Review: Tekken 8 – Iron Eater

Although a lot of fighting games have been released, few can claim to be one of the pillars of the genre. Tekken is without a doubt. The series is very popular by both loyal fans and casual players. Site readers may already know that I wrote a preview of Tekken 8 late last year in October. Does the final product live up to the hype?

Breaking iron with hands

Tekken is synonymous with the great man Katsuhiro Harada. He’s been there since the first Tekken game and was in the director’s chair for a good portion of the series. Anyone who follows him on social media knows that he is regularly bombarded with strange requests for the games he makes. He once wrote the legendary words: “Don’t ask me nonsense.” Harada also said that Tekken 8 contains the most content of any entry in the series. This appears to be true because upon release there will be a choice of multiple game modes.

There are three different modes in which you can follow the story events, the main story, character stories, and a new addition, Arcade Quest. More on that later. You also have the standard offline modes like Versus, Training, and Arcade. You need to unlock Ghost Battle, but this is easily done by creating an avatar. Tekken Ball is back, where you play “volleyball” with your fighting moves and try to beat each other. And of course there are different modes to dress up your characters or change the music. Online, you can play ranked or casual, but Tekken is now also joining the growing trend of online lobbies. In an online environment, you can relax with others as you wish and also play against them in different game modes. A useful addition to the main menu is that you can mark modes as favourites. They will then appear in their menu at the top when you start the game. This way you can dive into your favorite game type faster.

Tekken 8 continues the series’ story, this time starring the battle between Jin and “Father of the Year”, Kazuya. Anyone familiar with Tekken knows that the dynamic between them and the other family members is very tense. This is not a problem that can be solved by visiting Dr. elephant. In Cinematic Story Mode, you’ll go through the entire story of Tekken 8 and see how it unfolds in the end. The previous game used a similar method to depict the story, but in this new part it has been expanded further and there is more room for expression on the part of the player. Although it has no impact on the story, as a player during a major tournament you can choose who you want to play as in each round. If you win, that character moves on to the next round. It’s small but personally I thought it was a nice detail. Moreover, the story has multiple endings as well. It’s too spoiler-y to say how, but here too you as a player can choose how you want the story to end.

Overall, the main story is like a movie you watch that you occasionally have to provide input into. Good. All the cinematics look great! As you’d expect from Tekken, it’s a non-stop action game. If you have a few hours you can complete the story in one go. If you still haven’t had enough of the story, you can always follow each character’s personal plot lines. Although this is not as extensive as the main story, each character has their own story with a cinematic ending. Please note that for some characters, such as newcomer Reina, you must have completed the main story.

“Seriously, if I catch you hooking up, I’ll body you IRL.“

Phantom limb pain

The other story mode is Arcade Quest. Here you can create your own avatar and move from one arcade to another to control Tekken. In Arcade Quest, you can challenge NPCs to unlock new outfits for both your avatar and the playable fighter. This will also keep you busy for a few hours. It’s not very spacious, but it has its charm. Anyway, I can appreciate Harada’s appearance. Another special tribute to the avatar t-shirt featuring Tekken 1 Kazuya. I once printed this shirt myself and kept it in my closet. When I saw it in the game I couldn’t remember.

Ghost Battle is a special new addition. You can play against your own CPU version. This CPU uses AI technology to adapt to you and adopt your fighting style. So your mind shapes itself according to your skills. By playing against this ghost repeatedly, you will develop it more and more during combat. Interesting detail, other players can also challenge your ghost. Maybe it will also help you discover your weaknesses and help you grow as a player. Only time will tell if it works accurately or not, but your friends no longer have to go online to humiliate them in a game of Tekken.

laboratory until it becomes unstable

If you still want to spend time in the lab or need to dust off old kits, you can always go back to training. In training, you can practice your moves endlessly against the CPU doing what you want. You’ll also see all kinds of statistics so you can practice efficiently. It is also possible to practice target combos or combo challenges. You can view target groups as homework and by doing them you will learn more about your character and learn how to use them. Although the developers have put these combos in the game to provide you with a little training, it is still a fighting game with freedom of expression. To get deeper knowledge about ideal combinations, it is still better to search online. New or regular players have the option to use car combos during battle. You can activate this at any time with the push of a button.

