more engaging. That led us to the idea of bringing comics to life with motion and sound. We’re also leveraging the PS5’s features, like its vibration, to enhance the experience.

So, the creator, Yamanaka, keeps saying this game is meant to be experienced like reading a comic book. Basically, you’re supposed to go through the story at your own pace, taking it all in before continuing. It’s not really about replaying sections, but more about enjoying the narrative as it unfolds.

It’s a bit surprising the developer is advertising 10 hours of gameplay, but considering there are five different teams to play as in the complete game, it’s understandable.

Yamanaka referred to the format as ‘Episodes Mode,’ leading us to believe the story will be told through five separate two-hour segments, each focusing on a different team.

Fighting games are made for competitive play, and that’s what Marvel Tokon focuses on. However, considering the popular superhero theme, it’s a bit of a letdown – even if the game’s story could be enjoyable.

What’s unclear is the choice to eliminate battles altogether. Games like Zenless Zone Zero integrate storytelling methods, such as comic book-style panels, between gameplay sections, rather than replacing them.

Could the comics not have been used to tell the story, with battles along the way?

Okay, I’m bracing myself – I think a lot of us are going to be disappointed, but I’m still really curious to see what kind of story Arc System Works comes up with. I’m hoping they can still deliver something interesting, even if it’s not what we expected.

The story hints at a plot centered around a character known as The Promoter, who is putting together a major tournament called ‘Challenge of the Champion.’ This event will pit some of Marvel’s most powerful heroes and villains against each other.

Want to know what happens? You’ll have to, er, read the interactive comic book to find out.

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2026-05-12 23:07