Tekken has always been considered a huge name in the esports industry. Through international-level tournaments, players meet from all over the world to prove their mettle. Previously, the Tekken category of gaming was dominated by Tekken 7. However, things changed when Tekken 8 was released in January 2024.
The current dominator in the Tekken world is Arslan Ash, hailing from Pakistan. Though the game has progressed from Tekken 7 to Tekken 8, the point to ponder is whether or not there have been any improvements.
Here is the list of everything I noticed in Tekken 8 while I played it.
Intriguing Storylines
Though the main story continues with the father-and-son rift between Kazuya Mishima and Jin Kazama, there is a lot more to explore in the game. Following the death of Heihachi Mishima, the question is “Who is going to take over the Mishima Corporation?” The only two living heirs are Heihachi’s son, Kazuya, and Heihachi’s grandson, Jin.
Besides the main story, there are also other character episodes that you can play to explore the stories of all the other characters. Each episode tells the backstory of all the characters, which allows you to delve deeper into every character and resonate with them. I’ll have to say that the story mode and the individual character episodes in Tekken 8 are a lot better than Tekken 7.
Improved Engine
Tekken 7 was developed using the Unreal Engine 4, and we were taken aback by how great the graphics looked. However, with Tekken 8, they took things up a notch by using the Unreal Engine 5 instead. I’m not kidding when I say that my jaw dropped when I played the game for the first time.
Tekken 8 seemed like a visual masterpiece when I played it, the attention to detail was surreal! Even effects like rain, sweat, and dirt felt realistic. Tekken 8 didn’t utilize any assets from Tekken 7 and was worked on from scratch. The enhanced graphics are partly the reason why the game was released on the PlayStation 5 and not the PlayStation 4.
If you look closely, you’ll see sweat dripping down the characters’ bodies, this is the kind of attention to detail we never saw in the Tekken series before.
Better Online Gameplay
Tekken 8 features various multiplayer modes, which include a local versus mode where you and your friend can play against each other on one screen. There is also an online ranked mode where you can play with players from all over the world.
The online cross-play allows you to play with opponents regardless of the platform everyone uses. For instance, you can play on a PS5, while your opponent can join your match from a PC. However, to ensure seamless matches, you have to ensure that you opt for an internet service that doesn’t give up in the middle of your fight.
Bonus Tip: For an internet connection, I recommend that you go for Xfinity Internet. Thanks to its low latency rate, you’ll rarely have any hiccups during your online games!
More Characters
Tekken 8 features some new characters including Reina, Azucena, Clive Rosfield (from Final Fantasy XVI), and Victor Chevalier. However, some characters were removed, including Akuma, Anna Williams, Armour King, Bob, Eddy, Ganryu, gigas, and a couple more.
But that doesn’t mean that Tekken 8 isn’t a fun game to play. The new additions to the character bring a lot to the table. Each of them has a distinct fighting style, and once you master a character, you can make your experience even better.
Heat Smash!
If you’ve played Tekken 7, you would remember the “Rage Arts” feature in the game that would let you deal additional damage when you were on low HP yourself. Though this made the game a lot easier and removed a lot of skill-demanding elements, it was still an intriguing feature.
Tekken 8 replaced the Rage Arts feature with the “Heat Smash” feature. Technically, the Rage Arts feature is still there when your health falls below 25%, but the Rage Drive is gone. It is replaced with Heat Smash, which consumes all your Heart Energy for one powerful attack.
However, if you don’t time your move right, then you can end up wasting it too. Therefore, you must time your move right so that you can deal maximum damage.
AI Ghost Play
This feature is the one that stood out most for me. It is the biggest improvement from Tekken 7. In AI Ghost Play mode, the game reads the movements and patterns recorded from pro players so that you can take on those characters and put your skills to the test!
Who knows, maybe one day, you’ll become skilled enough to join a tournament and take the win!
One Feature We All Missed
Tekken Ball is back again! Tekken Ball was a mini-game in Tekken Tag Tournament in which you have to knock your opponent down using a beach ball. You can enjoy this mode whenever you feel like playing something minimalistic with not a lot of strategy involved.
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Jason