Tekken 8 Review – Daddy Issues and Volcanic Eruptions

Volcanos, electric uppercuts, bears in karate, gi, and daddy issues galore. When all these components come together, it can only mean one thing: Tekken time. That’s right, it’s the eighth annual King of Iron Fist Tournament, and like the event itself, Tekken 8 is perfectly designed for fresh-faced new challengers and seasoned veterans alike.

Tekken 8: Something for Everything

Tekken is a series that needs no introduction, as its longevity and reputation are pretty well-known even outside of the hardcore fighting game community. Still, I’ll keep it pretty brief if you’ve never caught wind of it. Tekken is a 3D fighting game series that features a diverse set of international fighters. It’s pretty much like the Olympics sans any medals and involves much more punching in the face. It started as an Arcade series, and as it evolved into a more home-first approach, it has continuously innovated with its beautiful graphics, slick animations, and a treasure trove of casual single-player and multiplayer content to chew through. Tekken 8 lives up to that legacy and goes above and beyond to create a killer package that has something for everybody.

Story: Heaven or Hell…Let’s Rock?

I’ve been reviewing games for well over a decade. 100-hour RPGs, obscure adventures, and confusing jank have not prepared me to even know where to start with talking about Tekken 8’s Guinness World Record-winning storyline (I’m not kidding; look it up). The gist of it revolves around three key figures. Heihachi, Kazuya, and Jin. Grandfather, father, and son all share a devil gene and a penchant for throwing each other off cliffs at family reunions.

Tekken 8 features a very expensive-looking and feeling cinematic story mode, packed with several chapters that tell the tale of Jin and Kazuya finally going head to head to see who is the best? Or who will win the tournament? The same tournament that decides which country will live or suffer severe sanctions? Hey, I said it looks and feels expensive, not that the storytelling and the drama are robust or even attempt to make a lick of sense in the grand scheme of things.

What you don’t get in coherent storytelling, you get a whole heap of when it comes to bombastic and preposterous action. Not since Asuras Wrath has a game just upped the ante with more over-the-top and belief-suspending anime antics. It’s fun, doesn’t overstay its welcome, and continues the series’ penchant for fighting and volcano-tossing with style.

Gameplay: Heat Rises

Tekken 8 continues the series’ trademark four-button 3D combat. Left and right punches and kicks help maintain a very simple pick-up and play pace. New to the series is the Heat system, and yes, it does bear a visual resemblance to the same mechanic heavily featured in the Like a Dragon series. The Heat system is a fun and flashy new mechanic that can be activated with a press of a button and lets you perform several new maneuvers in a fight.

Heat allows you to inflict chip damage if an enemy is blocking and access to a powerful Heat attack that, if it lands, can inflict a lot of damage and change the momentum of a fight. This adds a new layer to the experience that is easy for players to pick up and use but changes the meta for seasoned veterans. 

Rounding out the core gameplay is an excellent set of training options that will explain all of the game nuances and break down each character’s vast assortment of special moves and abilities. Will it make a noobie become a master? Of course not, but the depth of the tutorials paired with the easy-to-understand controls at least provides a decent starting point for casual players to start from.

Graphics & Audio: Techno Fueled Unreal Engine

Tekken 8 is a gorgeous game. Built on Unreal Engine 5, this latest entry firmly leaves its predecessors in the dust regarding visuals and technical feats. Tekken 7 was an okay-looking game, but even for its time, it was awfully dated with technology, and load times, in particular, were always terrible.

Not anymore, as each fight and menu option is incredibly snappy, allowing you to stay in the action and not bored to tears waiting 20 to 30 seconds for the next fight to begin. The speed of the loading helps maintain an addictive, just-one-more-fight feel. The soundtrack is sublime for all of you techno fans and drum and bass-enthused maniacs. Even better, a full jukebox replete with every previous entry’s full soundtrack is included out of the gate. You can make custom playlists or convert the entire experience to sound like 1996 and Tekken 3 all over again.

Tekken 8 looks, feels, and sounds incredible, regardless of where you play it.

Conclusion: Ready for the Next Battle

I can’t leave this review without speaking about the most important aspects of fighting games, even mid-term prospects: cross-play and Rollback netcode. Now, Tekken 8 is cross play across all three platforms. Online lobbies and private player matches are in and work great, and it’s good to see equal treatment given to all platforms. As for the netcode, the options claim it uses rollback, but as of this review period, it was too early to truly determine if it worked well or not. Once it’s live and in people’s hands, real player experiences will ultimately answer that question. As for the here and now, Tekken 8 is a fantastic fighting game experience worth diving into, even if you’ve never been to a volcano-fueled family picnic.

Tekken 8 is available on PlayStation 5, Xbox Series, and PC (reviewed)

Review copy given by Publisher.