4Gamers – Hands On Preview | Tekken 8 chooses to attack

We’ve already been able to play Tekken 8. And we’re so glad we did. This weekend, a closed network test of Tekken 8 took place, which means we were actually able to play some online games in the fighter. Even though we got boxing almost every time – well, well… every time – we were really impressed with the next iteration in the popular fighting series.

You may have already forgotten, but Tekken 7 is now more than eight years old, so gradually the time has come for a new part of the series. The fact that Tekken 8 should be a huge step forward can be seen from the first second. Visually, the game looks great.

Bandai Namco has managed to completely preserve the typical atmosphere of the series and yet make everything look very modern. This means that the exaggerated Japanese frills are back and successful attacks are rewarded with some sort of mini explosions (we don’t quite explain that, but you get the idea).

On top of that comes the greatly improved visuals compared to Tekken 7, which, as said, is from 2015. All the characters look great and the arenas are designed perfectly. We can’t say much more than that, because of course we got a limited edition version of the game.

In terms of gameplay, Heat Burst and Rage are the most impressive. For Heat Burst you use a full bar at the start of the round. If you hold R1, Heat is activated and can deal more damage. If you press R1 again, you’ll perform a Heat Smash, which is another combo that deals a lot of damage.

The interesting thing about Heat Burst is that you can only use it once per round, so you have to find the right time to use it, because the bar will be completely empty before you know it and then it will be of no use to you. It also ensures that players play more aggressively, because once you activate a Heat Burst, you’re actually forced to go on the offensive.

In addition to R1, you also have a number of attacks that will activate Heat after you perform them, allowing you to activate them in the middle of a combo. Here too, attacking players are rewarded with a little more. So it’s not surprising that you restore some of your health bar when you start attacking.

Rage is your last resort and is activated when your health drops below a certain level. It’s not a new system in Tekken 8, as it was already there in Tekken 7, but it returns here too, and like a number of other elements, you get rewarded again as players if you play offensively. Even when your back is against the wall, Tekken 8 tries to force you to attack in a certain way.