Bandai Namco has unveiled a new 37-minute video introducing more gameplay details for the upcoming fighting game Tekken 8, the long-awaited new installment of the main saga for the iconic franchise, as well as a trailer revealing Nina Williams as an initially playable character.
The revealed gameplay video is presented by Katsuhiro Harada, executive director of the Tekken project, and Kohei Ikeda, the game’s director, and introduces the new mechanics that the game will feature such as the New Rage system, Recovery gauge, and Heat System, along with exciting in-game fighting footage.
On the other hand, the character introduction trailer of Nina Williams showcases the fighting style of the Irish silent assassin, who has appeared in all of the main installments of the saga, making use of powerful and exciting Koppōjutsu and Aikido moves in Tekken 8.
Alongside this reveal, Bandai Namco announced that a closed alpha test of Tekken 8 will be conducted in select locations across the world. The tests aim to gather feedback about the game’s combat and mechanics, which will be used to further refine the gameplay. The first will be taking place at EVO Japan 2023, with players looking to try it out required to register for the Tekken 7 tournament, along with applying at a special website that will be opened later this month.
Tekken 8 is currently in development for PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X|S, and PC via Steam.
▍Tekken 8 Gameplay Mechanics
Introduced in the revealed video, this Tekken 8 will feature new game mechanics, perfecting the gameplay of its predecessor with a more exciting experience and evolved visual expressions.
■ New Rage System
First introduced in Tekken 6, the rage system has been improved for this new installment, when the character’s life bar drops below a certain level it will automatically activate and the character’s attack power will increase, a red aura will appear as a visual indicator of the state, and as in Tekken 7 the “Rage Art” move of the character will be available.
■ Recovery Gauge
Similar to the red gauge featured in the Tekken Tag series, but without recovering over time, the redesigned Recovery Gauge in Tekken 8 recovers life from the characters by bonusing the player’s aggressive moves, retaining part of the damage dealt to the opponent or by blocking certain big moves or aerial combos.
The Recovery gauge does not disappear over time, however, the opponent can decrease it with certain attacks and combos.
■ Heat System
The main feature of the Heat System allows, for a certain period of time, the character to enter an awakened state, which lets players go on the offensive and turn the combat around. The Heat Bar can be activated once per round and will deplete in 10 seconds, but it can be prolonged by temporarily stopping it upon connecting blows to the opponent, even if they are blocking.
There are two ways to enter Heat mode: Heat Burst, which can be activated at any time with a single button as long as the heat timer is active, and Heat Engager, which are 5 per character each in their signature moves and will activate heat mode when successfully connected to the opponent.
Through the heat mode, the abilities of each fighter will also come to light as this state will increase the damage of their characteristic movements even more.
■ Controller Style
There are two control modes for this new installment: Arcade Style, which will present a traditional control style of the saga while allowing the player freedom to perform combos, and Special Style, which combines and improves the Easy Combos and Assisted modes from Tekken 7, featuring a gameplay style similar to action games, being special for casual fights.
