Reviewers were thrilled with "Mortal Kombat 1" and "Street Fighter 6" last year, so it's very heartening to see that "Tekken," the third pillar in modern fighters, is out-doing itself once again.
With more than 70 reviews aggregated on OpenCritic, "Tekken 8" has received a "Mighty" average score of 90/100. 2017's "Tekken 7" is well-regarded, and that "only" has an 82/100 average. It doesn't seem like it hits the outlandishly high highs of "Street Fighter 6," but that doesn't prevent reviewers from heaping praise on this fighter.
The crucial online mode is just as good as we could hope
The biggest factor in the longevity of any modern fighting game is how well it plays online, and I'm happy to say that it's here "Tekken 8" trumps "Tekken 7" in every way. Based on the limited online time I've had pre-launch, netcode seems much improved, and every match I've played against someone in the US (even thousands of miles away) has felt great. I also tried my hand against players in South Korea and Europe, and while the quality wasn't ideal, the matches were definitely playable — albeit with some jittery artifacts. There are several rollback settings to change the feel of your inputs as well, although I preferred the default. Regardless, it's great that the option is there if you want it, and "Tekken 8" includes cross-play as well!
Of course, none of this matters if online matches don't have stable connections, and I'm happy to report that for the majority of the matches I played online — 29 of my 30, to be exact — I experienced zero lag, stuttering or technical issues. Only once did action come to a halt, but it quickly resumed and never hitched again. Rollback frames are easily visible in the bottom-right of the screen as well, so I always know how my matches are performing in real-time. Online play was a key focus for testing for me coming into "Tekken 8," and while I acknowledge this was a limited number of players, I'm still very happy with the results thus far. Testing will continue once online servers are available to the public on release and this review will be updated and finalized in the days following.
The story mode doesn't reinvent the wheel, but it should satisfy long-time fighters
"Tekken 8's" story is filled with little callbacks to previous games and references that long-time fans will absolutely eat up. It doesn't do a fantastic job of tying up every loose end, but it gives nods to a ton of stuff that I think veteran "Tekken" heads will be happy with. Even if this is your first "Tekken" game, it's a story that's action-packed enough to find plenty of drama and entertainment in, and there are primers to catch you up on the story if you need a refresher.
I'll tell you who won't be sad though. Jin fans. "Tekken 8's" story mode focuses heavily on the fire-trousered trauma victim, continuing the intergenerational saga of violent dads who yearn to throw their family members into a volcano. This will be incomprehensible hysteria to any newcomer, and the ludicrous "Dragon Ball Z-"ing on display rarely lets up for the four or five hours it takes to blast through everything. Battles often come with gimmicks attached. A monstrous unblockable move you must endure and overcome. A multi-step brawl against faceless guards and robotic Jack units. Quicktime prompts politely ask that you Press A To Not Deny Your Comrades And Your Bonds.
Arcade Quest is a clever way to teach you how to become a decent 'Tekken' player
A more drastic onboarding change is the inclusion of Arcade Quest, which functions as both an extended tutorial and as an eSports story mode where you climb the ranks in the "Tekken" competitive scene. It does a good job at breaking lessons down into bite-sized chunks, having you apply these learnings in a procession of matches before moving on to the next point in the curriculum. Another smart move is that each of the different arcades you visit while trying to reach the "Tekken" World Tour finals (which is the series' real-life tournament circuit) has opponents with different playstyles that can be countered by applying the most recent lesson, allowing the tactical implications of these techniques to sink in.
Arcade Quest offers players another way to fight against the AI, albeit with the CPU wearing strange clothing items. There's one extra gimmick to this mode in the form of AI ghosts, powerful opponents created by spectating and mimicking real players. Within three matches, "Tekken 8" can analyze a fighter's tendencies to create an AI counterpart. The AI ghosts are surprisingly difficult to fight, creating much more of a challenge compared to the regular CPU battles. All in all, Arcade Quest is better than playing through the story mode and character episodes again, but if you have access to the internet, just play online instead.
TL;DR
Satisfying mechanics, gorgeous combat animation, flashy presentation and a killer soundtrack.
"Tekken 8" is a robust package that features some of the most satisfying digital fisticuffs I've ever seen.
"Tekken 8" releases on January 26, 2024 for PS5, Xbox Series X/S and PC.
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[Image: Bandai Namco]
