Marvel Tokon: Fighting Souls Was the Most Unexpected Reveal of State of Play
Sony held its regular State of Play event on Wednesday, showing some of the new games coming to its PlayStation. The biggest surprise was a new Marvel fighting game, and no, this isn't coming from Capcom.
Marvel Tokon: Fighting Souls is a new tag fighting game coming to the PS5, developed by Arc System Works, a studio known for its excellent contributions to the genre. This new title will feature only Marvel characters and will be a four vs. four tag battle.
The Marvel characters shown in the video include Captain America, Iron Man, Dr. Doom, Spider-Man, Storm, Star-Lord, Ms. Marvel and Ghost Rider. Each character has a distinct 2D anime-inflected visual style that Arc System Works is known for. Characters will have their own super moves, and it appears there is another mechanic that allows for parrying or avoiding attacks.
Arc System Works is best known for its fighting game franchises BlazBlue and Guilty Gear, as well as 2018's Dragon Ball FighterZ. They're considered some of the best 2D fighting games around, and are regularly selected as one of the premier games at the Evo Championship esports series, which is coming up in August.
The last official Marvel vs. Capcom game was back in 2017 with Marvel vs. Capcom: Infinite. It didn't go over well with the fans, and the franchise seemed to have been forgotten until the release of Marvel vs. Capcom Fighting Collection: Arcade Classics last year. That collection breathed new life into the fanbase.
Marvel Tokon: Fighting Souls will be released in 2026 for the PS5 and PC.
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'I know everyone experienced the pandemic, so I think certain feelings will seem familiar to many, although I can't be totally sure. I'm not saying the metaverse is evil, but you have come all this way and played the game for four days. Today, something like that would normally only happen online.' 'This game, however, is about connections. You'll understand it better as you progress through Death Stranding 2 ; I think you'll start to feel it after a while. That's why we invited you to come here physically, despite your busy schedules. People from all over the world have gathered here in our studios, meeting each other and starting conversations. You have seen the view from Tokyo Station, or maybe you've wandered into a random restaurant. These things are part of the human experience. These coincidences and unintended events tie together naturally, but none of this exists in the metaverse.' Elle Fanning's character in Death Stranding 2 Courtesy of Kojima Productions In Death Stranding 2: On the Beach the gameplay is much more action-oriented. The player can choose to fight much more often than in the first part, although it's not required. If the first chapter often tried to avoid firefights, almost punishing those who killed enemies, something has also changed in terms of this when it comes to the sequel, Kojima says. 'I've talked about the 'we shouldn't have connected' theme before, and I've also told you about the stick-and-rope theory in Death Stranding in the past. Today, even though the world is connected via a rope, which we know as the online world, people still play games where they use the 'stick,' shooting each other. That's why I wanted to create a game where you use a rope above all else, and that was Death Stranding . 'There are so many conflicts in the world today. In the end, connecting with the rope isn't the solution to everything. Higgs [Monaghan] will tell you something similar in the game: to connect, you also need a stick. The further you go into the game, the better you will understand what Higgs means. That's one of the reasons I said 'we shouldn't have connected,' and it's not just about the game aspect, it's also a reflection on a social level.' Among the many important themes in the game are those related to loss and mourning, and Kojima reveals that the inspiration to include them also partly stems from personal experiences: 'It comes from within, so I'd say it's half based on real experiences I've had and half from fiction. It comes from a very intimate place, from thoughts like a sense of loneliness, the mystery of where the dead go, and the pain of not having had a true goodbye with someone we have lost.' Transportation in Death Stranding 2 Courtesy of Kojima Productions The Birth of Death Stranding 2 The new Death Stranding expands and improves on every element of the game's first installment. Kojima says the transition from PlayStation 4 to PlayStation 5 means most changes focused on game design and story. 