I'm going to assume that most Tekken fans are no longer on the fence after seeing the overwhelmingly positive coverage of Tekken 8 over the last few weeks. Truth be told - Tekken 8 has earned that praise and more. Its immersive combat is fluid, cinematic, yet visceral. It sticks to its serious yet goofy roots through utilizing imaginative character archetypes and flat-out silly character customization. Its Special Style dramatically simplifies Tekken 8’s combat for new players to get them up to speed against series veterans like me. If you’re new to the series, Tekken 8 is the fighting game you should play this year. If you’re still deciding between which fighting game to play this year, Tekken 8’s combat and mechanics are the most satisfying yet. I highly recommend Tekken 8 – it’s helped 2024 start off on the right foot.
Back in 2007, I briefly peaked in the top 100 Tekken 5 players in North America. I was rank 96, to be exact. I start this review off not to brag (okay, maybe a little), but to immediately signal that I’ve invested quite a bit of time playing the Tekken series and learning its intricacies. It’s a series that is dear to my heart despite how much I’ve praised its competitors in some of my other recent reviews.
Unlike Netherrealm’s bi-annual rotation of games, Bandai Namco’s Tekken has cultivated a much more dedicated and insular fan base. Going into my local arcades, I would often see the same group of folks playing Tekken on a regular basis. It was simply unapproachable compared to the larger appeal of Street Fighter and MK. It lacked a solid single-player experience and a fully realized universe, sure, but it was mechanically complex. Its dedicated community kept the game alive, but lorde have mercy it was so difficult to introduce the series to new players.
With the release of Tekken 7, I had hoped that Bandai Namco would have taken meaningful steps to make the King of Iron Fist Tournament something of a spectacle for competitive AND casual players. The Tekken series is known for blending characters of well-known Eastern archetypes with flat-out wacky ideas. Few other games could seriously pit an angry CEO with lighting fists against a panda, yet Tekken does it with no difficulty. The issue is that these characters remain silly, rarely offering players an idea as to why these characters exist and why they fight. On the lore front, Tekken 7 disappointed me. Again, it was mechanically complex and fun, but the focus was nearly entirely on making the game that competitive players could play and replay for years to come. It was still unapproachable in many respects.
Now that I’ve had the opportunity to sit down with Tekken 8 and play through it, I am excited for Tekken’s future. It’s as though Bandai Namco has used the past nine-or-so years to reflect, refine, and reintroduce Tekken to the newest generation of players without forgetting about the series’ most dedicated audience.
When I first booted up the game, it felt like Tekken 8 was made to truly celebrate Tekken’s 20-year legacy from arcade cabinets to home consoles. Kazuya’s battle-scarred figure stared me down while an EDM-inspired anthem hyped me up for the battles I would fight. Everything looked crisp and vibrant while the battles felt and sounded raw yet visceral. I’ve seen “spectacle” used to describe the game by multiple outlets and other folks online – yup. It’s earned that title.
Tekken 8 has thankfully stuck to its 3D-fighting roots, keeping fights big and flashy without gimmicky elements that come-and-go with each new fighting game installment. The DualSense rumbled when I took damage and dealt it, adding to that feeling of participating in relentless combat. Instead of insane gore, Tekken 8 has leaned further into visual glory by utilizing cinematic combat sequences that occur when grappling and inputting Heat Smash/Rage Arts. These small moments break up the pace while still maintaining the massive power fantasies that fuel Tekken’s roster of godly characters.
Some folks might bristle at the notion of cinematic combat, especially since these visual shorts are used sparingly. Mortal Kombat 1’s Fatal Blow can be used by players once per kombat, whereas Tekken 8’s Rage Art can be used when a player’s heath drops to a low level once per round. When you pick up a controller or place your hands on an arcade cabinet, controlling your combatant becomes the most important. So, it makes sense for some folks to consider the cinematic stuff to be disruptive. Worry not, folks, Tekken 8’s utilization of cinematic combat maintains the momentum while allowing for players to turn the tide if they’re in a pinch.
One of the driving factors behind Tekken’s unapproachability was its gargantuan movesets. At times, I would feel like learning a new character and checking its movelist was an attempt in parsing a gigantic CVS receipt for meaningful details, except that receipt was in an entirely different language. The depth of each character was there, but learning combos was an absolute chore. Button mashing yielded very little success in the long term, only making it more difficult for newer players to find an “in.”
Tekken 8’s “Special Style” is the latest solution to that issue. At any point, players can press L1 on their DualSense and access a simplified set of controls that can easily enact small attack combos. The combos themselves are limited, but they give players a good idea of each character’s playstyle while teaching them Tekken’s ropes. I tried out a few fights using Special Style for fun and was pleased with how I was quickly able to understand differences between the likes of Devil Jin and Xiaoyu. If you’re new to the series, I recommend using it for a while; if you’re a Tekken veteran like me, then try it out with Azucena, Victor, and Reina (Tekken 8’s newcomers) to see how they work.
