I Finally Stopped Ignoring ‘Tekken 8’, and Now I Understand the Hype

I’ve been a fan of fighting games for as long as I can remember. But, like any insufferable purist out there, I’ve stuck solely to 2D fighters. MvC2, 3rd Strike, Guilty Gear Strive, Granblue Fantasy Versus, Street Fighter 6 – you name it, that’s my jam. I guess they call them “2.5D” fighters now, but whatever, you get the gist. When I finally decided to check out Tekken 8, on the cusp of launching Season 2 during its Spring Update, I reluctantly bit. Am I even going to like this game? Will it be a massive culture shock after years of two-dimensional bouts? Is it really as good as everyone says? Yes, definitely yes, and a resounding hell yeah.

‘Tekken 8’ is a shock to my system, and I have no idea what’s going on

After starting Tekken 8 for the first time, I would head straight into Practice mode, naturally. It was there, I figured, that I’d learn the basics of Tekken, the ins and outs of its mechanics, and how to do combos. Ah, combo challenges! Now that’s what I’m talking about.

This was a mistake! While I managed to clear a few characters’ combo challenges, I struggled to figure out what some of the input symbols even meant. Why is that arrow white, and the next black? What the hell does that star symbol mean? Heat mode? Special Style? “While Rising?!” Turns out, while Tekken 8‘s moves may look simplistic on the surface, this game has enough depth to rival the Mariana Trench. And that’s before even taking the additional axis on the plane into account.

the school of hard knocks

Take the universal states, for instance, which have your fighter responding to inputs based on the “stance” they’re currently in. Throw out a left punch while standing, and they’ll do one thing. Throw out the same punch during their rising animation from a crouch, and that’s a different move. During a dash? Another move. Immediately after dashing? Yup, another move. And every one of Tekken 8‘s characters, currently totaling 37 at this time, behaves and fights distinctly from one another. Suddenly, the 200+ techniques on a character’s move list start making more sense.

Okay, cool, I get it. Memorize a few bread-and-butter combos and freestyle the rest. I know the fundamentals of fighting games well enough already – frame data, neutral game, all that jazz – I think I’ve got this. I queue up for my first player match, the first real match of Tekken I’ve played since Tekken 3 on PS1. Let’s just skip the fluff – I got my ass handed to me, swiftly.

from local arcades to the big stage

Maybe I’m not ready to fight real humans just yet. I head back to the main menu and peep around the ‘Offline’ section. Luckily, I landed on ‘Arcade Quest,’ an offline story mode that tells the story of your custom avatar as they rise from hometown arcade hero to Tekken legend. It’s sort of like Tekken‘s charming swing at ‘World Tour’ mode from Street Fighter 6. But, best of all, it’s where the game teaches you the basics of how to play, the meat and potatoes of its unique systems, and what it all means.

Hell yeah, now this is exactly what I’m looking for. It’s a bit concealed, being Tekken‘s intended first stop for newbies like me. But it works wonders to introduce the breads and butters in an easily digestible, step-by-step process. Now, I’m starting to really get it.

After some time in Arcade Quest, I start familiarizing myself with Tekken 8‘s main menu. There are tons of options here, more offline and online game modes to count, and, wait – character customization? Surely, they’re talking about my Arcade Quest avatar. They wouldn’t actually let me…

‘Tekken 8’ lets you be your most expressive self

..Oh. Oh, wow. Capcom, are you paying attention? Because while Street Fighter 6 has tons of silly props and funny hats to earn and equip on your avatar while sitting in its Battle Hub waiting room? Tekken 8 takes it a few steps forward, allowing you to fully customize its 37 characters however you want. I can put funny glasses on Clive Rosfield, turn his hair pink, and strip him down into a leopard print Speedo. Are you kidding me?

And it gets even deeper than that. Elements of my UI, like how my health bar looks, banners, titles, my player card – it’s all customizable. Tekken 8 is all about expression, both in how you throw punches and how you present yourself. There’s no wrong way to play – a sentiment commonly echoed through the Arcade Quest story – there’s only your way to play.

After only a few hours in, it’s abundantly clear that I’m only poking the tip of the Tekken 8 iceberg. And, as overwhelming as it is to switch from the quarter circles I’m used to and into Tekken‘s unique fighting style, I’m pumped to keep diving deeper. I’d always written off 3D fighters in the past. “They’re not as complex. They’re too slow and clunky.” But now? A 2024 Best Fighting Game award suddenly makes a lot more sense.