'I hope you remember the first Metal Gear Solid , where you really had to concentrate on infiltration, otherwise it was 'game over.' At the beginning of the game, before you got to the lift, you had no weapons, but once you got past that part, you could get access to some. The reason I had done this was that if I had put a weapon there from the beginning, players would have used it to eliminate enemies. It would no longer have been a 'stealth' game. That's why I deliberately removed it, but many hated that choice and many couldn't even get to the lift. 'In the first Metal Gear Solid we included a lot of mechanics to teach what stealth was. So for MGS 2 , I knew that people now understood the concept better, and so I made the weapons more accessible. You could even target specific body parts of enemies.' Fighting in Death Stranding 2 Courtesy of Kojima Productions In fact, all of Metal Gear can be considered an increasingly exponential and often experimental evolution (such as the open world of the fifth chapter) of the formula born with the saga's historic progenitor. The Death Stranding saga seems to be following a similar evolution: 'For Death Stranding 2: On the Beach , I used the same approach. At the beginning it was a game focused on deliveries, something no one had ever seen before, so some people might feel frustrated by that. 'But now the public is familiar with the idea, so I wanted to give players more freedom, even those who want to fight, for example. Now you can use weapons—you can, but it's not compulsory. You can use vehicles and motorbikes. Everything is more accessible in this second installment. It's still a delivery game, but I wanted to offer more freedom in terms of game mechanics—that was the goal.' This freedom is also reflected in the combat. Indeed, the game is now much more focused on firefights, but the main thing was, above all else, the ability to give players a choice in how they approach the various missions—something that doesn't force them to fight at all costs: 'Well, I don't want to suggest to people that they focus on combat or anything like that, but there are a lot of players all over the world asking me to make another Metal Gear , so here too I added more options for combat.' 'This, however, is still a game focused primarily on deliveries. You can avoid enemies by taking a longer ride around the map or by quickly passing a vehicle or motorbike through an encampment, or you can fight them. I wanted the choice to be up to the player. In case he chooses combat, we had to change the design of the weapons to make them easier to use. When we were working on these mechanics, I was a little worried, because many of the team members who worked with me on Metal Gear still work with me, and we kept asking ourselves, 'Does this feel too Metal Gear ?' but we didn't do it deliberately.' This freer approach was also shared by his colleagues: Yoji Shinkawa, art director of character and mechanical design, who has worked with Kojima since M etal Gear Solid ; Hirohaki Yoshiike, lead level designer; Takayuki Uchida, technical art director, lead environment artist; and, finally, Akio Sakamoto, chief technology officer, technical director. Whether in exploration, combat, or stealth, the development team's approach has always been to provide the player with the tools to act as he or she prefers, which is why over the years they have focused heavily on improving gunfights and stealth, incorporating new weapons, new mechanics and the ability to adapt Sam's character to each user's play style. Death Stranding 2 Courtesy of Kojima Productions Kojima says Mexico was a natural choice to continue the path that started with the first game, even though it wasn't his original plan: 'In Death Stranding you connected the North American continent from east to west, mirroring the exploration of the American frontier. America already had the [United Cities of America], so for the sequel I wondered whether or not to use a similar setting. In the first idea I had, the player would have had to disconnect everything he had previously connected, because he would discover that these connections had been a big mistake. But I was not convinced, especially since I would have reused the exact same setting.' The choice to use Australia as Plate Gate in the second chapter was because of its geographical features: a place that was not too large and which ran from east to west along an ocean was needed. This portal connecting the continents provides some interesting possibilities for sequels: 'The concept of the Plate Gate would allow me to create infinite sequels! I obviously have no plans to do that, but I do have an idea in mind for one possible one. I don't think I will make it, but if I passed the project on to someone else, they probably could.' Kojima says he decided to introduce a day/night cycle to give players the freedom to choose their favorite time of day to play, as it will be possible to change the time simply by sleeping in Sam's room. This choice, however, has led to some minor problems in the direction of the cutscenes, which are also managed in real time according to the time of day. He mentions how