Tekken 8 has been a very long time coming. Its predecessor, the unprecedentedly fashionable Tekken 7, launched what seems like an age in the past; the unique arcade launch occurred all the best way again in 2015, earlier than a much-updated model got here to consoles in 2017. Nonetheless, its shockingly lengthy life cycle — perpetuated by an extremely sturdy aggressive core — has in the end paved the best way for the big-budget bombast of Tekken 8. Very like Road Fighter 6, this seems like a combating sport with backing, full of modes and dripping with visible spectacle.
In a nutshell, Tekken 8 is the generational leap that followers have been ready for. Whereas the skeleton of Tekken 7 nonetheless stays — by way of elementary mechanics, animations, and normal gameplay rhythm — appreciable meat has been added to the bones, and the entire bundle has been fleshed out in virtually each course.
We should always in all probability begin with the combating system itself, which is supremely satisfying. Tekken has all the time excelled in offering audiovisual suggestions, as assaults join with loopy hit sparks and characters are despatched flying — however Tekken 8 takes it to a brand new degree. There is a distinct bass to all the sound results — even if you’re simply blocking — and scoring a counter hit leads to an eye-popping explosion of character-specific colors. Simply watching is a thrill, however truly taking part in is a pleasure.
Tekken 7 was already an intense, fast-paced combating sport, however a smattering of recent mechanics makes its successor probably the most over-the-top, impactful entry in Bandai Namco’s franchise. The Warmth system is entrance and centre, primarily letting you energy up your character as soon as per spherical. Whereas in Warmth (sure, there are already loads of jokes), combatants achieve entry to enhanced assaults, some fully new strikes, and the selection of both a Warmth Smash or a Warmth Sprint. The Smash is principally a fast-acting tremendous assault, whereas the Sprint can be utilized to increase combos or preserve your offensive stress. Choosing both ends your short-term Warmth state till the subsequent spherical.
On a floor degree, Warmth is absolutely simply one other approach of letting gamers pull off extra cool strikes. It is activated with the press of only one button, and the next Warmth Smash requires a faucet of that very same enter — it is designed to be as accessible as attainable. Nonetheless, extra superior gamers will rapidly realise that Warmth provides one other layer of tactical pondering to Tekken’s traditional stream. For instance, saving your Warmth for later within the spherical is a good way to eke out close-call victories, as its activation can pressure your opponent to dam and successfully guess towards your subsequent assault. On the flipside, popping Warmth early can present critical momentum, and so the selection is all the time essential.
Making these snap selections is the place Tekken 8 shines, and the mechanical depth that is on provide — particularly as you study the intricacies of your chosen character’s transfer record — is engrossing. The fundamentals of Tekken are nonetheless right here and so they’re nonetheless as dynamic as ever, with excessive, mid, and low assaults all intertwining with each other, however the Warmth system encourages a type of aggression that you simply’d sometimes affiliate with explosive 2D fighters like Responsible Gear or BlazBlue.
That is to not say Tekken 8 cannot be performed at a slower tempo, however there are extra methods to stress your opponent’s defence than ever earlier than. And in flip, having to face up towards such onslaughts makes the eventual learn all of the sweeter. A wonderfully timed sidestep, low block, or parry, main straight into your individual launcher and excessive harm combo, feels incredible. In some methods, there is a heavier emphasis on danger versus reward in Tekken 8, which frequently results in some actually intense matches.
However what if multilayered methods and mechanics aren’t essentially a promoting level? Properly, the excellent news is that Tekken 8 is simply the sequence’ most accessible instalment. Proper off the bat, the sport will ask if you wish to allow ‘Particular Type’ controls, which lets newcomers carry out key strikes and combos with simplified inputs. Particular Type actually is not going to hold you all the best way to aggressive glory, nevertheless it gives a reasonably efficient path to understanding the general rhythm of Tekken’s gameplay. Even higher, you possibly can truly toggle Particular Type on and off, in-game, throughout a battle — an incredible studying software if you’re making an attempt to familiarise your self with completely different characters.
Talking of studying, Tekken 8’s headline single-player modes — The Darkish Awakens story marketing campaign and Arcade Quest — are readily available to ease you into the expertise. Arcade Quest specifically is an ideal introduction, because it combines a enjoyable little storyline about rising by way of the arcade and event scene with neatly crafted tutorial sections.
