Tekken 8 Review

Tekken 7 has been out for seven years, and in that time, it has grown into a true fighting game powerhouse. While other 3D fighting games have faded into the background, Tekken 7 has not only maintained its leadership position, but has also become the series' most successful release in terms of community support, the number of major tournaments, and sales. And for good reason: the game that was originally released has remained a place where you can easily spend hundreds of hours.

Tekken 8 faced the difficult task of outperforming its predecessor, which wasn't easy given that even-numbered installments in the series have historically performed worse than odd-numbered ones. However, Tekken 8 did more than just break tradition; the series hasn't seen this many changes since Tekken 5.

Tekken 8: Father & Son

For the past thirty years, each new installment of Tekken has told the same story: resentful son overthrows evil father, becomes evil himself, father returns and overthrows him, and so on in a circle. This time, we've got Kazuya Mishima and Jin Kazama.

Kazuya, overwhelmed by his family's demonic energy, clearly lost the thread of reason and decided to establish a new world order in which force would determine the laws of strict obedience. He announced the next "Iron Fist Tournament," in which each country would send its best fighters. The winner of the tournament will represent their country's interests, assuming the position of might and power. However, the losers will undoubtedly face their fair share of humiliation and punishment.

While the plot appears rather mundane, it outperforms its predecessors in the series. It contains a large number of standard plot motifs from modern media, as well as some plot gaps common in gaming projects. However, it also has well-crafted fight scenes and a strong storyline centered on one of the main characters. In addition, the story mode did not overlook fanservice, which was a welcome surprise in between the intense battles.

For those who decided to begin their journey with the series with the eighth installment, the developers prepared a brief overview of previous events.

Arcade Character Story

All 32 characters have their own arcade story, and as an epilogue, each of them receives a beautiful CGI video that ranges from humorous to serious and lore-expanding. The process of discovering them involves a series of five fights, each with its unique dialogue. The format of these matches varies from a tournament to a fight with oneself within the mind, etc.

What's especially satisfying is that certain character pairs have unique animations before the fight begins, making each fight feel more dynamic and entertaining. This aspect will also appeal to series fans who are familiar with the Tekken universe's history. Furthermore, each character reacts differently when defeating an opponent, adding even more variety and uniqueness to each fight. The developers paid close attention to details, which, while not directly affecting the gameplay, do make each fight more intense and memorable.

Tekken Ball

From the mini-games, the iconic Tekken Ball, which was so popular in previous installments, returns. This mode provides players with a fun and unique fighting experience. In this entertaining volleyball game, players must use a beach ball to attack their opponents and reduce their health to zero. The more powerful the projectile is charged, the faster it flies, resulting in many entertaining moments and dynamic fights.

Arcade Mode

But Tekken 8 places a strong emphasis on learning. The game includes an "Arcade Mode" for this purpose. In the new "Arcade Mode," we create a chibik avatar and embark on a journey through arcade halls, interacting with Tekken-fanatic NPCs and attempting to progress through the game's Elite Tournaments. The level of computer opponents gradually increases, and we are frequently given brief tutorials. At the end of this adventure, a beginner will learn the fundamentals of the game, while an old fan will remember how to play Tekken.

However, the mode has a very lusciously friendly idea of a player community in which everyone respects each other, is unconcerned about defeats, and always remains friends, with no toxicity. That is how this community should be, but unfortunately, the reality is quite different.

Before diving into online battles, it's a good idea to spend some time in a dedicated tutorial mode. There are various settings available, ranging from attack or defense mode to different enemy behaviors. This mode allows you to focus on specific aspects of the game, such as complex punishment mechanics and combination demonstrations. While this may appear to be a tedious activity, particularly for those who prefer more dynamic gameplay, it is extremely beneficial for skill development and preparation for real-time battles.

Battle AI ghosts to consolidate your knowledge. The ghosts learn from your fighting style and can mimic it. This is an excellent way to identify and work on your weaknesses. These battles allow you to see if you're using throws too frequently, forgetting dodges, or stagnating blocks. You can also download other players' ghosts and practice with them, similar to online battles but without the online component.

