Tekken 8 tells its story through stunning visuals and over the top drama

Some fans might not know this, but the Tekken series holds the world record for longest-running video game storyline. The storytelling method can shift slightly with every game, with Tekken 8’s story feeling like it’s been crafted by a director who wanted to blend the gravitas of Final Fantasy with an arcade beat-em-up.

During a preview event hosted by Bandai Namco earlier this month, I played a near-final build of T8 and experienced part of the game’s offline offerings. That included playing through the first four chapters of the story, which set the stage for the next chapter of the Mishima Family drama. 

As soon as the story begins, you are tossed in with Jin Kazama driving up the side of a skyscraper and launching his motorcycle into a helicopter that Kazuya isi n. The ensuing explosion does little to hamper his father, leading to the first clash and showcasing what both fighters are capable of with and without their Devil powers. Not only does this kick things off with instant action, but it also establishes part of the dramatic tone that will lend itself to the battles and exposition between Tekken 8’s key moments. 

Seamless transitions highlight Tekken 8’s stunning visuals

That initial cutscene, the voice acting, and the near-instantaneous cut from cinematic into actual gameplay sold me instantly on how Bandai was tackling the campaign. Intersplicing dialogue detailing how this game will portray Jin’s attempts to take down Kazuya, while dropping some details to catch potential newcomers up with the basics between “rounds” is a great way to keep things moving without detracting from the combat. 

You go right from grabbing Kazuya’s face and demolishing several buildings after a Devil power-up to getting a monologue about his next scheme to change the course of history while learning the basic controls. Meanwhile, Jin goes full Metroid and loses his special abilities while the good guys work on their counterplay. The only thing missing was a fight against a giant Devil, but I’m not entirely convinced this RPG-ass plot won’t eventually go FF16-style with another Azazel situation—just scaled up to the capabilities of current-gen consoles. 

In non-Tekken or RPG speak, the game feels great, the cutscenes look crisp, the transition between the two is nearly seamless, and T8’s story retains all the serious yet corny elements the series is known for. I mean, how could you not keep every character speaking their native language and yet clearly understanding everyone else? It is part of the charm and is only amplified by the absurdity of what is happening around them—meaning Tekken has always been this wild. 

Tekken has the soul of a JRPG in the body of a fighter

For anyone wondering how the story presentation compares to Mortal Kombat 1 and Street Fighter 6, it is closer to MK1 since it doesn’t opt for any open-world segments or interactions. It is a highly cinematic experience that introduces key characters and plot elements through a mix of combat and exposition. Though it feels like Tekken puts a bigger emphasis on the action. The only downside I experienced in my preview, compared to MK1, is that you only play as Jin. While talking with other players at the event, that was a common shortcoming that was mentioned. 

The portion we played only followed Jin and tangentially showed other characters like Paul and Law competing in Kazuya’s qualifiers for the King of the Iron Fist tournament, with no context or time to learn about how they have changed since T7. You don’t gain an attachment to them like NetherRealm Studios did with MK1, which started you off by playing as Earthrealm’s defenders and building up some chemistry between a group of four characters immediately. I hope that changes the further you get, and you spend significant time as Jin with a few key fighters, but it feels like T8 will cater more to bombastic battles and jump around to make sure everyone on the roster shows up before the eventual ending. 

All in all, Tekken 8 feels and looks like a true evolution of the franchise—at least from what I played in the preview. It will still have flaws with story presentation, but if you are looking for something to pay loose attention to while you play through intense fights that jump between high-level martial arts and RPG nonsense, you will have a great time with it. And I can’t wait to see where the Mashima storyline is left after this iteration before diving into the depths of online play.