For the time being, Tekken 7 is a dead game. As a game that received support for a whopping six years, 7 had its ups-and-downs, and ultimately went out on a slightly sour note for many longtime, dedicated players; to be frank, it was not a particularly balanced game, and inclusions of characters such as Akuma (yes, that Akuma) and Geese Howard (yes, that Geese Howard) complicated the game’s identity. When the game’s two arguable champions emerged from entirely different franchises, Tekken 7 seemed quite literally pummeled into the ground. It’s just not a system that supports Hadokens!
That said, Tekken 7 undeniably introduced features that fundamentally changed 3D fighters as a whole—gameplay additions that feel sorely missing when revisiting older entries. Rage Arts, Power Crushes, and Screws mix-up the pace of matches by making them feel inherently less one-sided and combo dependent, allowing characters less reliant on strings, like the okizeme beast Xiaoyu or Wall God Claudio, to shine and steal back turns from the game’s typical powerhouses.
Many of those mechanics are carried over into Tekken 8, albeit tweaked (Screws have been replaced with Tornado). Right out the box, though, 8 comes packaged with perhaps the most revolutionary introduction in the franchise’s history: chip damage. The new Heat system gives the game an entirely unique feel, emphasizing forward movement, oppressive pressure, and clever cancels. 8 feels weighty, visceral, and quick while also being more forgiving with inputs and hitboxes. Pulling off a combo into a Heat Engager into a dash and a free mixup feels incredibly cool and shockingly easy to execute.
Unfortunately, though, Tekken 8 has one glaring issue. It doesn’t have Kunimitsu. The scourge of 7’s final season, Tekken’s teen ninja had the most complete kit and fluid gameplay I had personally encountered in any fighting game, which alone sealed my love for 7. I’d fallen off fighting games after high school, and only just began dipping my toes in about a year ago, well after the heyday of 7; in other words, my time with Kunimitsu was precious and short. I’m not alone in my sorrow, though—at launch, 8 has a little over half of the roster 7 was sitting at by the end of its fourth season. Series mainstays like Lei, Julia, and Anna currently lie in limbo. A moment of silence, please, for the now mainless souls entering Tekken 8 like newborns, eager to find someone who clicks in just the same way but terrified no one is up to the challenge.
Lucky enough, 8 feels so satisfying to play that just about any character is fun, at least offline or at low-level play. I went in more open-minded than I typically would, and spent about a week trying out nearly every character available, sans a few I knew deep down weren’t the one (sorry to the bears). And so, please follow along for my winding path towards my new main, along with some thoughts on those that almost made the cut.
Victor Chevalier
Victor immediately stuck out to me for obvious reasons—he fights with a katana, knives, and a gun. I gleaned from the preview that he might be the closest thing to Kunimitsu I would get in Tekken 8, and I wasn’t exactly wrong. He’s got a little more going on than a clone, though. Victor has shades of Kunimitsu along with the forward momentum of Noctis and the parry game of Raven. He’s also probably a reference to Le Samouraï, which is pretty sick. Everyone loves a gentleman weeb. Victor was a strong contender for my affection, especially in the demo where he was one of six available fighters. Victor’s reach is incredibly appealing and his projectile (i.e. shooting you point blank with a glock) not only moves you forward but puts you in his iai stance, which allows for great follow-ups with his katana. I wasn’t going to just go with the first character that stood out to me, however! If you’re available, though, Victor, I’d love to have a cup of tea on the Seine sometime.
Reina
This girl is not for the light of heart. The “replacement” for Heihachi, Reina has an incredibly deep kit full of stances, incredible punishers, and some of the best Heat gameplay in the game, but if you want to rise above low-level, you should expect to put in some work to truly master her crazy mix-ups. If you’re playing against your friends, though, she’s incredibly annoying and can cheese the hell out of anyone who has no idea how to approach her. She’s oppressive! Her combos feel incredibly good to pull off, but I don’t have that kind of time to dedicate to her. I have a job, Reina, do you have one? “Reclaim the Zaibatsu” sounds like code for “unemployed.”
Alisa Bosconovitch
I will always have a soft spot for Alisa. I played an incredible amount of Tekken 6 in high school and, being a (normal) high schooler, I had no clue how to play a fighting game in the proper way. So dashing around the arena with chainsaws was more than enough for me. The Heat system certainly feels like it’s coming for Alisa’s schtick in a way, but nevertheless she’s a load of fun to pick up and play. I wish they would give her a decent looking costume, though; her color palette verges on nauseating.
