I’ve been intoTekkenfor nearly enough my entire life. Tekken 3 was my first, defining my early conceptions of what a 3D fighting game could be. The wild variety of fighters and styles, the depth of its combat, and the simple awesomeness of it all ensured I was hooked forever.
This was followed into the PS2 era with Tekken 4 and Tekken Tag Tournament, but things really got interesting with Tekken 5 in 2004. It seemed like the next big step in the series, bearing influences that all the games that came after have taken to. As I was growing up, though, something became quite clear: I suck at Tekken.
For all the series’ natural appeal and its easy-going combat, with only four attack buttons to be aware of, Tekken has always been tough. I always felt it was too unpredictable, with characters able to do lots of different things with over 100 unique moves each, and learning combos with tight timing was never easy either. Button-smashing my way out of arcade mode was my way to go most of the time.
I started getting good at fighting games during the PlayStation 4/Xbox One generation. Learning what frame data is, how it works, and polishing my execution when it comes to commands. But trying to get into Tekken 7, years after its launch, still felt impossible. I couldn’t figure out where to start learning, apart from YouTube guides, and it was too late to fight against other players online: they were damn good already and I could barely touch them. It always felt like the game didn’t bother teaching me anything. Fortunately, this outlook has changed with Tekken 8.
The latest installment has everything you’d expect from a modern fighting game, and then some. If you’re new to the series or not-so-good like me, your first stop should be Arcade Quest.
In this mode, you create an avatar reminiscent of Nintendo’s Miis and start your journey from a complete rookie to a solid fighter. The structure is simple: your sensei Max will teach you only one thing from time to time, ask you to perform it against a passive CPU, then play against low-level CPU fighters in regular battles, advance in the story, and have another lesson once you know the ropes. What you learn can vary from using the game’s main systems, like Heat Mode, to how to use one combo when your opponent is in the air or one low attack your character can do. You’ll also understand what each symbol in the move list, such as the different types of arrows or the stars mean.
This is all very barebones stuff, and learning only one short combo or simple move every five or six battles can be weird at first, but this is actually genius. There are many ways in which you can learn a fighting game, but trying to memorize long combos and avoiding learning the fundamentals is hardly one of them. Instead, if you learn that two buttons and a direction can do something useful, and you are taught to do that for the next few battles so you can start integrating it in an almost natural way, you’re slowly (but steadily) beginning to truly learn.
Arcade Quest doesn’t last for too long — around five or six hours — and it doesn’t offer you much else than fighting other CPU players likeStreet Fighter 6’sWorld Tour. This other mode was full of minigames and side activities in a hilarious world that kept teaching you new stuff in multiple ways along with a compellingly oddball narrative. However, Arcade Quest is a step forward in a series that has never been too kind to the newcomer. The nice part of Tekken 8 though is that this isn’t where the approachability focus ends.
The easy input mode makes its return, and by pressing a button you will open a menu that lets you perform some sick moves with only a few inputs. Practice mode is more complete than ever, with dozens of settings that you can adjust to create the situations you want to practice. It also brings eleven combo challenges for each character, letting you learn some easy tools to start discovering what’s the deal with your favourite characters.
As you keep playing the game, a ghost character will start learning your patterns and be available for battles whenever you want. It’s like playing a mirror match, and one in which your shadow keeps improving as you do. It’s a great tool to see what you’re doing wrong, when you’re too predictable, and what could be better.
There’s one other thing making its debut in Tekken 8: an in-depth Replay system. Here you can watch your matches against real players and the CPU, with the fantastic addition of being able to receive tips in different sections and take control of any of the two characters at any point to see what could have been different.
Did you miss that punish? Let’s try another move. Why did that combo fail? Was it your timing? Try it again to see if it connects. The options here sound ridiculous, and it will all come down to how much time you want to dedicate to the game. But if you want to get good, there has never been a better time in the series than with Tekken 8.
