The king of 3D fighting games returns with Tekken 8. The franchise blesses another generation of consoles with new and returning characters and a ridiculous story revolving around devil genes, martial arts tournaments, and fratricide. More importantly, this pillar of the fighting game community has updated its online experience, finally embracing the much-desired feature of rollback netcode.
Story
Tekken 8’s story opens with what else but a son having a fistfight with his dad. Jin and his father Kazuya face off again on the streets of New York, fighting with their fists and their devil genes abilities. Regardless of how well you fight in the opening battle, Kazuya will come out victorious, defeating Jin so severely that he loses his ability to use any of his devil powers. Kazuya then announces another King of Iron Fist Tournament, calling on all fighters worldwide to participate or risk having their country destroyed.
Kazuya has some ulterior motive behind hosting this tournament, but what he wants out of the contest is a mystery. Jin and his allies join the tournament to get closer to Kazuya and try to find a way to stop him. How this plan turns out and whether our heroes can even find a way to defeat Kazuya is left for you to find out in Tekken 8’s story mode.
Story modes in fighting games are usually just movies broken up by matches against AI-controlled characters and generally end with a big boss fight. Tekken 8, however, may have cracked the code on intertwining gameplay with the story. Characters will speak as they fight, taunting and conversing as they beat on one another, and scripted super moves will lead right into cutscenes, making gameplay and story flow seamlessly into one another. The gameplay is also different in the story mode as Jin loses his connection to his devil gene, and his move list is limited for much of the story, making his loss to Kazuya, in the beginning, feel even more impactful.
It’s also not all run-of-mill one-on-one matches, with the game featuring an actual tournament section where you pick a character of the bracket to play and a sudo Dynasty Warriors-like battle mode where you fight dozens of soldiers at a time. These additions lead to a final fight that effortlessly intertwines gameplay and story into the best battle I’ve played in any fighting game story mode. Tekken 8’s story is not just a goofy side show. It’s a well-made combination of narrative and gameplay that no other fighting game has come close to replicating, and it’s worth your time.
Gameplay
Tekken 8 is often referred to as a legacy fighting game when its gameplay is mentioned. This means most skills players learned in past games carry over to new ones, and this entry is no different. Kazuya still has hellsweep, Bryan Fury can still taunt into jet-upper, and King can roll people to death. It’s all still here. The most significant change from past games is the new Heat System, which grants all characters access to a powerful Heat Smash move, dash cancels, chip damage, and combo extensions. The Heat meter will drain upon activation, but the meter resets every round, letting the player use it liberally.
Greater questions about how well the game is balanced and how the Heat System fits into Tekken 8’s competitive scene are for the world’s top players to answer, not me. I can say that the simple act of performing a juggle combo and then extending that with Heat for massive damage is fun, and for the majority of players, that’s all that matters.
I can also say that getting into Tekken is easier than ever for new players, thanks to the new Arcade Quest game mode and the addition of replay takeover. Arcade Quest serves as a story for your Tekken avatar and a tutorial for your character of choice, covering not just system mechanics and combos but also defensive and offensive options for your specific character. You won’t go from a noob to a god of Tekken, but you feel a lot more comfortable with both the system mechanics and your character.
Replay Takeover is a feature that allows players to watch replays of their matches and, at any moment, take control of their character in the replay. If, for example, your opponent kept hitting you with a move you didn’t know how to counter, you can put on the replay of that match and take control of your character right before the moment of impact to try and figure out how to stop this specific attack. The game will even show you a recommended punish for when you block the attack, making learning character matchups easier than ever before.
Speaking of character, Tekken 8 lets you customize your fighter with whatever silly cosmetics you want, making your version of Law or Steve unique. The cosmetics can be bought with in-game currency earned just by playing matches, so you can buy whatever you want after only games. Unfortunately for those who dislike goofy cosmetics, there’s no way to disable them in online play, so get used to seeing Jack-8 dressed as Abraham Lincoln because you’ll see many of them.
Technical
There are three main concerns players have when a new fighting game is released in 2024. Netcode, netcode, netcode. I am happy to report that the developers of Tekken 8 have finally embraced rollback netcode, dramatically improving the experience of playing Tekken online, but there is a catch. Before you do anything else, go to the options menu and select responsive under netcode settings. This option will ensure the best possible connection while you are playing. The game also features a wi-fi indicator, so if you are struggling to find anyone to match with online, it might be time to invest in an ethernet cord as the prejudice against wi-fi players is real, and you’ll have a much more consistent connection with a cord.
Aside from the netcode, the game runs at a consistent 60 fps during matches, which is impressive given how close to photorealistic the character models are. You can see the folds of their clothes and the hairs on their head as clearly in the gameplay as in the pre-rendered cutscenes, making Tekken 8 one of the most visually impressive games of the year so far.
Summary
Tekken 8 is a continuation of one of the most beloved fighting game series ever made and one that embraces modern technology to ensure its worldwide player base can enjoy its exhilarating gameplay to the fullest. While the game’s netcode isn’t as rock solid as recent titles like Street Fighter 6 and Guilty Gear Strive, it is a vast improvement to its predecessor and more than good enough most of the time. Tekken’s story, while short, combines its gameplay and narrative in ways its competition has not, making its story a unique experience worth playing in a genre that increasingly places the game mode as an afterthought. Bandai Namco’s commitment to supporting the game means plenty of content will come soon, with the first DLC character dropping in the spring. Tekken 8 is the complete package, mixing fun and complexity in a way that can even make getting beat up entertaining and well worth its $ 70 price tag.
Tekken 8 is out now on PS5, PC, and Xbox Series X|S. It can be purchased on the PlayStation Store.
The Review
Superb
