Tekken 8 (PS5) Review

The fight continues on.

 

 Easily one of the few games I'm excited for this year, Tekken 8 marks the long-running fighting series' debut on current-gen systems. The Mishima family return and this time, they must battle each other (again) in one of gaming's most nonsensical stories ever. I've been super hyped ever since the first trailer as I loved Tekken as a kid and I couldn't wait to see what the series has in store next. So, did Tekken 8 managed to meet my expectations? 

 Following the events of Tekken 7, Kazuya Mishima plunges the world into chaos and offers its countries the chance to participate in his "King of Iron Fist Tournament" to be spared. Hero Jin Kazama awakes from his slumber from the previous game and now must tame his devil powers to stand a chance at fighting his father. Joining him are a colorful cast of characters, both new and old, in an attempt to elevate his powers. The storyline was good as it packed many great fights and cool spectacles. 

The story was engaging, although it's more over-the-top than ever.

 Each character have their own individual stories that consist of a series of fights with an ending that ranges from serious to funny as you get to know their personalities. Lastly, there's another--albeit underwhelming-- story mode called "Arcade Quest" where you create your avatar and jump between arcades to become the best Tekken player ever. It was shallow and ultimately served as a glorified tutorial mode for beginners.

 Tekken 8 is a fighting game where you fight opponents 1v1 style to ultimately beat them. Each button corresponds with a character's limb, so you have two for punching and two for kicking. You can freely move in levels, with you side-stepping, dashing, and rolling. New to the game is the "Heat" system that will briefly buff your character as they can access more powerful attacks in addition to Heat attack and dodge. The former is a stylish attack while latter is a dash that extends your combo. You can only use Heat mode once per round, so you'll need to use it wisely.

The gameplay's more faster-paced and aggressive than ever.

 Blocking certain attacks will now chip away at your health, however, you can recover it back by successfully hitting back. As such, the game rewards an aggressive and fast-paced playstyle as you'll constantly need to be on the offensive, which I ended up enjoying. Returning from Tekken 7 are "Rage Arts", which are special moves that can be triggered when your character's health is near zero and starts glowing red. "Power Crushes" make a return, as you can attack opponents without them interrupting your attacks.

 The roster features a total of 32 characters ranging from series mainstays like Jin, Kazyua, and Nina to new faces like the playful Reina and serious commander Victor, so you're bound to find someone you like. Most take from real-life fighting styles like taekwondo and karate, which was to cool to see. Nina, Lilli, and Lars were my usual mains, but I also gave Jin and Victor a try. The level selection was nice, offering 16 stages. Some had gimmicks like destructible walls or explosive hazards when that will damage characters when knocked onto them. My faves were the cruise ship, arena, palace, and downtown stages.

The Heat and Rage Art systems were a lot of fun.

 Like any good fighting game, Tekken 8 has some game modes to keep you occupied. You have the standard Arcade, Versus, and Practice modes and there's even a volleyball mode dubbed "Tekken Ball", where you select a character and play volley using their standard moves-- it was oddly amusing. Practice mode is very in-depth now, covering all the details that beginners need to know. Online mode was great as you have ranked, quick, or group matches to choose from and playing against other players was way more exciting. My matches were smooth with no issues with lag or disconnects.  

 Sadly, there are shortcomings. There's no Survival, Time Attack, and Treasure Battle modes, which was disappointing. The game's "Super Ghost Battle" mode replaces the latter where you fight tough AI opponents for accessories was fun, though the customization is lacking here. The accessory selection is paltry as there's few amounts of clothes, hairstyles, costumes, and accessories compared to past games. Moreover, I would've liked to see Tekken Bowl back alongside volleyball. 

 

From online to local play, Tekken 8 will surely entertain.

 

 Tekken 8 is a complete visual upgrade compared to Tekken 7. It's the most impressive fighting game I've played with expressive character models, stunning visual effects, detailed level designs, and amazing CG cutscenes (Lars even looks like his old self now!). It also ran well on PS5 at 60fps with no instances of slow-downs. The voicework is a salad of languages as characters speak their own native ones, but the performances were good. The soundtrack was awesome, packing lots of tracks that complement the tense action. My faves were "Liberation", "The Decisive Blow (Normal)", "Hangar Rules (Climax)", "Twilight Party Cruise (Climax)", and "Storm Rising (Normal)". 

The presentation is hands-down fantastic. 

 Tekken 8 was an amazing time that instantly met my expectations. While more game modes and deeper customization would've been excellent, the game still felt like a complete package overall. The gameplay was engaging, visuals were stunning, and online was robust. Whether you're a newcomer or veteran, the game's welcoming for everyone and it's one that I'll be playing for a long time.