PS5 Fighter Marvel Tokon Does Actually Have Gameplay During Its 10-Hour Story

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Update [Wed 13th May 2026, 6:15pm]: Well, it looks like someone may have cocked up.

Contrary to earlier reports, Marvel Tokon: Fighting Souls actually includes combat within its 10-hour story mode.

The story will continue to be told through comic book panels, with exciting battles happening throughout to keep things interesting.

A new quote attributed to Producer Takeshi Yamanaka reads, via Google Translate:

Episode Mode lets you play through battles as you experience the story. It’s designed to be easy to pick up and enjoy, similar to reading a comic book, but with the added excitement of being able to participate in the action.

4Gamer also added the following clarification, again courtesy of Google Translate:

The article originally said there wouldn’t be any fighting. However, the manufacturer asked us to update that information, so we’ve made a change.

So, there is gameplay throughout the mode, then, which is a relief.

Most people believed the initial report because Arc System Works released Guilty Gear Strive with a story mode that doesn’t include traditional gameplay – it plays more like a cutscene-heavy anime.

We’re happy this issue was resolved so quickly. We can’t wait to experience the campaign when the game releases later this year.

Original Story: 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-driven 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 focuses entirely on storytelling – you’ll simply read through the narrative. While it will utilize the DualSense controller’s haptic feedback for added immersion, there won’t be any interactive elements like choices, battles, or minigames.

You can adjust how quickly the comic progresses and pause to admire the art. It will also feature complete voice acting in 10 different languages, and Sony is 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 part of the game doesn’t involve any actual playing.

Producer Takeshi Yamanaka explained, via Google Translate:

Marvel’s roots are in comics, and we wanted to find a way to make that experience more engaging. That led us to the idea of bringing comics to life with motion and sound. We’re also using the PS5’s unique vibration features to enhance the experience even further.

Yamanaka explained the content is meant to be read like a comic book – you’re supposed to go through it from beginning to end.

It’s a bit surprising the developer is advertising 10 hours of gameplay, but considering the game has five different teams to play as, it actually seems reasonable.

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

Fighting games are built for competition, and that’s the main focus of Marvel Tokon. However, with such a popular superhero theme, it’s a bit of a letdown – even if the game’s story could be enjoyable.

What’s throwing me off a bit is that they’ve taken battles out of the equation completely. I get that games like Zenless Zone Zero are experimenting with things like comic book-style panels for storytelling, and that’s cool – but those panels are between the actual gameplay sections. It feels like a big shift to just remove the battles themselves.

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

This will likely disappoint many, but we’re still curious to see what kind of story Arc System Works creates.

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

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

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2026-05-13 20:07