Do you remember the first time you played Tekken? For me, it was at an old arcade. I say it with no discernable name, because at the time my small rural town I grew up in somehow had 2 whole arcades and a variety of dairies and video stores housing cabinets. It could have also been the pseudo-gas station-cum-fish and chip shop which had them hiding off to the side. I know that’s where my first taste of Art Of Fighting was at least. But I do know where my first playthrough at home was. It was at a friends house after we’d hired out the PlayStation 1 console for the weekend. We had Battle Arena Toshinden. We had demo discs. And we had 2 titles from a company known as Namco at the time:
Ridge Racer and Tekken.
From then on, the obsession to be the King of Iron Fist Tournament winner stuck with me right through until Tekken 4 on the PlayStation 2. I also remember being very partial to Jin’s updated look and new fighting style in that game, but I digress. Come Tekken 5 though, I had made my way across to my time with the Xbox console systems from Microsoft. And this was very much the era when games weren’t going as multiplatform as they are now. By the time Tekken 6 had finally allowed this to happen, with its release on the PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360, I had finally let go of my quest to be the King of Iron Fist. I became a regular Paul Phoenix.
But now I’ve been pulled right back in. Tekken 8 is a continuation of the fated Mishima family. Kazuya and Jin are still fighting. Heihachi’s daughter is out for revenge with the introduction of new character Reina. And Jun Kazama has finally returned! Yes, Jin’s mum is back to hopefully give Kazuya a good talking to. Because talking has always worked in these games.
While there’s a wonderful story mode in The Dark Awakens, which also branches into an episodes mode where you can earn the respective endings for each character, I found myself lost in the multitude of other activities you can take on as a Tekken player. Tekken Ball is back, which was a favorite mode of mine in Tekken 3 to spam attacks with Gon in for hijinks (I miss you, you silly little dinosaur). We also have Arcade Quest; A story based mode which sees you fight multiple customized opponents to become the virtual King of Iron Fist Tournament Esports champion.
This also pivots into the wonderful Super Ghost Battle mode. You can fight other players ghosts, and your own, which eventually leads to a battle with Tekken stalwart, Katsuhiro Harada. This style of using an avatar to navigate the game continues with the Tekken Fight Lounge. A new way for you to take on other participating players online. Yes, you walk around with an avatar, jump onto an arcade cabinet, and then battle people online.
All of these different modes help you build up Fight Money from successful wins, which help you with customization. And when I say customization, I mean CUSTOMIZATION.
The community has already run rampant with different ways you can restyle your favorite fighters into beloved characters from other games, which is a whole new form of obsession for someone who loves customizing character cosmetics like I do! And this also lends to your title and player card, and somehow the health bar?? Which I found mind-blowing. Why would you want to change the look of your health bar? But in the same breath, why wouldn’t you!
As for the game itself, it’s still Tekken. But bigger. A LOT bigger. I can understand that the fish out of water aspect makes it a more enjoyable experience for me. I mean I didn’t even know there’s a rage system which is basically a finsher, along with rushing which provides a completely different cinematic experience amongst all the fighting!
But because of its pedigree, it felt impressively easy to pick up Tekken once again. Seeing my favorite character Hwoarang and being able to execute combos I’d learnt on the PlayStation 1 is a feeling you don’t often get these days. But seeing his brand new look doing those same old kicks was a jolt of nostalgia only Tekken could supply. Like the old games, new players can pick it up and hit any combination of buttons to pull off an amazing combo. Or they could use the Special Style system which makes it even easier to do. And veterans are rewarded by remembering their favorite moves, as the majority remain in play (which is why King was wrecking the game for the first week of release).
Tekken 8? More like Tekken GREAT.
From ease of use, to a plethora of new ways to experience the game, Tekken 8 is an astounding way to show the mark the game has left on the fighting industry. Incredible visuals and music make the style of fighting you’ve known for decades even better. And the game really wants you to have as much fun as you can while you fight toward the King of Iron Fist title.
So if you’ve been sitting on the fence about this game, then jump off and get into it. Because someone is probably about to be kicked through that fence, so it’s better to be prepared than sorry.
THE KING OF IRON FIST RETURNS!
Picking up Tekken 8 felt like returning to my days on the original PlayStation. From the returning roster, to how they're presented and how they move, makes for one of the best fighting experiences I've had in years.
So get going player, and become the new King of Iron Fist!