important it is for him to analyze player behavior in his games, particularly with regard to the asynchronous multiplayer of the first Death Stranding , which allows players to share objects and constructions, such as bridges and ladders, with other users. Kojima is surprised by the success that the highways have had, and especially the fact that even today, five years after the launch of the first chapter, there are still people who continue to build and maintain them. He says he's not much of a construction guy, preferring to use simpler tools like ladders when playing. Combat vehicles in Death Stranding 2 Courtesy of Kojima Productions For players who are fans of this mechanic, however, he has added many elements in Death Stranding 2 , such as the monorail, which is a new addition. He went on to explain the meaning of likes, which work very much like social media likes in the game: 'A like is not a currency—you don't get any items or become stronger because of them. The team was very hesitant about adding them at first. They are closer to likes in the real world. They have no concrete value, but they make you feel good. From a game design point of view, it's strange. Normally you accumulate points and get a rank or rewards, but in our case the like is just a personal incentive. It's exactly like on social. I wanted to create something like that, and in the end, people seemed to enjoy it. I expected more criticism. Even the team, who were initially opposed, changed their minds.' How Kojima Chooses Actors The first and now also the second Death Stranding unite the worlds of film and video games thanks to the presence of many famous actors. Kojima has said the criteria he uses to choose them is always based on the connections he has with people and their work. Kojima says he usually contacts these stars personally and, on many occasions, including with Luca Marinelli, who plays Neil in the game, the actor or their agent turns out to be a fan of the game designer. 'That is generally my selection process. I also audition, of course, but it's mostly a matter of connections. This also applies to Od , Physint , and other projects.' Luca Marinelli's character in Death Stranding 2 Courtesy of Kojima Productions 'I have already mentioned on several occasions that I saw the Italian film Martin Eden , with Luca Marinelli. It had a big impact on me. I may have seen it before the pandemic, but I wrote a commentary for the promotion of the film in Japan. After that, Luca sent me an email. He told me that he has been a fan of mine since his childhood and that he had read my comments. He asked the distributor for my contact details, and we got to know each other.' 'When I thought about involving him, I knew that his character had to surpass the one played by Mads Mikkelsen. I asked myself: 'Is that possible?' Mads' character could not return in Death Stranding 2 , and I knew some fans would be disappointed. I had to find someone who could go further. I remembered Luca, wrote to him directly, and offered him the role. He accepted immediately.' Shooting for a video game, however, is not as simple as shooting a film, as Kojima tells us: 'It's a job that requires a lot of strength, both physical and mental. Before shooting we have to scan the actor, decide on a hairstyle, makeup, and costumes and then create the digital data. And in order to record the scenes we have to coordinate everyone's schedules. 'Unlike a film, however, we can't shoot everything in three or four months, and we meet periodically during the development. It's a tiring process, both for us and for the actors. It's not a matter of three months and we're done. After that there is also the ADR [automatic dialog replacement, or dubbing], for example. Marinelli doesn't just appear in cutscenes. When the character appears as an NPC, you also have to record sounds, moans, breaths, grunts … and that part never seems to end. It's tough. And, of course, the actors are also working on other projects at the same time. Death Stranding 2 also features Marinelli's wife, Alissa Jung: 'I was also looking for someone to play Lucy, but in the midst of the pandemic it wasn't easy. One day, Luca asked me if I had found his 'counterpart.' I told him no. He told me that his wife is an actor and also a director, so we met and I found her really brilliant, intelligent, perfect for the role of Lucy. We scanned them both at the height of the pandemic. Neil also has scenes with Norman, while Alissa, who plays Lucy, has mostly scenes with Luke. I can't say more, or I'll reveal some spoilers.' The worlds in Death Stranding 2 Courtesy of Kojima Productions Among Kojima's favorite scenes filmed for Death Stranding 2 , he mentions one shot by Marinelli and Jung: 'Luca, meanwhile, was filming the series Mussolini: Son of the Century , directed by Joe Wright. When I offered him the role he was beautiful, he looked like a young Alain Delon. But when I scanned him he had changed: I asked him what had happened. He replied: 'I'm getting fat to play Mussolini.' We couldn't do much, so we scanned him as he was. 