Tekken 8 Is Going Big on Story… Twice

The Tekken team care a lot about their series’ story, proudly telling visitors to a recent hands-on preview that it holds the world record for the longest-running single story in video games. Beginning almost 30 years ago, the saga of the Mishima clan and the King of Iron Fist Tournament has taken many twists and turns (dropping family members into a volcano has never been more dramatic), and Tekken 8 promises the boldest, most cinematic version yet.

But Tekken 8 has a secret – it effectively contains two story modes this time, on very different subjects.

As you’d expect, the core new Story mode continues the tale of Jin Kazama and Kazuya Mishima, father and son rivals, each with literally devilish powers, and the creation of a new King of Iron Fist Tournament. And don’t worry, if you aren’t up to speed on how we got here (and there’s a lot to catch up on), you can watch digests of every story in the mainline Tekken games before you head in.

It’s clear that Bandai Namco are going all-in on Story this time around – this mode is more cinematic than ever before, with cutscenes weaving fights together seamlessly. And it wastes no time in getting up to speed – the story begins with Jin riding a motorcycle up a skyscraper, before throwing it at the helicopter Kazuya is riding.

Subtlety is not on the agenda for Tekken 8 and that’s no bad thing – in just four chapters, I took lead character Jin from a multi-stage battle against Kazuya (transforming into Devil Jin along the way), saw Kazuya shoot the world’s satellites out of the sky, and set up a tournament to decide not just who’s the strongest fighter, but which nations get to survive his superpowered onslaught. It’s gratifyingly over-the-top, and has a lot of fun with introducing characters old and new to spar with Jin along the way.

What surprised me more is that Tekken 8 effectively contains a whole other story mode in the form of Arcade Quest. This new mode is part-tutorial, part-story, and part challenge gauntlet, asking you to create a chibi-like avatar, and take them through a hyper-stylized take on the world of Tekken 8’s arcade scene. It’s a beautifully light-hearted affair, teaming you up with a group of would-be Tekken champions, fighting their way through increasingly tough opponents to the top of the game – and it also acts a paean to the shrinking arcade industry, recalling halcyon days hunched over coin-op machines.

It’s a perfect mode for newcomers to the game, offering useful tutorials on the game’s basic systems, its new Heat system (which offers one-per-round special attacks to create more aggressive battles), character customization, and more. It also introduces the new Super Ghost Battle mechanic, which sees an AI opponent learning your style of play across multiple modes, and offering fights that not only test your mettle, but could expose weaknesses in your game, helping you to improve organically through trial and error rather than pure guesswork.

As I say, it’s clear that the Tekken team care as much about their stories as their mechanics – which stay rooted in Tekken’s classic 3D fighter style, but make multiple changes to increase aggression and keep things spicy, from the new Heat system, to an increased focus on walls, destructibility and scene transitions. And for those who just want to immerse themselves in a story, the new Special Style Mode is the perfect assist. By tapping LB in any fight, your regular buttons become super-powered, performing combos and specials with much simpler inputs, and allowing you to see the best of your chosen character without having to become a master.

There’s much more I didn’t get to try in my time with the game – notably, including a mode that includes storylines for all 32 playable characters, offering even more story – but it’s already clear that Tekken 8 has many tales to tell.

Bandai Namco Entertainment America Inc.