Seven dry years after the seventh installment of Tekken 7, and finally, in January to be exact, we got the eighth sequel: Tekken 8. Was the wait worth it?
Tekken 8, if you’re a veteran gamer, feels like you’re returning to familiar ground. That’s how you’ll feel after spending, say, about 30 hours (which is the optimal time spent for a deeper analysis of the video game) playing the latest sequel to Bandai Namco’s fighter. With a great mix of old and new, Tekken 8 has great potential to attract both veterans and newcomers alike.
Screenshot youtube.com/@BandaiNamcoAmerica
The “Iron First” king is back!
What did we get in the new Tekken sequel, what’s new and what’s old, and is it true that the Japanese media franchise decided to put micro-transactions in this game?
You’ll get the answers to these questions in the review below. Stay with us.
Tiny spoiler: Despite some shortcomings and the fact of the existence of micro-transactions, Tekken 8 more than successfully continues where its predecessor left off and combines in an excellent way what we liked from the previous sequels, with novelties, which mostly relate to new game modes.
One of the “Magnificent Three”
The demanding Street Fighter II, the highly violent Mortal Kombat, and the more accessible Tekken: The three fighting games that were born in the first half of the 90s and contributed to the birth of eSports in the 2000s are still thriving today. Actually, the year 1999 was when the maiden fighting eSports tournament other than local arcade tournaments was held – Evolution Championship Series (EVO) – which covered Street Fighter among other games. EVO survived until nowadays and still has a solid position in the eyes of eSports fanatics, making a breakthrough in the markets of online bookmakers that adopted up-to-date payment methods, such as Payeer betting sites. Actually, Tekken 8 will be at the EVO 2024 finals in Japan. So, along with the new installments of Mortal Kombat and Street Fighter, Bandai Namco released a new installment of Tekken.
When the first Tekken came out, way back in 1994, for the famous gray PlayStation (Tekken 8 is playable on PC, PS5, and Xbox Series X), one could’ve hardly imagined that the game would last so well and for so long. From 1994 to today, a lot has changed, we’ve gained a lot, and, best of all, we’ve lost a little, which means that Tekken has only gotten better as time goes on. It’s safe to say that the eighth sequel is the best of them all (although more experienced gamers generally prefer Tekken Tag Tournament).
Old Plus New Characters
Easy accessibility is something that has served the Tekken series well over the years. Especially since the third part of the series, the wide and varied gallery of characters, the ease of performing moves that were and continue to be very tense and exciting, and the mixture of serious and frivolous themes that the game abounds in, have made Tekken 8 what it is: one of the best fighting games on the market today! Bandai Namco simply found a successful concept – a concept that became even more pronounced in Tekken 8.
For starters, there are 32 characters in the game, including three brand-new ones, to choose from right from the start. There are also standard, or arcade game modes for one player against an opponent controlled by the computer or the possibility of playing via the Internet, and of course the classic PvP game mode.
Individual matches or longer tournaments, the choice is yours. What about a game mode called Tekken Ball? Do you remember the Tekken Ball mode, which was present in Tekken in the third sequel? We were definitely glad that Bandai Namco decided to re-implement this game mode in the game. Add to that the excellent training options, as well as the many settings and you’ll hardly find anything to complain about in terms of game settings and everything we’ve come to expect from a Tekken game.
Everything Looks and Feels Better and More Fluid Than It Did Seven Years Ago
The graphics in Tekken 8 are such that, provided you have a powerful enough computer, it takes advantage of all the graphics capabilities that can be provided by the hardware components of a computer or console today. Things look incomparably better than in Tekken 7, which, so to speak, aged unexpectedly indignantly. Of course, we have to add here the fact that Street Fighter 6 and Mortal Kombat 1 have recently raised the bar of what’s expected of a fighting game.
Fortunately, Tekken 8 stacks up very well against the competition when it comes to visuals. This not only refers to the details of the character models, which have received major improvements but also to the fact that now the characters look more realistic and alive and also move more smoothly than before. Maybe it’s been too long since we played Tekken 7 and 6, but Tekken 8 is just a whole other dimension.
