Marvel Tōkon: Fighting Souls’ open beta has impressed a Destructoid writer with its Episode story mode, which blends fighting-game battles with anime-style cinematics and interactive manga-like scenes. The author argues that this presentation could help the game stand out when it launches, although the assessment is explicitly shaped by their enthusiasm for Marvel.

The beta includes the first three chapters of Episode: The Amazing Guardians, written by comic artist Kieron Gillen. Its plot sees mysterious forces forcing teams of heroes to fight to protect Earth, explaining the game’s five squads of four characters; gameplay is a four-person tag fighter compared with Marvel vs. Capcom. The beta is free on PS5 and PC this weekend, while the full game is scheduled for 6 August.