With a series as long-running as Tekken, players have had ample opportunity to connect with characters and their backstories. Having spent hours in practice rooms myself trying to master combos with certain characters, I know how daunting it can feel to be met with Tekken 8’s a new roster that might not contain the characters or combos you’ve spent hours learning. But, these changes to the 3D fighter are also an opportunity for players to have a ‘fresh start’ with the franchise, and re-learn exactly what it is all about.
Tekken 8 is set to deliver many changes to its core content to help welcome new players while still helping veteran players reconnect with a series that hasn’t received a new game in eight years. Outside of its visual improvements as spotlighted within reveal trailers and beta tests, there are also several mechanics implemented into gameplay and improvements that have been made to the player experience to help take the Tekken series to the next level.
To find out more about how Tekken 8 plans to elevate your experience with the 3D fighting game, alongside what has been done to improve the experience for new players TechRadar Gaming (TRG) sat down with Kouhei Ikeda, Tekken 8’s game director. He spoke to us about the process of refining it into a seamless, how certain characters were selected, and how approachable the experience will be for new players as well as describing the game’s development process.
Fresh faces
Tekken 8 promises a roster of 32 fighters at launch, but despite how many characters players can choose from, it doesn’t mean every fighter from the past that folks might be familiar with will be accounted for. For example, long-term favorites like Eddy Gordo haven’t made the cut, but there’s a good reason as to why, which Ikeda explains.
“Obviously, we would like to include all if we could but we’re limited in the number of characters,” Ikeda says. “It’s the base that we start with, right, so, this many characters. And then it starts from various areas. First the popularity of the character. We can see that from the data that we see from the game.” However, the story plays a part too, Ikeda says, adding: “But then, also, for the story mode, it’s a big part of the game, so we need to make sure all the characters we need to progress through the story arc are in the game."
“Then there’s also the playstyle of the character. What kind of playstyles do the players expect; are they covered? And also, our game designers, [and] what they want to do with the gameplay. Is there something we can achieve with that character? These are the main kind of ways we go about it.”
However, the roster of Tekken 8 doesn’t only feature existing, returning characters - three entirely new fighters are being added to the mix. Reina, Azucena, and Victor are the series’ newest debuts, but in comparison to the 29 returning fighters three seems like a small number of new faces. Similar to the process of deciding which returning characters make it onto the roster, creating new ones follows a similar process.
“First, the visual aspect of the character has to be generally appealing to all players. But also the concept of the playstyle.” Ikeda explains. “For example, Azucena, she’s a striker but she has a certain stance so that [means] she can evade various different attacks which is kind of a fun and unique characteristic of her gameplay. So, it’s more about making sure that fundamental is solid for each of the characters so that from a design standpoint and a gameplay standpoint they’ll appeal not only to veterans of the series but to newcomers.”
Fun for all
An incredibly notable aspect of Tekken 8 is the emphasis on making the game and experience not only enjoyable for the person playing but also for those spectating. Between flashy animations, charming character models, and photorealistic, immersive environments, steps have been taken toward making the game engaging from multiple perspectives, and to those who may be new to fighting games.
When asked how gameplay has been adapted to appeal to both active players and passive audiences, Ikeda responded “So, this is something that we’ve focused on since Tekken 7. That, like you say, not only for the person playing the game but for the person spectating it’s going to be a very enjoyable experience, that it’s also easy to understand what’s going on by just looking at the game.”
This has been approached in several ways, but one of the most predominant additions comes through the heat system, a new mechanic for the series. During a match, these mechanics can be activated once and provide the user with an opportunity to cause significant damage, even when the opponent is blocking, for a short amount of time.
As Ikeda describes, “It’s very easy to notice when the tone of the match is going to change because if a certain player activates it [their heat], they run towards their opponent because it's activated right? But rather than backdashing to turn and run from the opponent, you’re up close and it’s more like a real fight, like a real boxing match where you’re looking at each other and one hit could drastically change the match.”
Alongside making the matches technically engaging, making the entire game visually impressive was just as important throughout the development process. It’s no surprise that the graphics and appearance of Tekken 8 set it a bar above the rest of the series, but there’s much more to why visuals are as important as the action itself. Ikeda stated that the team “wanted the game to look over the top and stand out visually, not just in quality but in the effects as well, so a lot of attention was put into the graphical effects like the hit effects and the camera work. Your actions as a fighter actually cause destruction in the environment which feels good for the person playing but also looks entertaining for the people watching.”
A warm welcome
Despite the driving force being its ferocious combat, Tekken 8 also offers an emphasis on its community. Outside of online matches, players will be able to explore the Fighter Lounge, a retro-inspired social hub that makes online play and communication significantly more streamlined and also serves as a place to find and play against your friends without having to set up private lobbies.
When asked what impact the team wanted the Fighter Lounge to have on the playerbase in the long term, Ikeda responded “The key phrase we always used was ‘we wanted to make a place where you would want to go every day’.” Ikeda described. “Like in an arcade when you had real arcades…where you could just go and you’d make new friends or you’d see existing friends and you’d learn stuff and it would be super cool and so we wanted to make that environment online.”
In comparison to the standard grit and hyper-realistic visuals of the Tekken series, both the Arcade Quest and Fighter Lounge offer a more friendly, cartoonish appearance which feels more appealing to new users, but several inspirations were drawn from real-life experiences when creating this hub. “The look of it is kind of that 80s/90s arcade vibe but also [that feeling of] you’re gonna go and your friends are there and you don't have to say ‘Hey I’m going to go at 9pm on Friday.’ You just show up and you have friends there.” Ikeda stated. “And, as you’re doing so, you’re motivated to keep with the game, get better, and generally improve.”
So whether you’re a returning player or you’re looking to finally sink yourself into the world of fighting games, Tekken 8 promises to pack a punch. From its extensive roster to its immersive environments and enchanting visuals, alongside its welcoming Arcade Quest and captivating story mode, there are myriad reasons why you should dive in when it launches on January 26.
If you’re preparing for the launch of Tekken 8, you might want to check out our guide to the best fight sticks. We’ve also got guides to the best monitors for PS5 and best monitors for Xbox Series X if you’re looking to take your console setup even further.