Tekken 8 Gameplay

The developers discovered the basic foundation for Tekken 5 and have been constantly developing it since then. Characters retain the majority of their techniques as they progress through the story, and only occasionally does someone receive a significant rework, which is usually justified by the plot. For example, Jin Kazama, who has now curbed the devil gene, is played very differently than in Tekken 7.

It's still a classic 3D fighting game focused on martial arts and combos. It's still a 3D fighting game focused on defense with martial arts, combos, juggles, and dodges. You can weave your bundles from dozens of strikes and combinations, allowing you to remove half of the enemy's health, or even the entire strip if your skill and reaction are sufficient. That's why Tekken focuses on defense. Skilled players typically spend half of the matchmaking jerks back and forth, attempting to catch the opponent and launch him into the air.

However, in the eighth installment, the developers decided to break the mold and incorporate aggression into the game through the use of two mechanics: Rage Art and Heat. Rage Art allows you to use a powerful attack once per round when you have very little health remaining. This attack is simple to avoid and block, but if it succeeds, it has the potential to change the tide of battle. If both fighters are in poor health, the fight may be called off entirely.

Heat mechanics became a standout feature of Tekken 8. Each character's health scale includes an additional scale that represents this gameplay mode. When you activate it, this scale gradually decreases, but the more active you are, the slower it decreases. New techniques in Heat mode significantly consume new resources, so use this mechanic wisely.

Heat can be used both offensively and defensively, as activation provides armor and fully restores White Health. This is yet another innovation in the series. If a character is damaged during a juggle (a combo while the person being beaten is in the air), they will have a white trace on the scale after losing health; this is the amount of health that can be restored if you show aggression, even if you hit an enemy's block; however, activating Heat restores this health immediately.

Both players' Heat bars are full at the start of each round. There's no point in ignoring it; you don't have to save anything. This made it more difficult to stay in a block, and it became more enjoyable to punish overly cautious opponents with a quick Heat combo. The dynamics of fights have changed, and Tekken has gotten even faster.

Tekken 8 also adopted one feature from its 2D counterparts: chip damage. This is the damage incurred while blocking. It is minimal, and not all attacks in the character's arsenal are capable of it, and it is impossible to win with this type of damage; the final blow must still pass through rather than be blocked. This type of damage always results in poor health. In Heat mode, all attacks begin dealing chip damage. The final mechanic from Tekken 7 is Rage. When the fighter's health drops to 30% or lower, a red aura appears, representing increased attack damage and the ability to activate the cinematic ultra attack, Rage Art.

Of course, none of these innovations make Tekken 8 any easier or more user-friendly. Mastery is required for the use of "breakers," the Heat system, white health management, and proper timing of Rage Art applications, as well as the game's basic mechanics. You'll inevitably have to learn combinations, master maneuvers such as blocking, and more. Tekken has simply become more diverse, dynamic (which was difficult to imagine), and addictive.

About Network Mode.

Tekken 8 provides a rich networking experience. There is a lobby with rooms for various regions, ranked matches, private rooms, and the option to play Tekken Ball online. However, the most significant advancement was the introduction of crossplay, which eliminates the issue of platform selection and allows you to play with friends regardless of what platform they prefer to use. While the netcode quality is slightly lower than that of Street Fighter 6, Guilty Gear Strive, and GranBlue Fantasy Versus Rising, it remains the best netcode among 3D fighting games, and significantly better than Tekken 7. In any case, the Tekken series' future looked promising.

What Tekken 8 looks like.

Visually, Tekken 8 is impressive. The character models are extremely detailed and have smooth animations, and the scenery is very well designed. The game's soundtrack is of such high quality that I occasionally play it in the background while working.

In the aftermath

A final point worth noting is that Tekken 8 is designed to train players. The training mode provides a plethora of customizable options for simulating various game scenarios and determining effective countermeasures. The punishment training section is particularly important. How it works. You choose the character you prefer to play with and the one you struggle against during matches. You then enter punishment training mode, where the game teaches you exactly how and when to use your character's most effective moves in a given matchup.

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