Tekken 8 is taking its sweet time in delivering regular updates leading up to its launch. After almost a decade of waiting, we’re suddenly having our daily fill of news on the game’s development, and things couldn’t be sweeter. We had the privilege of sitting down to chat with Project Producer Michael Murray, who gave us even more reasons to get hyped for Tekken 8’s new features
When it comes aggression, brutality, and the longest story in video game history, you’d be hard-pressed to find a fighting game that checks all the boxes. Tekken 8 comes out swinging with new features to bring out the best in newcomers and grizzled veterans alike.
It’s never easy to find ways to give everyone a level playing field–especially when it comes to long-running fighting games like Tekken. There’s a certain, understandable reluctance when it comes to “getting your ass handed to you.” This is where Tekken 8’s Special Styles come in.
Murray stresses that this won’t make you a pro FGC player, but it will definitely make your learning experience way more fun. Having the ability to perform flashy, destructive moves more easily, and being able to switch back to conventional combo prompts on the fly is definitely an enticing new feature.
Making a comeback from Tekken 7, My Replay and Tips works perfectly as a learner’s tool. The hassle of looking up guides online after every match can really drain any motivation you’d have for engaging in a beatdown. Being able to rewatch a match and having your mistakes pointed out and corrected is the best way to master your first main fighter.
Working in conjunction with both Special Styles and My Replay and Tips is the brand new Ghost Data feature. This allows you to create your own “Ghost” that’s equipped with all the data from your previous matches–essentially becoming a mirror of yourself that won’t be pulling any punches.
Murray shares a story where he and Tekken 8 Executive Producer Katsuhiro Harada pitted their Ghosts against each other, with the former winning. In turn, Harada felt motivated to beef up his own Ghost, and ended up playing even more matches. Like a badass, of course.
These are just a few new features to look forward to. Aside from the exciting Arcade Quest, a returning Tekken Ball minigame, and a revamped customization suite, we still have a few pending characters to round out our 32.
When we asked Murray if Forest Law will be making a comeback, he politely smiled and told us to just wait and see.