Tekken 8 Review

It took a long time, but Tekken 8 is finally here. Dropping just in time for the series’ 30th anniversary, Tekken 8 has some big shoes to fill after the prior game's six-and-a-half-year console life. Tekken 7 currently holds records for the longest console Tekken tenure as well as the highest sales in the series, and following that up isn't enviable. Astonishingly, Tekken 8 drew all the right conclusions from Tekken 7's successes and failures, and the result is one of the strongest Tekken entries to date.

Although Tekken 8’s stated themes are "Full Power" and "Complete Destruction," there’s also a throughline of Tekken 8 addressing T7's criticisms, similar to what Street Fighter 6 did for SF5. Sporting more satisfying single-player modes, improved online functions, and the best onboarding experience in a modern fighter, nothing has gone untouched. While many fighting game sequels struggle to justify ditching their last entry’s content, Tekken 8 should feel like a worthwhile upgrade for any Tekken 7 owner.

Tekken 8's story mode will be most players' first stop. The Dark Awakens is the direct sequel to Tekken 7's cinematic story, featuring the same seamless transitions between cutscenes and gameplay, as well as impressive fight choreography and a major step forward in Tekken’s storyline. Fortunately, the boring narrator and unresolved subplots that defined Tekken 7's story are gone, even if shades of them are present. A general focus on Tekken's protagonist Jin Kazama and his journey through the latest King of Iron Fist tournament make this one of Tekken's best story modes, though newer fans would be forgiven for feeling lost.

After the credits roll in The Dark Awakens, players can immediately jump back into the action with the Character Episodes. Tekken 7’s equivalent was just a couple of in-engine scenes and a rival fight for every character deemed irrelevant to the main story, so Tekken 8's are a big improvement. Presented as shorter arcade runs, Character Episodes mark the return of Tekken's beloved pre-rendered arcade endings, divided between plot progression and comedy skits. Meanwhile, Tekken 8’s arcade mode mixes potentially tougher ghosts in with normal AI opponents, but the lack of character endings makes it hard to justify its existence.

Far more justified is the Arcade Quest, which does double duty as an answer to Street Fighter 6's World Tour featuring a custom avatar, and Tekken 8's interactive tutorial. Arcade Quest tells the lighthearted-yet-satisfying story of the player rising to the top of multiple arcades, eventually competing in the Tekken World Tour itself. Complete with a personal trainer to set goals and offer feedback, integration of Tekken 7’s Treasure Battle features to unlock cosmetics, and even the introduction of the new Super Ghost Battle system to experience one's own strengths and weaknesses in an AI copy, this mode justifies a Tekken newcomer’s purchase of 8.

All of that makes for a great single-player package, but it's the rock-solid fighting that makes Tekken 8’s modes work. Combat is similar to Tekken 7, with the simple Special Style controls and aggression-enhancing Heat System being Tekken 8's largest additions. Both should help casual players enjoy Tekken 8’s fighting, even if Special Style isn't competitively viable like Street Fighter 6’s Modern Mode is, and normal moves acting as Heat Engagers can unintentionally force button mashers into Heat. Aggression permeates every change made to Tekken 8’s battles, enhancing the spectator experience without diverting Tekken’s focus from movement and strategy.

Going from Tekken 7’s 51 characters after DLC to Tekken 8’s 32 fighters hurts, especially with no big-name guests like Street Fighter’s Akuma. Fortunately, Tekken 8’s returning cast feels distinct from their past selves thanks to a huge uptick in special effects, weapons, and unique animations. Newcomers Azucena, Victor, and Reina also help by being the best set of original characters Tekken has seen in years, sidestepping Tekken 7’s trouble with hit-or-miss newbies. The most notable absence is Eddy Gordo, whose confirmation as the first DLC fighter leaves Tekken 8 with a well-rounded roster filled with series favorites.

Learning these characters is also easier than ever, with Tekken 8 incorporating Tekken 7's paid DLC tools directly into its training mode while adding plenty more. Recommended moves and combos, replays that dynamically suggest alternatives, replay takeover, frame data, and so much more are available out of the box. A standard tutorial is also in Arcade Quest for those who want one. It's hard to understate how good Tekken 8’s teaching tools are, especially for a series that often lacks a tutorial mode.