For solo players who want to play online later or not at all, there’s already plenty to do at launch. If the previous game is any indication, additional content like Tekken Bowl may be added in a later season. There’s a lot going on so far about all the playable content, but what does the core gameplay look like?

Is the heat working?

In addition to old mechanics like Rage, Tekken 8 also introduces a new mechanic in the form of the Heat System. You can use Heat once per round to perform a powerful combo or temporarily become more ferocious. You can activate it by hitting certain movements that start the heat, or by pressing a button. How to activate Heat can give you many advantages in battle. By activating Heat in a combo, you can keep going and get more from your combo at the right time. When activated, you are given the opportunity to instantly fill the gap between you and your opponent and rush forward. An alternative is to activate the heat when you feel like someone is about to hit you. You will then receive a temporary super shield and gracefully take your opponent’s blow to the chin while striking.

The first impression I got during the closed beta was very positive, but I still have doubts about the balance. With all the old and new mechanics together, the rides seemed to go very quickly. Fortunately, these concerns have now completely disappeared. Whether it’s adjusting the health bar or perhaps the amount of damage that was limited, but the rounds now feel tight and quite adequate. In my opinion, introducing the thermal system is not a problem, although tastes differ.

Old regimes like the return of anger. As you get closer to flat, you get a slight boost in power and hit harder. It’s the return mechanism that can sometimes make the difference. While angry, it is possible to abandon your enhancement of the art of anger. This is a great move that deals a lot of damage through the animation if you manage to hit it. With Heat, Tekken 8 favors aggression over defensive playstyle.

Compared to other fighting games, Tekken 8 immediately comes with a good amount of playable characters. There will be 32 playable fighters available at launch, with more being added in the coming months and years. If your old master key is not included, there is still a chance it will be added in the future. If not, my condolences.

At this point, it’s too early to tell if the balance of all playable characters will be the same. However, there are actually a few characters that explain what to do. John occasionally appears in online screaming rooms here and there. Only time will tell if this is actually a problem. Interestingly, some newcomers are particularly popular on the Internet. As the main Lila, I don’t judge that. I know those eyelashes.

The art of getting angry when angry is optimal

Perhaps the most important thing about Tekken 8 isn’t that you play Tekken well, it’s that you show everyone online that you do. You don’t just get God of Destruction status online. To get that coveted icon on your profile, you have to beat a lot of other players. To be able to do this, you must have a stable connection. So it’s better to connect the cable and leave it alone.

Tekken 8 should not be blamed for the fact that people quit. Well, the way the game handles people going offline when they lose. With the number of souls that engage in this disgraceful tactic, you would think that a modern fighting game would have the means to deal with them by now. Unfortunately. Connecting still pays off. Seriously, if I catch you hooking up, I’ll body you IRL.

So, if you are comfortable enough to enter the dojo online, you have a choice. You can take things seriously and compete with friends until you’ve had enough, or you can dive straight into the rankings and go for glory. If you don’t have any friends, you can always visit the online lobby. Who knows, you may meet struggling colleagues or competitors in the future. Online lobbies are a new element in Tekken 8. You can walk around with your avatar, chat, and play different types of games with other players. Or maybe you want to display all the stippling you’ve arranged for your characters?

You can also give characters their own outfits in Tekken 8. I swear, my Lili bikini is absolutely necessary because it’s perfect. Just kidding, because Lily doesn’t have a bikini in this part like in the previous games! Well, jokes aside, this is something. It’s not that Lili doesn’t have a bikini, although that’s a shame, but the number of options for dressing up as your favorite characters. This won’t matter to everyone, but there’s definitely something to be said for it. There are players who have a lot of fun playing great matches. It is precisely with such options that players can express themselves. Options in Tekken 8 are still somewhat limited at launch compared to its predecessor. Content will undoubtedly be added in the future. There are actually some creative creations available online and with more options, this would be even more fun.

The review was run on: Computer

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