TEKKEN 8 directly follows the ending of TEKKEN 7 where Kazuya Mishima successfully removes the existence of Heihachi Mishima leaving everything to Jin Kazama to confront and end the years-long family feud between the Mishimas.

The game’s story concluded the Mishima Family saga very well and very well thought-out as well, and honestly, my only problem with the story is that it’s severely too fast-paced for my liking. I get it, a story mode isn’t really the focus of a fighting game, but hey, this game is concluding a 30-year story. Though, at the very least, TEKKEN 8’s story mode is better than most fighting games’ story, story delivery, and execution, and was a huge improvement to TEKKEN 7’s story mode… one with a very boring 3rd-person journalist who isn’t even relevant to the story.

I’d also like to say that the developers and the TEKKEN TEAM did an awesome job is hiding intricate details, along with musical callbacks throughout the franchise, which will cause surprises when you’ve actually played the story. Even I was not prepared when I saw the changes from the trailer to the final game and it gave off a totally different vibe. It was a beautiful experience. Directors of modern media should follow this, and not show almost everything in a trailer that you don’t even have to watch a film to know what happens.

The Heat System changes a lot of animation and frames of a lot of useful moves and tools of characters which allows them to just trap opponents in the block string—a condition where you are forced to just block your opponent’s attacks, consecutively. There’s also the Special Style which allows newer, or non-fighting game, players to enjoy the game with button mashing to assist the players in doing combos.

In addition to this, I also like the fact that this is the most beginner-friendly game in the franchise, aside from having the Special Style. See, TEKKEN, in any of its iterations, heavily favors those who played the previous games since your fundamentals are: (1) relies on legacy experience, (2) highly different from any other games. I say this because they included another single-player mode in the game; Arcade Quest.

This mode has a story of its own, but is YOUR story. Throughout the story, you are taught the basics of the game up to the more advanced techniques and mechanics available in TEKKEN 8. It definitely is a welcomed addition to the game. Although, I’d say ArcSystemWorks does a better job at this, making it brief and concise, in comparison to the Arcade Quest which may take up a few hours which may lead to a newer player bored… but it really does its job in holding your hand and making sure you learn properly before you can proceed.. so, pros and cons, I guess.

There is also the return of TEKKEN BALL which is a fan favorite from TEKKEN 3 and the game’s character customization. I have to say, TEKKEN 8 character customization leaves me a bit dissatisfied as the available wardrobe and options are quite limited in comparison to previous games. Despite that, though, people took the saying “limitation only breeds creativity” to heart as people were still able to make stunning customizations but really it wouldn't hurt to have more options. Furthermore, there are also the character episodes where we’re presented with different what-if scenarios, though some are canon.

For a modern game to include multiple modes that you may enjoy offline or solo, it is quite a surprise, considering most modern fighting games only include 2 offline modes, story and versus, and online versus for the most part. I mean, we’ve received more in the earlier days of video gaming but hey, I’ll take what I can and it’s already more than most nowadays. I can’t say it’s cheap though since it’s quite expensive.


TEKKEN 8 launched with $69.99, $99.99, and $109.99 price tags for Standard, Deluxe, and Ultimate editions and for a general consumer, that’s a little bit too much—but if you’re a fan, like I am, does the price really matter that much? It’s worth it, just for the story’s conclusion alone. On the flip side, like Capcom, Bandai Namco are very generous with sales and I’m sure we’ll be able to see the game on sale in a few months.

Overall, as a fan, the game is definitely a must-get. For those wanting to get into TEKKEN, this is the game to start with. There’s also the History section in the gallery if you want to be caught up to speed with the story before you start TEKKEN 8’s. There’s so much to unload with this game, from the story to its gameplay, and I’m enjoying and savoring every moment.

If I have any problems with the game, it’s that it could be optimized better for PC.

TEKKEN 8 directly follows the ending of TEKKEN 7 where Kazuya Mishima successfully removes the existence of Heihachi Mishima leaving everything to Jin Kazama to confront and end the years-long family feud between the Mishimas. The game’s story concluded the Mishima Family saga very well and very well thought-out as well, and honestly, my only problem with the story is that it’s severely too fast-paced for my liking. I get it, a story mode isn’t really the focus of a fighting game, but hey, this game is concluding a 30-year story. Though, at the very least, TEKKEN 8’s story mode is better than most fighting games’ story, story delivery, and execution, and was a huge improvement to TEKKEN 7’s story mode… one with a very boring 3rd-person journalist who isn’t even relevant to the story. I’d also like to say that the developers and the TEKKEN TEAM did an awesome job is hiding intricate details, along with musical callbacks throughout the franchise, which will cause surprises when you’ve actually played the story. Even I was not prepared when I saw the changes from the trailer to the final game and it gave off a totally different vibe. It was a beautiful experience. Directors of modern media should follow this, and not show almost everything in a trailer that you don’t even have to watch a film to know what happens. The Heat System changes a lot of animation and frames of a lot of useful moves and tools of characters which allows them to just trap opponents in the block string—a condition where you are forced to just block your opponent’s attacks, consecutively. There’s also the Special Style which allows newer, or non-fighting game, players to enjoy the game with button mashing to assist the players in doing combos. In addition to this, I also like the fact that this is the most beginner-friendly game in the franchise, aside from having the Special Style. See, TEKKEN, in any of its iterations, heavily favors those who played the previous games since your fundamentals are: (1) relies on legacy experience, (2) highly different from any other games. I say this because they included another single-player mode in the game; Arcade Quest. This mode has a story of its own, but is YOUR story. Throughout the story, you are taught the basics of the game up to the more advanced techniques and mechanics available in TEKKEN 8. It definitely is a welcomed addition to the game. Although, I’d say ArcSystemWorks does a better job at this, making it brief and concise, in comparison to the Arcade Quest which may take up a few hours which may lead to a newer player bored… but it really does its job in holding your hand and making sure you learn properly before you can proceed.. so, pros and cons, I guess. There is also the return of TEKKEN BALL which is a fan favorite from TEKKEN 3 and the game’s character customization. I have to say, TEKKEN 8 character customization leaves me a bit dissatisfied as the available wardrobe and options are quite limited in comparison to previous games. Despite that, though, people took the saying “limitation only breeds creativity” to heart as people were still able to make stunning customizations but really it wouldn't hurt to have more options. Furthermore, there are also the character episodes where we’re presented with different what-if scenarios, though some are canon. For a modern game to include multiple modes that you may enjoy offline or solo, it is quite a surprise, considering most modern fighting games only include 2 offline modes, story and versus, and online versus for the most part. I mean, we’ve received more in the earlier days of video gaming but hey, I’ll take what I can and it’s already more than most nowadays. I can’t say it’s cheap though since it’s quite expensive. TEKKEN 8 launched with $69.99, $99.99, and $109.99 price tags for Standard, Deluxe, and Ultimate editions and for a general consumer, that’s a little bit too much—but if you’re a fan, like I am, does the price really matter that much? It’s worth it, just for the story’s conclusion alone. On the flip side, like Capcom, Bandai Namco are very generous with sales and I’m sure we’ll be able to see the game on sale in a few months. Overall, as a fan, the game is definitely a must-get. For those wanting to get into TEKKEN, this is the game to start with. There’s also the History section in the gallery if you want to be caught up to speed with the story before you start TEKKEN 8’s. There’s so much to unload with this game, from the story to its gameplay, and I’m enjoying and savoring every moment. If I have any problems with the game, it’s that it could be optimized better for PC.