It’s really impressive to enjoy what the development team managed to do in this game, we repeat, provided you have a powerful enough computer, although the PlayStation 5 is also quite fine in terms of displaying the graphical capabilities of Tekken 8. If you After a few hours of playing the eight sequel, try to get back to Tekken 7 and you’ll instantly realize that the difference is incredible. But that shouldn’t surprise us, because after all, seven years have passed, and seven years is a very long time in the world of technology and video games.
Combat Is More Aggressive and Realistic Than Ever Before
It’s not just about the return of “Rage Arts”: very powerful blows and super moves that you can use when your character’s health drops to “critical”, thanks to which, if you know, you can turn the odds on your side very quickly and you can win very quickly. What additionally contributes to the intensity of the fight is the so-called “Heat Meter”. Although you can use it once per round, it’s a power-up condition that can be extended as you land more punches, causing you to deal more damage to your opponent even in situations where the user is blocking your punches. This, of course, along with the already existing Rage Arts adds to the depth and complexity of the fights, especially if you like to play online against “live” opponents.
Each character has the right body mass and the punches are as hard as they look, thanks in large part to how well the camera zooms, pans, and freezes to show the punches at their most painful.
Since Heat is so important in Tekken 8, you’ll very quickly begin to learn and understand the importance of so-called “Heat Engagers”. Thanks to them, you’ll get additional possibilities in terms of designing and executing combinations of movements and throws. We have to be honest and say that you won’t manage to try all these combinations with each character, partly because the game is too rich with so many moves and combinations, not only Heat but also regular ones, but also because not all of you are Tekken fanatics. Sure, you love playing fighters, and you’ve loved Tekken since the early days, but we’re sure you don’t go into that much detail, especially not with every character.
For those who don’t want to bother with complicated subtleties and combinations of attacks, a control option called “Special Style” has been added. It’s a game mode where you can perform even the most complicated moves by simply pressing the buttons, instead of the standard way, which involves many combinations, depending on how complicated a move is to perform. We’d say that this mode of play is ideal for those who are considered casual or “standard” Tekken players, while for enthusiasts and hardcore players who live and breathe Tekken, the traditional mode with Heat is still a better solution.
Veterans Will Feel Like They’re on Familiar Ground, While Newcomers Will Feel Like They Opened Candy Jar
Old and new game modes will make you as a veteran player feel like you’re on familiar turf, while newcomers will find things innovative and interesting. However, the most surprising thing about Tekken 8 is the fact that it’s equally adapted for those players who want to enjoy the offline game modes, as well as for those who want to sharpen their skills on the Internet, participating in one of the online game modes. The first is, of course, the classic arcade mode. It’s a well-known game mode, in which the player must win several battles in order to trigger a short ending sequence for each character.
One can argue about how desirable the arcade mode is or how good or bad Tekken 8’s story is, but let us ask you one question: do you want to play Tekken 8 for the story or because it’s about fighting? We think that Tekken never had a great story or that the game is special because of that, but it doesn’t have to be. You don’t play survival horror or RPG.
One of the game modes that are also available to you is the game mode known as “Arcade Quest”. Here, the player, in the form of a customized avatar, must race through arcades, defeat other players, level up, and unlock new outfits; nothing mind-blowing or over-the-top, but it’s still a fun side activity that also explains the game’s controls and mechanics well.
Arcade Quest also leads to “Super Ghost Battle”, a game mode where you can face computerized clones of your avatar as well as other players.
One of the definitely best game modes, for all players who prefer single-player game modes, is the game mode called “The Dark Awakens”. It’s essentially a single-player campaign, which neatly interweaves superbly rendered cinematic sequences with combat between most fighters in a large gallery of characters.
What About Micro-Transactions?
Yes, unfortunately, the game contains micro-transactions.
But what’s good and what can be said in defense of Bandai Namco developers is that the player can, if he wants, buy different cosmetic items for his character. This means that micro-transactions, although present and therefore unwanted, are not invasive like in some other games; we don’t even mean shooters here, but fighters (yes, Mortal Kombat 1, we’re talking to you and your “Fatality” attack purchases).
Final Thoughts
Tekken is back and dare we say, better than ever!
The game, in our opinion, has everything a fighter needs to conquer the market. A solid number of game modes, a very good roster of characters, online and offline gameplay options, plus graphics that are simply amazing – all this leads to Tekken 8 being the best fighting game on the market today (if you ask us).
Also Read: Emerging Technologies Shaping the Future of Online Gambling
