This weekend there will be a closed online test of this already traditional fighting game series. Tekken is undoubtedly one of the main fighting games and, along with Street Fighter, Mortal Kombat and Super Smash Bros, is the most popular among gamers. In this test, Bandai Namco offered all sixteen characters, multiple battle arenas, and a single-player game mode. This is a ranked multiplayer game, and as such this entire test is played against other players, with no learning opportunities against the AI. Luckily, while you’re waiting for an opponent, you have time to practice against a stationary target. Through the online test, the creators make it clear that they still plan to push Tekken towards the competitive and tournament play that worked so well in previous installments.
The gameplay itself in Tekken 8 has remained true to the past. Each limb of your chosen fighter is controlled by one of the four buttons on the controller, while the top buttons and triggers are used to trigger special functions. There are two of them – for veterans, the old familiar Rage, which you start by pressing R2 when you have a few last HP left. The latter, in addition to strengthening the fighter, adds access to an extremely powerful attack.
The second is the so-called Heat state after pressing R1 (however, it can also be activated with specific attacks), which can be used at any time, but only once per turn. Lasts ten seconds, the remaining time counter is clearly visible under the HP, and with each attack you extend it a little. In the Heat state, it is worth being more aggressive, since every attack (even blocked ones) deals at least minimal damage, and some attacks and combos are modified. The fighter also gains access to melee moves and a strike attack that will remove the character’s thermal status, but in exchange for massive damage. The healing system from the Tekken Tag Tournament games also returns to the game, where, with successful attacks, you can return a certain amount of lost HP. As such, Tekken 8 is really pushing players towards a more aggressive play style, and it’s not worth playing as defensively as before.
For absolute beginners, there’s a newly added Special Control style where you can launch entire combinations of attacks at the touch of a button, and instead of a long learning curve of individual moves and their connections, Tekken turns into an action-packed ride that every action game lover can enjoy. This is definitely an interesting way to attract newcomers to the genre.
Technically, I have an excellent impression of the game. The music is punchy and doesn’t offend anything in terms of sound. However, Unreal Engine 5 shows its strengths, and watching what happens on the screen is a real pleasure. UE5 is really used here as the game is full of special effects and especially Rage and Heat attacks look like they have escaped from Street Fighter or Ultimate Marvel vs Capcom games. I didn’t run into any bugs or connectivity issues during testing, and with all sixteen of the announced fighters available, I’d say the game is at least at an advanced stage of development, if not close to completion.
Despite the thinned list of characters, in my opinion, the future of Tekken 8 is clearly bright, and due to the focus on an aggressive style of play, the gameplay will be interesting for both beginners and advanced players and professionals, as well as observers who just like to watch fights.
Tekken 8 doesn’t have a release date yet, but it’s coming to PS5, Xbox Series X/S, and PC and will (which is also possible in this test, by the way) support cross-platform play.
Source :Indian TV