King
King has the distinct honor of being not only the first fighting game character I ever played but also the first videogame character I had a crush on. I guess technically that was King I and not King II. Nevertheless, King feels like home to me and while I will never be the type of person who can pull off a command grab chain that eats up more than half of the enemy’s health bar, I definitely come closer in Tekken 8 than I ever have before! Throws are massively more useful than ever thanks to their generous range in this game. Still, although I can see myself futzing around with King with friends, I don’t think I’m cut out to carry him high in the ranks.
Jun
Wow. Jun is pretty incredible. There’s no doubt in my mind that she’s going to emerge at the top in the early days of 8. She has just about everything a Tekken character needs to be good, and she isn’t too challenging to get a hang of. What really makes her unique is her many moves that do chip damage to not only her opponent but to herself, that, when in Heat state, instead heal her. She has two projectiles! I will absolutely be putting some time into Jun. What a return to the series!
Leo
I’ve never paid much attention to Leo because their gameplay always seemed a tad boring. Leo is the consummate all-arounder, easy to learn and solid in almost any situation, but they don’t have many flashy options compared to the rest of the cast. I had some luck online with Leo, which surprised me, so I put in some time with them to see if they clicked for me. Ultimately, not really! I find them a bit awkward and stiff to play. Love the detective costume though. Great stuff.
Xiaoyu
I don’t know what I was thinking. I’ll never understand this character.
Lili
We have finally arrived at our destinationI tried to resist, but Lili’s siren call is strong indeed… Outside of gameplay, Lili has been my favorite member of the Tekken cast since her introduction. Her characterization (like nearly everyone in the series) has gotten pretty wonky and lost over the years, but in her initial incarnation, she came across as foolhardy, intense, and maybe even a little crazy in a way I really loved. Dark Resurrection is also just one of the ultimate vibes games. There’s something really special about the stages, sound design, and music that exude cool in a way that games these days frankly aren’t able to. A while back my friend said the Poolside theme sounds like a Bladee beat.
Anyway, across the board, I love the added quirks and character beats introduced in Tekken 8. For a while now, Tekken has had a problem where most of its cast feels thrown to the wayside and pretty stale. I never come to a fighting game expecting a Pulitzer-worthy narrative, but it’s always sad when a game is stuffed with 50 characters with impeccable designs that seem to have absolutely nothing going on. I mean, where’s the interiority? All they had to do was give Lili a cat and now everyone’s obsessed with her!
Lili feels mostly unchanged from her previous iterations, but many of 8’s core mechanics and tweaks work in her favor beautifully. Lili’s wings have often been clipped because of her notoriously bad tracking, meaning at high-level play you have to play her quite restrained. In 8 you can go all out! Tracking is improved across the board! She has some incredible mix-ups from Heat Dash, and she’s a monster on breakable stages. Her huge sidestep feels actually useful in 8. Outside of Azucena, I’d argue she’s the most successful evasive character in the game at the moment. It might just be the psychic bond I’ve forged with Lili over the years, but I find her combos extremely easy to remember and beautifully chainable. Her gameplay style is one of the most expressive—rhythmic, heavy, and uninhibited. Also can I just say I’m so glad they fixed her bangs so she has a true hime cut again? Lili is so awesome.
Conclusion
In truth, I’m a fighting game rube, but it’s plain to see the past two years have been the best years for fighting games since the heyday of arcades. Street Fighter 6 is a true achievement and a benchmark for the future of the genre, while Guilty Gear Strive, King of Fighters XV, Melty Blood: Type Lumina and several others that aren’t named Mortal Kombat 1 have taken up the rear as a solid vanguard. Like Street Fighter 6, Tekken 8 feels truly joyous, a victory lap for a titan series that’s brazen enough to say, “What if fighting games were more aggressive?” For now, I’ll gladly heel stomp my way to victory with my favorite oil baroness until a certain kunoichi shows up again.
Austin Jones is a writer with eclectic media interests. You can chat with him about horror games, electronic music, Joanna Newsom and ‘80s-‘90s anime on Twitter @belfryfire
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