When players feel prepared, it's time to head online. Tekken 8 sports Tekken's best online experience yet, even if it doesn’t match Street Fighter 6 and Guilty Gear Strive’s superb netcode. Putting the last few years of Tekken 7 controversy to rest, Tekken 8 clearly advertises its promising rollback netcode on top of cross-platform play, and gives players control of each. Options to set the number of rollback frames would have been preferred, but being able to choose between baseline netcode, more fluid visuals with more input delay, or less delay with more unstable visuals is a good start.

While menu options to immediately search for online matches or host a lobby are available, there’s plenty more for players to do in the Tekken Fight Lounge. This takes the form of a 3D lobby with simple custom avatars from Arcade Quest, and works similarly to Street Fighter 6’s Battle Hub. Besides all the expected matchmaking features, there are also options to register friends and rivals, download replays and player ghosts, and even take Tekken 3’s returning Tekken Ball minigame online. If nothing else, being able to train with the ghosts of friends and top players should make Tekken 8's communal Fight Lounge worth experiencing.

Players can use their online and offline winnings to buy cosmetics from in-game stores. At the moment, no additional monetization is visible in Tekken 8 apart from the expected season pass structure, which is for the best as unlocking cosmetics is an integral part of Tekken 8’s gameplay loop. While the lobby avatar clothes and player ID parts are decent enough, Tekken 8’s fighter customization clearly got the most love. The costume editing is on par with the lauded Create-A-Soul system from Tekken's sister series Soul Calibur, and many clothing pieces are so detailed that they appear natural beside fighters’ default clothing.

It's not just the costumes that look good, either. With no PS4 or Switch ports to hold it back, Tekken 8 uses Unreal Engine 5 to give itself a leg up over its competition. The game’s 3D assets and special effects look fantastic, even if some players will appreciate the options to tone either down. No performance issues were encountered on a PC running the highest non-4K settings, aside from the loading screens starting long and getting shorter. Between its hit sparks, dynamic stage backgrounds, environmental destruction effects, and even custom fight intros for certain match-ups, Tekken 8 is one of the best-looking fighting games yet.

Compliments should also be paid to Tekken 8’s sound design and soundtrack. The library of sound effects Tekken has built up is back and as crunchy as ever, and every character sounds good in their respective language. Celebrity actor Vincent Cassel also deserves praise, as he lends his voice to Tekken 8's French agent Victor while avoiding the awkwardness Mortal Kombat ran into with Megan Fox and Ronda Rousey. The soundtrack’s quality will be subjective, but dissatisfied listeners can use the Jukebox to build their own custom soundtracks out of Tekken's history of excellent music.

Accessibility features go alongside Tekken 8's abundant player customization to create an experience that should accommodate many people’s needs. There’s a lack of audio-based accessibility options, but even compared to the accessibility powerhouse that is Street Fighter 6, what Tekken has is still worth pointing out. Visual impairments and color blindness are directly addressed, and full controller remapping, including disabling buttons like T8's Traditional/Special Style toggle, should help a variety of players get into Tekken 8.

Street Fighter 6 just raised the bar for AAA fighting games midway through 2023, and its long-time 3D rival Tekken has already matched it. Tekken 8's story mode is a breath of fresh air after T7's, and its abundance of single-player modes will give casual fans plenty to do afterward. Veterans can enjoy Tekken 8's new characters and mechanics without the game’s fundamentals being compromised, and a top-notch presentation will impress without technical hiccups. No one could have expected Tekken 8 to improve this much after Tekken 7 was already so strong, but it's clear that the new game won’t settle for anything less than being the series’ best.

Score: 4.5/5

Tekken 8

Bandai Namco's Tekken 8 will be the franchise's debut entry on the PS5 and Xbox Series X/S, and the fighting game is built in Unreal Engine 5. The story revolves around Kazuya Mishima and Jin Kazama's relationship.