Arc System Works recently teased how Phoenix Cyclops will work in Marvel Tokon: Fighting Souls with a few screenshots. However, the team has now fully lifted the veil, as it has put out a trailer all about the character and his fiery move set. And, along with a hefty dose of gameplay, the footage also came with his release date, which is rather soon.
Videos by ComicBook.com
The laser beam-heavy character — voiced by Ray Chase, who also voices Cyclops in X-Men ’97 and Noctis in Final Fantasy 15 — is coming to the game on November 2nd. He was previously listed as fall 2026, so Arc System Works was running out of time to make that window. It’s unclear how much he will cost for those who don’t have the season pass.
Phoenix Cyclops Is Joining Marvel Tokon‘s Roster Quite Soon
As shown in the above trailer, Phoenix Cyclops has access to a special mechanic. By grabbing Solar Shards that seem to come from landing laser beam attacks, players can unleash Dark Phoenix. According to a complementary post on the PlayStation Blog, this form grants Scott Summers a large yet temporary attack boost that also depletes his health. This mechanic, according to producer Takeshi Yamanaka, was inspired by the Avengers vs. X-Men storyline that saw Cyclops absorb the power of his teammates and transform into Dark Phoenix.
His more basic attacks, in typical Arc System Works fashion, are full of flair and dramatic poses. This anime-esque touch is most clearly seen in his various special and ultimate attacks. As for his playstyle, Yamanaka explained that Phoenix Cyclops is “designed as an all-rounder who excels at both long-range combat and close-range strikes through his versatile use of Optic Blasts.” He also has access to various setups and projectiles, seemingly giving him plenty of variety.
Players who don’t like his Phoenix look can put on the classic costume instead, which put the Marvel character in his more traditional blue and yellow threads. There will also be a second legacy costume, but an image of it wasn’t posted.
And to coincide with this announcement, the Ultimate Edition is on sale for the first time ever and comes in at $84.99 on PS5 (PC doesn’t seem to have the sale). A three-hour trial of the base game is also now available for PlayStation Plus Premium subscribers.
In a recent interview with ComicBook, director Kazuto Sekine talked about why Arc System Works went for this more unexpected version of the iconic Marvel hero. Phoenix Cyclops’ opposition to the X-Men is one reason. Given the character grouping of the story, he couldn’t be on the X-Men team since this would only complicate matters. The team also just simply wanted a more unique version of Cyclops.
“Cyclops is a character that we definitely wanted to be sure to include in the game,” said Sekine. “However, we wanted to challenge ourselves to do something new. That’s when the idea came up of using the version of Cyclops from the Avengers vs. X-Men storyline where he has the power of the Phoenix. From a gameplay perspective as well, I felt that designing him for battle we would be able to include these Phoenix elements in addition to the standard Cyclops abilities to [give him] that variety in his gameplay.”
This is just the first character in the game’s first season pass. Multiple parts in the game heavily imply Thor is going to join the roster soon. According to leaks, Silver Surfer and Nova are going to be the final two characters in this season pass.
How does Phoenix Cyclops look in Tokon? And do you think Arc System Works should have just added vanilla Cyclops? Tell us in the comments.
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