Bandai Namco has brought out an explosive and depth-defying game that transcends any other fighting games released for the major consoles, and that game is Tekken 8. After many months of trailers, gameplay, and demos, the game has shown what it means to become one of the top-ranking fighting games in both online and local gameplay.
Tekken 8 takes place after Heihachi’s death, where humanity’s fate is irreversibly tied to Jin Kazama, who once sent the world into hell. Through his strength and power, Jin is the only one the whole world can count on to defeat his father, Kazuya Mishima, who now possesses a greater power than that of the devil that is infused with the god of destruction, Azazel. Unfortunately, Jin has lost the ability to harness the devil gene himself and must now find a way to redeem himself if there is any hope to save humanity.
The game’s story is spectacular and made me want to play the whole story mode over and over again. Though there are some minor issues with the frame rate of the cinematics, the story content and narrative have managed to dazzle me in ways that no other gamer can imagine.
Of course, the gameplay is still a fighting game but with newer and better features. One of the features in the game that Bandai Namco has been greatly promoting is the Heat System. Using this feature, players can now extend combos and perform greater damage to their opponents giving them the edge they need to win the match. Aside from that, using the stages’ environment has never felt more realistic as certain power-crushing attacks can erupt the floors, destroy the walls, and even, collapse the flooring. Because of this realistic feature, juggle combos in Tekken 8 have become more complex than ever, thus giving players a challenge to nail down their opponents.
Character episodes have been implemented once more in this game. For many players, it might have been disappointing but the good news is that it is not only a single-stage battle but it has returned to having at least 5 stages to complete each character in this mode. Additionally, players can now change the difficulty of each episode to the point where they want it to be very easy or challenging. Compared to what they did in Tekken 7, this whole mode eliminates any complaints players may have had about getting stuck in certain episodes due to high difficulty.+
Since Tekken 8 is a fighting game, an important aspect is the multiplayer/online mode where players socialize and challenge each other. Through the use of Arcade Quest, fighters around the world using various console versions of Tekken 8 can watch others fight or compete with others in ways that give them the chance to unlock rewards and customizations for not only their favorite fighters but for their avatars also. But that is not the only thing that has surprised me.
The Arcade Quest has somewhat similar features to that of Street Fighter 6 but better in many ways it has presented a lot of Easter eggs related not only to Tekken games but to other classic Bandai Namco games. I would like to give credit to the developers for keeping their promise of making this game a worthy start for 2024.
The graphics and details of the game are also something worth noticing. From the cinematics to the gameplay, the textures and frame rates were astounding. During battles, players can see how each character takes damage as new damage textures are added making it more realistic. All of this was possible because of the new Unreal Engine they are using and I can say firmly that the developers have fully utilized the capabilities of its software to the point that it has opened new possibilities of making high-end games in their future titles.
My only comment about Tekken 8 is that they should try to maintain the connectivity of the game in terms of multiplayer mode. There are times that I felt that the game lagged over connection problems but with new update patches being added, they can overcome this difficulty with no problem whatsoever.
With everything said about the game, I believe that this game should be nominated as one of the best fighting games for 2024. With so much content that players can access and more, this fighting game developed by Bandai Namco is worth the wait. Playing the demo of the game is an option for those who are new to this genre and will give players a sense of what to expect on the full release of Tekken 8.
