A Toast to the Fallen: Finding a New Main in Tekken 8

For the time being, Tekken 7 is a dead game. As a game that received support for a whopping six years, 7 had its ups-and-downs, and ultimately went out on a slightly sour note for many longtime, dedicated players; to be frank, it was not a particularly balanced game, and inclusions of characters such as Akuma (yes, that Akuma) and Geese Howard (yes, that Geese Howard) complicated the game’s identity. When the game’s two arguable champions emerged from entirely different franchises, Tekken 7 seemed quite literally pummeled into the ground. It’s just not a system that supports Hadokens! 

That said, Tekken 7 undeniably introduced features that fundamentally changed 3D fighters as a whole—gameplay additions that feel sorely missing when revisiting older entries. Rage Arts, Power Crushes, and Screws mix-up the pace of matches by making them feel inherently less one-sided and combo dependent, allowing characters less reliant on strings, like the okizeme beast Xiaoyu or Wall God Claudio, to shine and steal back turns from the game’s typical powerhouses. 

Many of those mechanics are carried over into Tekken 8, albeit tweaked (Screws have been replaced with Tornado). Right out the box, though, 8 comes packaged with perhaps the most revolutionary introduction in the franchise’s history: chip damage. The new Heat system gives the game an entirely unique feel, emphasizing forward movement, oppressive pressure, and clever cancels. 8 feels weighty, visceral, and quick while also being more forgiving with inputs and hitboxes. Pulling off a combo into a Heat Engager into a dash and a free mixup feels incredibly cool and shockingly easy to execute. 

Unfortunately, though, Tekken 8 has one glaring issue. It doesn’t have Kunimitsu. The scourge of 7’s final season, Tekken’s teen ninja had the most complete kit and fluid gameplay I had personally encountered in any fighting game, which alone sealed my love for 7. I’d fallen off fighting games after high school, and only just began dipping my toes in about a year ago, well after the heyday of 7; in other words, my time with Kunimitsu was precious and short. I’m not alone in my sorrow, though—at launch, 8 has a little over half of the roster 7 was sitting at by the end of its fourth season. Series mainstays like Lei, Julia, and Anna currently lie in limbo. A moment of silence, please, for the now mainless souls entering Tekken 8 like newborns, eager to find someone who clicks in just the same way but terrified no one is up to the challenge.

Lucky enough, 8 feels so satisfying to play that just about any character is fun, at least offline or at low-level play. I went in more open-minded than I typically would, and spent about a week trying out nearly every character available, sans a few I knew deep down weren’t the one (sorry to the bears). And so, please follow along for my winding path towards my new main, along with some thoughts on those that almost made the cut.

Victor Chevalier

Victor immediately stuck out to me for obvious reasons—he fights with a katana, knives, and a gun. I gleaned from the preview that he might be the closest thing to Kunimitsu I would get in Tekken 8, and I wasn’t exactly wrong. He’s got a little more going on than a clone, though. Victor has shades of Kunimitsu along with the forward momentum of Noctis and the parry game of Raven. He’s also probably a reference to Le Samouraï, which is pretty sick. Everyone loves a gentleman weeb. Victor was a strong contender for my affection, especially in the demo where he was one of six available fighters. Victor’s reach is incredibly appealing and his projectile (i.e. shooting you point blank with a glock) not only moves you forward but puts you in his iai stance, which allows for great follow-ups with his katana. I wasn’t going to just go with the first character that stood out to me, however! If you’re available, though, Victor, I’d love to have a cup of tea on the Seine sometime.

Reina

This girl is not for the light of heart. The “replacement” for Heihachi, Reina has an incredibly deep kit full of stances, incredible punishers, and some of the best Heat gameplay in the game, but if you want to rise above low-level, you should expect to put in some work to truly master her crazy mix-ups. If you’re playing against your friends, though, she’s incredibly annoying and can cheese the hell out of anyone who has no idea how to approach her. She’s oppressive! Her combos feel incredibly good to pull off, but I don’t have that kind of time to dedicate to her. I have a job, Reina, do you have one? “Reclaim the Zaibatsu” sounds like code for “unemployed.”

Alisa Bosconovitch

I will always have a soft spot for Alisa. I played an incredible amount of Tekken 6 in high school and, being a (normal) high schooler, I had no clue how to play a fighting game in the proper way. So dashing around the arena with chainsaws was more than enough for me. The Heat system certainly feels like it’s coming for Alisa’s schtick in a way, but nevertheless she’s a load of fun to pick up and play. I wish they would give her a decent looking costume, though; her color palette verges on nauseating.