Tekken 8 (2024) - Review

Editor's Note: Bandai Namco shared a PlayStation 5 copy of Tekken 8 with IGN India for this review.

Japanese game developer and publisher Bandai Namco is all set to launch Tekken 8, the latest iteration of the popular fighting game franchise Tekken, on January 26. It is one of the most anticipated video game releases for 2024. Bandai Namco first shared the teaser for the upcoming game at the end of Evo 2022 to thunderous applause. Even though it had been a long while since I played any Tekken game, watching that Kazuya smirk and the reaction from the Evo audience was enough to send a chill down my spine.

Has Bandai Namco managed to recreate the magic with Tekken 8? Is it worth your time and money? Let's find out here in our Tekken 8 review.

Tekken 8 looks 'Unreal'

No matter how much love I have for Yoshimitsu, I started this review to see how far the franchise has evolved since the arcade days of Tekken 3. The straightforward answer to that is that they have come far. With Unreal Engine 5 and incredibly detailed characters, Tekken 8 looks brilliant. A glance at Tekken 7's gameplay will instantly show you the graphical leap that Tekken 8 has achieved over its predecessor.

While gamers often crave photo-realistic graphics, with Tekken 8, graphics are just about where this realism ends. Don't get me wrong here, as Tekken 8 embraces the beauty of the franchise with its exuberant characters and arcade-style gameplay. Like any top-tier fighting game, Tekken 8 manages a delicate balance between realism in graphics and over-the-top fighting gameplay.

Story

Before starting the Tekken 8 story, the game offered me the option to see the recap of the saga so far. I found the recap extremely helpful as there was a recap episode for the entire story from Tekken 1 to Tekken 7. I highly recommend seeing the recap if you are new to the Tekken franchise or, like me, returning after a long time. Long-time Tekken fans can watch it for nostalgia, if not anything else.

The story campaign for Tekken 8 is short and took me around 4-5 hours to complete. With 15 chapters, most of the chapters feature a single fight before we proceed with the story (and cutscenes). The story doesn’t have a lot of twists and turns, but it is still decent enough that you want to see it out. This straightforward, solid nature of the game's story mode made me appreciate Tekken 8 as much as I did. It is because the mode did not outrun its quality.

If you are into brooding protagonists, you need not look further than Tekken’s Jin Kazama. The story of Tekken 8 revolves around Kazama, focusing on the fight between him and Kazuya. At the same time, you get to see almost the entire character roster from the game in the story somehow.

The story narrative is standard, focusing on the fight between the good and the evil. However, the game also includes some deep, internal battles that can keep you hooked if you want something more from the story.

Tekken 8 Gameplay - All about the Heat

Now, let's dissect the gameplay, which, for Tekken 8, is bound to be around the new Heat system. This is not to say that the existing Rage system isn't important. It is equally important and has been essential since Tekken 6. The new Heat system just offers a new way to tackle the game. This system is all about how aggressive you can be, and it is especially evident in the Arcade Quest mode.

Heat offers rewards without any risk since you can go on the offensive and deal more damage to your opponents without any catch. You won't risk your health bar while using this aggressive strategy. With Heat, the question is not if you should use it but when you use it since your opponent also has the Heat system in their arsenal.

Special Style feature will change how Tekken is played

Another significant addition this time is Special Style, which effectively makes it much easier for any Tekken player to pull off combos and special moves with fairly straightforward button inputs. Now, it is a blessing for all the casual Tekken players to access special moves easily. It will undoubtedly make the game more fun for casual players who love a button-smasher like Tekken.

I loved the Special Style and used it for most of the story mode. While it was fun initially, eventually, you understand the downside of this simplicity. You are limited to a few sets of moves throughout the match, and you can do little to bring variation to the fight. Since I was fighting the CPU (Computer) in each fight and mostly playing as Jin, sticking to the Special Style controls eventually became a bit boring.

Regardless, it is a fantastic addition, even though it gets repetitive. I would enable it in a heartbeat if I were facing off against a friend in a co-op precisely because it makes my experience easy while competing and mastering the game controls.

As I see it, Special Style brings little value and does not pose any real threat to Tekken veterans. But we will have to wait and see how professionals use the Heat and Special Style features from Tekken 8 on the competitive stage.

Arcade Quest

The Arcade Quest mode in Tekken 8 serves two purposes. First and foremost, it is all about making it to the grand stage of Tekken esports tournaments. Second, it allows fans to reminisce about the old days of going to the Arcade, putting a couple of coins in the machine, and playing Tekken for hours with their friends.

The single-player game mode offers the chance to create custom characters that look similar to Snapchat avatars. As I mentioned, the Heat system is about aggression, which is a big part of Arcade Quest mode. You get extra money just for how aggressively you fought while trying to beat the competition and level up your status to become a Tekken God.

From my playthrough of Arcade Quest mode, I found it to be decent to engage players if they like to compete against the CPU. However, I don't think the various customisation options and the '10 million coins' reward for completing the main Tekken 8 story would be enough for those who like to compete against other players.

Tekken Ball and Character Episodes

Beyond the Story and Arcade Quest Modes, I also liked the Tekken Ball mode, especially while playing against other Tekken players instead of the computer. I appreciate that this mode offers something different than the typical fighting mode that Tekken 8 revolves around.

After completing the story mode, I also tried the Character Episodes to check additional stories for the characters in the game, along with cutscenes that provide more context. It is smart to create episodes dedicated to all the characters present in the game. Especially because even though almost all characters were present in the main story, a large chunk was just present in quick cameos.

Value for Money

The base version of Tekken 8 costs INR 4,199 for PC via Steam, INR 4,799 for PlayStation 5, and INR 4,974 for Xbox Series X/S. While the game is fun, it is not as interesting for any casual player to invest this amount of money at launch. However, Tekken fans and those who love other fighting games will enjoy Tekken 8, including its story, gameplay, visuals, and new combat mechanics.

To clarify, I am not saying that the game is not worth it for casual players. The new Special Style is an excellent way to get into the Tekken franchise. But, from a value-for-money perspective, it is best to wait a couple of months and get the game at a discounted price instead.