It’s been a patchy time for big fighting games. KOF XV and Guilty Gear Strive were great, but more recently Mortal Kombat 1 felt like a big step back from its predecessor, and although it played better than the series has in years and had a fun, if uninteresting, story mode Street Fighter 6 was stricken with bullshit microtransactions that have soured me on the whole game. Now it’s Tekken’s turn to bat; Tekken 7’s endless treasure battle mode, customisation and packed roster (with some stand out newcomers as well as an appearance by my favourite South Town crime lord) make it a game I’ve spent a lot of time with, and the demo for 8 had me looking forward to it.
So firstly, and perhaps least importantly but still worth discussing; the story mode. Tekken 7’s was complete shit; the climactic chapter in Kazuya and Heihachi’s blood feud, one that started when Kazuya was a child, and it’s told from the perspective of a journalist who reads every line like he’s taken a load of sleeping tablets and is fighting to stay awake. He hated Jin for collaterally damaging his family, and so was essentially unconnected to the story of Heihachi and Kazuya, but was looking into it for…reasons. Jin was in a coma for most of it and previously he started a world war to awaken a big monster that feeds on discord in order to kill it or something? I played Tekken 6 a bunch and this one has recaps, but I’m still not really sure what went down. Anyway, Jin’s awake and he’s gunning for Kazuya, but an initial clash leaves him defeated and unable to tap into his Devil form. Buoyed, Kazuya announces a new King of Iron Fist tournament, because of course he does, one where countries will send representatives and will either receive vast riches or be destroyed depending on whether they win or lose. I think they’ll be destroyed anyway, they’ll certainly be punished for failure. The tournament’s over in a flash, which shows the problem Tekken’s story has, something that’s reinforced in the recaps of previous games: anyone who isn’t in the Mishima/Kazama family just does not matter. They have their own stories going on, as seen in their personal arcade mode endings throughout the years, but they have very little affect on what’s actually going on. Near the end of this game a big battle between the warring Mishima Zaibatsu (run by Jin) and G Corp (Run by Kazuya) takes place in a field and you control different side characters in a Tekken Force sort of way, but it ultimately solves nothing because the point of the story is Jin coming to terms with his Devil side, remembering the teachings of his mother Jun and having one final showdown with his dad. All that stuff is great; Jin melding the awesome power of both sides of his family tree and channelling them in a brutal, rain-soaked punch-up with Kazuya is really entertaining and played for the drama it deserves. It’s not a bad story mode, and certainly better than its predecessor, but it clearly has its priorities and everything else is largely filler. Before I move on, just a quick note about much anticipated newcomer Reina. Right, so Jin encounters a cheery girl in the tournament named Reina, a student of the school he and Xiaoyu attended, and who seems like a nice, peppy young woman. Turns out it’s all an act, and her true personality is a sadistic blood knight out to grind her enemies beneath her heel with a mix of martial arts and Mishima Style Karate techniques, something that throws both Jin and Kazuya. Ooh how mysterious, I wonder who this mysterious, violent badass who uses Mishima techniques is? Probably exactly who you think, but that’s fine. Anyway she’s easily the best new character Tekken’s had in years; the facade of a cheerful student disguising bloodthirsty villain out to beat the shit out of anyone who opposes her, complete with her own thrown, awesome moves and a penchant for looking down on her inferiors with a smirk. Quality-wise she’s Tekken’s Manon and Marisa.
Gameplay wise, the focus this time around is on being aggressive, with the big new addition being “Heat mode”. Certain attacks will activate it, or it can be done manually with the same button press for each character. While in heat mode you do chip damage during blocks, certain attacks are easier to pull off and you can spend the bar to rush in with a big hit. Pressing the button again while in heat mode launches a damaging special attack; some characters can do multiple per bar, some can only do one. You’ve got one bar per round, so you’re encouraged to use it. My one problem, though it’s not a big one, is that the certain attacks that trigger it will always do so if they connect, so unless you want to use heat mode you’re limited in the moves you can use. Speaking of universal inputs, each character’s rage art (a highly damaging move available at low health) is now the same exact button for each character, and everyone has a throw on up diagonal and both punch buttons. Apart from that it’s business as usual; Tekken has such a lovely flow that feels unique, at least to me. Leaving aside ten-strings and prolonged air juggles, the core mechanics enable such satisfying fights based on timing and distance, knowing when to throw out attacks and how likely they are to hit. Tekken has always felt great to play, and 8 is no exception, though the punchy sound effects and heavy impacts do give it a boost above the other games in the series. Alongside Reina are two other newcomers; French U.N Ninja Victor, played by Vincent Cassel, and Azucena; a cheery Peruvian “Coffee Queen” who advertises her personal blend by beating the shit out of people in MMA fights. I’ve not really got on too well with Victor, but Azucena’s fun; she’s got a bounce to her moves that feels fun and dynamic, and some nice counters mixed in with kicks and a massive punch that sends your opponent flying across the arena.
A couple of quick things to bring up before I take it home; firstly, Tekken Ball is back. It’s been years but they’ve finally brought back the “What if instead of fighting directly you smacked a beach ball at each other?” mode and it’s just as good as it was in Tekken 3. Also, it’s a small thing but the music is a lot better than it was in Tekken 7. I’m not opposed to techno or dubstep but Tekken 7 mashed both together in a way that did a disservice to both genres simultaneously.
Tekken as a series has always felt great to play, and Tekken 8 carries on that tradition. Punchy, impactful and with a satisfying flow to combat based on timing, with a far better story mode than last time, better looking customisation items, the return of Tekken Ball and a focus on aggression deftly handled with universal inputs. The only downside is the lack of something like 7’s infinite Treasure Battle mode, but that doesn’t stop Tekken 8 from being an excellent fighting game and a worthy entry in the series.
By James Lambert
@jameslamber18
The Reviewing Floor 