Arcade Quest is not fairly the single-player time sink that we have been hoping it will be, nonetheless. The mode’s fulfilling whereas it lasts, as your customized avatar travels between arcades, taking over more and more difficult opponents in quest of distinctive customisation objects and in-game rewards — however the journey’s just a few hours lengthy. As soon as you’ve got proven your comically stern rival who’s boss, there’s little left to do exterior of rematching earlier opponents.
Fortunately, Arcade Quest can be your gateway to Tremendous Ghost Battle, which is the true star of the sport’s single-player suite. On this mode, you possibly can tackle ‘ghosts’ — AI-driven fighters which can be primarily based on actual participant knowledge. In essence, you are type of taking part in towards different individuals, however offline, and beating ghosts nets you in-game forex and rating factors to your present character. For those who’re not fairly prepared to leap on-line, Tremendous Ghost Battle is the place to be, and you’ll simply lose hours to the grind.
Initially, Tremendous Ghost Battle presents up an enormous roster of ghosts primarily based on developer knowledge, however you may as well battle towards your individual ghost, or obtain ghosts of different Tekken gamers — together with pals, randoms, and seasoned professionals. Now, it is essential to notice that ghosts aren’t one-to-one copies of their originators, however at instances, they arrive impressively shut. Even simply taking your individual ghost for a spin, you will instantly spot similarities in motion, assault patterns, and combos. Supposedly, the AI will solely get higher as gamers sink extra time into the sport — and that is fairly thrilling, given how reactive it already appears to be.
So what about Tekken 8’s much-touted story mode? Properly, we will safely say it’s miles higher than Tekken 7’s try, because the sequence’ most absurd components are dialled as much as eleven. The plot hinges closely on troubled protagonist Jin Kazama and his obvious incapacity to regulate his darkish powers — all whereas his tyrannical father Kazuya plunges the world into chaos. It is a kind of combating sport storylines that depends on prior information of the franchise, however truthfully, even for those who’re utterly new to Tekken, you could possibly simply sit again and have enjoyable watching the ridiculous motion unfold.
The storytelling’s cliche and sometimes unapologetically silly, however that is form of what we would like from Tekken anyway. The plot factors are so over-the-top that making an attempt to play issues straight is how we ended up with Tekken 7’s awkward marketing campaign. What we have now right here is round 5 hours of devil-on-devil insanity, full with some shockingly hype cinematics and past flashy boss battles. If we will fee Tekken story modes primarily based on moments of pure fan service and superior motion, Tekken 8’s providing wins by a rustic mile.
Oh, and we have now to rapidly point out the Character Tales, which mark one other large enchancment over Tekken 7. Right here, every of the sport’s 32 characters get their very own mini arcade mode (a correct Arcade Mode additionally exists), capped off with a singular CG film on the finish. Some are performed for laughs — as you’d count on — whereas others provide a little bit of perception into the fighters themselves. They’re enjoyable to unlock, and so they harken again to the great previous days of accumulating all the arcade endings.
In fact, if you’ve had your fill of battering the CPU, it is time to soar on-line. For the primary time in sequence historical past, Tekken 8 options a web based foyer, the place avatars battle at arcade machines, ship messages, obtain ghost knowledge, and play a number of rounds of Tekken Ball (which is again and someway much more brutal). You possibly can queue for informal matches or present your expertise in ranked duels — or you possibly can simply arrange your individual avatar-less foyer for fast battles towards pals or in any other case. Other than a number of pre-launch connection points, all of it works nice, and by way of on-line choices, it is way more sturdy than something Tekken’s finished earlier than.
However on-line modes are nothing with out stable netcode, and so we’re joyful to report that, primarily based on our testing, Tekken 8’s rollback performance is rock stable. Taking part in towards others right here within the UK, we barely dropped a body, whereas taking the battle to Europe resulted in principally seamless matches. It did not actually have a lot of a selection, however Bandai Namco seems to have delivered a top quality on-line expertise — and that is an enormous deal after years of dodgy Tekken 7 connections. We’ll clearly have to attend and see how issues maintain up post-launch, however proper now, it is trying very promising.