We already got to play “Tekken 8” – and it was a real eye-catcher!

For many gamers, “Tekken” represents the first experience of fighting games, in which two fighters beat each other with punches, kicks and other attacks. Since its debut in 1995 on the first Playstation, the series has become an integral part of home game consoles.

The seventh part even reached the mark of 10 million copies sold, which surprisingly does not only bring joy to “Tekken” lead developer Katsuhiro Harada, as he explained in the interview. Because with this large number, the pressure to have to sell even more copies with “Tekken 8” has increased considerably.

Pimped optics thanks to «Unreal Engine 5»

A first play session on the PlayStation 5 showed that there are no major concerns, at least in terms of quality. The move to the current “Unreal Engine 5” is noticeable in the graphics. Of the six playable arenas, Urban Square was particularly impressive. The area, reminiscent of New York’s Times Square, is filled with animated neon signs against the backdrop of the skyscrapers and even broadcasts the current battle on a big screen.

The various characters have also been significantly upgraded in terms of detail and animation, not to mention the fights, which are staged with many spectacular effects. In addition, the ground rips open during particularly violent attacks, for example, and then has holes in several places until the end of the duel.

However, Harada is not completely satisfied with the graphics. The lighting in particular presents a challenge with the new game engine. While a character might look great in one environment, it wouldn’t in another arena. operate release.

Duels fast forward

Also in terms of gameplay, the developers are focusing with “Tekken 8” on the great strengths of the series: providing a complex gaming experience for professionals without overwhelming newcomers. For the latter, for example, the game has the ability to unleash otherwise complex attack combinations with just the press of a button. This feature can also be turned on and off with the left shoulder button during the ongoing battle. If both players used the so-called “Special Style” variant when attacking, the fights were often over after just a few seconds due to the completely overpowered attacks, which normally require demanding controller operation.

Back from “Tekken 7” is the so-called “Rage Art”: if one of the two fighters falls below a certain limit of remaining life energy, they can attempt a desperate last-ditch attack to partially subtract up to a third of the opponent’s total life view and therefore possibly the same profit immediately. This is also an attempt to keep the battles between players of different strengths exciting for as long as possible.

In the heat of battle

However, professionals can voluntarily disable these functions with, for example, the button assignment of the controller and engage in combat without tricks. A look at the move list shows that there is a lot to learn for combat experts with sometimes more than 100 different actions per character.

In addition, “Tekken 8” comes with some new game mechanics. In this way, part of the damage suffered can be “healed” again by your own successful offensive actions. And with the new «Heat System», the fighter can be temporarily boosted for 10 seconds, which, for example, enables special attacks or even deals part of the damage to blocking opponents.

The «Heat» state is activated by simply pressing a button or with a «Heat Engager», one of about five predefined attacks per character. The second, more complex method offers the advantage that you can perform not one, but two special attacks during the ten seconds. This system also motivates you to play offensively, so that you don’t let the ten seconds go by unused.

Conclusion

Some fans may mourn the old days when brawls happened without a variety of extra mechanics like “Rage Art” or “Heat System”. But the success of “Tekken 7”, now the best-selling part of the series, proves that the developers are absolutely right in their orientation. Anyway, “Tekken 8” is another entertaining edition that has a lot to offer for newbies and old pros alike. And thanks to the new game engine, collisions have never looked so good. Unfortunately, only the actual battles have been played so far. What else the game has to offer in terms of story, character customization, and other content remains to be seen in the coming months.

“Tekken 8” will be released for the PS5, the Xbox Series X/S and via Steam for PC. Bandai Namco has not yet announced a release date. However, it is quite conceivable that the game will be released before the end of the year.

The twelve fighters confirmed so far are Asuka Kazama, Jack-8, Jin Kazama, Jun Kazama, Kazuya Mishima, King II, Lars Alexandersson, Leroy Smith, Ling Xiaoyu, Marshall Law, Nina Williams and Paul Phoenix. However, many more will likely be added until release after the predecessor included 36 fighters at the start.