'A year later, at the time of motion capture, he had changed again. I thought: 'Oh God, it's not the Luke I expected,' but we then solved it digitally. It was quite a problem, but what he shot is really good! Most of the scenes with Alissa and Luca are just between the two of them, and the interesting thing is that, because they are husband and wife in real life, they have an incredible chemistry. 'Luca comes from the theater, and Alissa is a director as well as an actor. Sometimes she tried to take over on the set too! We shot at the SIE studio in Los Angeles. It's a huge studio, almost like a big Hollywood set. Me and a couple of my staff went to manage the shoot, but there were many other people including technicians, makeup artists, and others. When Luca started acting, however, everyone came over to watch. This had never happened to me before.' The Music of Death Stranding Kojima's games also impress with their beautiful soundtracks, and Death Stranding 2: On the Beach is no exception. One of the star artists of the new title is Woodkid, and the game director recounted that he met him by chance in Paris in 2020, when the artist wanted to introduce himself, being a fan of Kojima's, by playing one of his songs. Kojima was also struck by Woodkid's music videos, which have atmospheres like that of Death Stranding , and Kojima decided to contact him to have him work on some songs for the soundtrack of the second chapter. The music was an important legacy to continue, especially after the passing of Ryan Karazija of Low Roar, whose musical style had profoundly marked the first chapter. Kojima explained that he had also included some unreleased Low Roar tracks in the new game, sent to him by the singer's family. Kojima follows the same approach for the music in his games as he does for the choice of actors: 'Just like for the casting of actors, I contact them directly: Sometimes I ask if I can use one of their songs, other times they offer to write a new one, and an exchange takes place.' Many other artists contributed to the new game, such as Caroline Polachek, the Mongolian singer-songwriter Magnolian, and the Polish pianist Hania Rani. Each musical choice, the game designer explains, reflects his personal taste: a mix of different sensibilities that further enriches the atmosphere of the game. Kojima's Pride At the end of our interview, Kojima talks about what was the most rewarding aspect of creating Death Stranding 2: On the Beach : 'That's a difficult question. I wrote the concept for this game completely on my own, during the pandemic. 'Yoji [Shinkawa] would come by maybe once a week, but otherwise I worked without seeing anyone in person. It was a really tough time. Some people still worked from home. Yet, despite all the challenges, we're almost done now. 'During the pandemic I thought we would never make it. I think all the studios felt the same. We couldn't shoot anything, everything was at a standstill, and I wondered: 'How can I make a game like this?' But, thanks to the support of so many people, we are now really close to the end. I think we started performance capture in 2021. At that time I couldn't go to Los Angeles to direct; the studio wouldn't allow it. It was like that for all the studios. So we had to do everything remotely. I was working from Tokyo and connected online with Los Angeles. Sam and Lou in Death Stranding 2 Courtesy of Kojima Productions 'The actors obviously had to go to the studio, but I had to explain everything from a distance: 'Stand here, walk there, do this...' It was very difficult. We used iPads and smartphones, but it didn't work very well. At one point I thought I was going crazy. 'Then an acquaintance of mine at Sony created something called Mado, which means window in Japanese. It's like a giant smartphone, a two-way monitor that almost looks like a door. If you stand in front of it, you can see inside the studio in Los Angeles. You see and hear everything in real time. Unfortunately you can't walk through to the other side but they lent us two of these devices and we managed to get the footage we needed. Even Norman got close to that 'window.' It was difficult, but there was also something beautiful about the process. 'When you work in person, you can talk directly and change things on the spot. But remotely, you'll have a meeting every week or every month, and everything slows down. Sometimes you find out too late that someone was working on an idea that had already been rejected. I think all studios faced similar problems. So what was the most rewarding part? Simply the fact that we managed to go all the way and finish this game.' This interview was originally published by WIRED Italia . Translation by John Newton.
