Released last August, Marvel Tokon Fighting Souls is about to get its first real moment in the spotlight since launch with the arrival of Phoenix Cyclops. We already knew the character had been confirmed for the roster, but neither Sony Interactive Entertainment nor Arc System Works had shown any gameplay. With EVO France getting ready to welcome the best fighting game players around from 9 to 11 October in Nice, though, the developers have just gone into detail on their first DLC character, who can also be tried out early during the event.
Cyclops may be a major player in the X-Men stable, but Arc System Works wanted to avoid serving up the same Cyclops already seen in the many Marvel fighting games out there. That's why this particular version of Scott Summers wasn't picked at random: the team went with the Cyclops bound to the Phoenix Force. That way, Arc System Works could freshen up both his look and his combat mechanics. Because in this take on the character, Scott Summers is trying to master a power capable of overwhelming him, all in order to save mutantkind from annihilation. By choosing this Cyclops, the Japanese studio wanted to highlight the character's inner conflict, torn between his ideal of justice and the extreme decisions he's willing to make to protect his own. Or so the PlayStation Blog explains, at least.
"Optic blast!"
On the in-game side of things, Cyclops remains a fighter who's fairly comfortable at range thanks to the famous beams shooting out of his eyes, the trusty Optic Blasts. He also has close-range attacks and can call on the Phoenix Force to cover part of the screen in flames, clearing out everything around him. Look closely and you'll notice that all of his attacks build up solar shards, and once he has four of them, Cyclops can unleash the power of the Phoenix and switch into his angrier Dark Phoenix form.
Elsewhere, Arc System Works has also lined up two extra costumes to satisfy fans who'd have preferred the classic Cyclops. Handy, that: the classic and legacy outfits from the comics will be available from 2 November. Before that release, though, some players will already get their hands on Phoenix Cyclops, as he'll be playable early at EVO France, held from 9 to 11 October in Nice. We'll be there, so we'll have a chance to show you all of it.
