Video games are made up of great rivalries: Mario against Sonic, FIFA against PES, Call of Duty against Battlefield. The world of fighting games, even if it is less saturated than in the 1990s, is no exception. And Tekken 8available this Friday, intends to win the match between him and Street Fighter 6released in June 2023 (and to a lesser extent, Mortal Kombat 1, released in September 2023). Nine years after the previous game and for the thirty years of the saga, Tekken has been full of updates. This episode does everything in its power to be accessible to the newcomer.
Round 1: solo
We’re not going to lie, the scenario is not the heart of a fighting game. However, here, the story mode allows you to hang up the wagons of the improbable plot of this universe (a dark family story over four generations, all possessed by demons), thanks to numerous cutscenes.
Another single-player mode, called “Arcade Story”, allows the player to embody an avatar who launches into the Tekken World Tournament, the official tournament of Tekken in real life. In this way, the game provides some tutorials on basic controls, but also on the best way to defend yourself, perform holds or initiate the series’ signature aerial combos. Subject to a minimum of dexterity, any beginner can learn the first reflexes of versus fighting games. The whole thing is reminiscent of the “World Tour” of Street Fighter 6where we also played a customizable avatar who learned the styles of the different characters in the series.
Round 2: the fights
In combat, pressing the trigger allows you to switch between a classic control mode and a “special” mode. In this one, the keys correspond to combos or combinations of buttons. No more quarter circles with the joystick or complicated button combinations. Here again, we think of the change in style between “Classic”, “Modern” and “Dynamic” of the last Street Fighterwhich allowed anyone to pull off complicated shots at the press of a single button.
Last element, the game is made to promote aggression and hand-to-hand combat. A “Heat” system allows the character to deliver a powerful blow that prolongs their fights, increases their damage and unlocks access to a special move [dévastateur]. ” In Tekken 7we saw people doing little right-left movements to keep the adversary at bay,” analyzes Marie-Laure Norindr, alias “Kayané”.
Quite a fan of Soul Caliburyet another fighting game series, the professional player has participated in competitions on many fighting games, including Street Fighter And Tekken 7. “The Heat helps energize the fights,” she continues. There’s no longer as much need to focus on positioning, and new players are freer to focus on offense. »
Final round: esteem
If the franchise Street Fighter is perhaps a little more known to the public, that’s good Tekken who leads the game in terms of sales. In four years, Tekken 7 had sold 7 million copies, or 1.8 million more than Street Fighter V over a similar period (between its release in 2016 and 2020).
Franchise Tekken embodies the end of the 1990s and the 2000s. “This game has always had an important place for me,” says Kayané for example. My two older brothers were champions of Tekken, and they trained me so I could beat their friends. »
The series has managed to build a player base. ” The community Tekken is nice and above all, there is crazy storytelling, says the pro player. They are often very young players. There are also professional players like Arslan Ash, originally from Pakistan, who have had their lives changed thanks to Tekken. » She adds: “I also think that there is a younger side: the game is in 3D, with graphics that are a little more realistic and less stylized than Street Fighter. Other fighting games have more difficulty renewing their audience. »
Summary: Tekken 8 has a lot of common DNA with other fighting games of its era, so it’s hard to share them. “ Tekkenit is the best of Street Fighter and of Mortal Kombat », Summarizes Kayané. What is certain is that behind appearances, the game does a lot to be accessible to everyone while renewing its own formula a little. Enough to put a coin back in the arcade machine, while waiting to see how its e-sport scene will organize itself.