Roster wise, Tekken 8 features 33 characters of wildly different archetypes and playstyles. All but four of the characters came from the previous installments, all of which boasting updated designs and refreshed movesets. I was thrilled to see the diverse cast from multiple games. I’m a Devil Jin main, yes, but I love me some Raven, Yoshimitsu, and Panda. Jun is back, too! Tekken 8’s cast so far is a fantastic spread of characters from Tekken’s past, and I’m excited to see who else gets a face lift and joins the fight in the future. I know Eddie Gordo is on the way, but I’m hoping to see Kunimitsu, Roger, and Slim Bob join the ranks.
At the start of this review, I discussed that Tekken has struggled in the lore department. Tekken 8’s story mode is better than it’s ever been, but some additional work needs to be done to improve on its worldbuilding and illustrating its roster’s relationships between characters. The story’s writing is solidly okay, but it just doesn’t compared to the likes of Mortal Kombat. Tekken 8’s Character Episodes offer glimpses into each of its character’s backstories, which is a nice start, but there’s still a lot to be said about the remainder of its cast. At least Mortal Kombat relegates a few characters per game as jobbers so that other characters can “win” their stories – Tekken 8 relies too heavily on the Mishima Zaibatsu and the Mishima clan.
The story itself borderlines parody, but not in a negative way. Tekken 8’s 15-chapter story details how Jin Kazama’s group of companions band together to take down Kazuya Mishima (who’s gone full demonic overload with additional purple crystals). Every chapter is more goofy than its predecessor, culminating in a final two chapters that feel just as silly and overpowered as old-school Dragon Ball Z. There were several moments where I thought that Jin and Kazuya could not get more powerful, but I was repeatedly mistaken when these characters’ power levels exceeded 9000. You’ll get it when you reach that point in the story.
I don’t want to say that Tekken 8’s story is its weakest point, since there really are no weak points to Tekken 8. It doesn’t force players into repetitious battles or situations where enemies are “cheap” and ridiculously overpowered. But, if I could identify one source of improvement for the future of the series – I want to see more characters utilized in its story. Tekken’s universe is full of zany and imaginative characters worth exploring in meaningful ways, so I hope that Bandai Namco considers fleshing out its roster in the future. It doesn’t have to retcon everything multiple times like Netherrealm has done with the MK series, but it can start with breathing life into the cast beyond just Jin and Kazuya.
New to Tekken 8 is its Arcade Quest Mode. Previous Tekken games have included silly minigames, like bowling and Tekken Ball (the latter of which has returned). However, the Arcade Quest takes a page from Street Fighter VI’s World Tour mode, showing players the ropes and introducing players to additional mechanics that are often overlooked when learning Tekken’s intricacies. I loved how it utilizes arcade motifs and additional mechanics to keep battles fresh.
One of my favorite parts of Tekken’s multiplayer is its character customization, and Tekken 8 continues its legacy of allowing players like me to make absurd mashups of characters. The number of costumes, accessories, and other cosmetics able to be unlocked and used right from the start is absurd – nothing beats Tekken 8 on this front right now. Until another fighting game allows me to make silly additions while maintaining my main character’s identity, Tekken 8 is the game for me.
Before I finish this review, I want to touch on what I know is a very sore spot amongst players: Microtransactions. Tekken 8 has NO MICROTRANSACTIONS…for now. Yes, dear reader: This game is FULL of customizable content that can be unlocked by playing the game! I was seriously disappointed to see some fighting games sneak in microtransactions like paid finishers and costumes minutes after release. I can understand that monetization can support a game for a while, but microtransactions shouldn’t be abused and lock a wild amount of aesthetic content away from players who’ve already paid $70 for the full fighting game experience. Additional future characters I can forgive, such as Tekken 7’s season pass model. I wouldn’t mind a potential seasonal pass for Tekken 8 down the line seeing as its current lineup scratches 30, but that can wait for a bit. Tekken 8 is giving players their money’s worth without the nonsense.
I’m going to assume that most Tekken fans are no longer on the fence after seeing the overwhelmingly positive coverage of Tekken 8 over the last few weeks. Truth be told – Tekken 8 has earned that praise and more. Its immersive combat is fluid, cinematic, yet visceral. It sticks to its serious yet goofy roots through utilizing imaginative character archetypes and flat-out silly character customization. Its Special Style dramatically simplifies Tekken 8’s combat for new players to get them up to speed against series veterans like me. If you’re new to the series, Tekken 8 is the fighting game you should play this year. If you’re still deciding between which fighting game to play this year, Tekken 8’s combat and mechanics are the most satisfying yet. I highly recommend Tekken 8 – it’s helped 2024 start off on the right foot.
A review copy of Tekken 8 was provided by the publisher for the purpose of this review.
