Summary
With the release ofTekken 8, many fans and newcomers will be stepping into the most popular 3D fighting game series once again. Since its arcade release in 2015,Tekken 7has been building steam for almost a decade, becoming the highest sellingTekkengame with over 10 million sales by the end of its run. Following that kind of success will be tough, but with multiple betas, a public demo, and an impressive launch roster and selection of modes,Tekken 8intends to try.
The aforementioned roster deserves notice, asTekken 8’s cast of 32 fighters is higher than expected for a new 1-on-1 fighting game installment with complex mechanics. Even if most of the fighters are returning characters, all of them have received new moves courtesy of the Heat system, and flashier animations to make everyone look more distinct. A newcomer might be confused aboutwhich fighter to try first inTekken 8, but fortunately, the game comes with an easily recommended legacy fighter that anyone can pick up to learn the game’s ropes.
Tekken 8 Gives Jin The Spotlight
Jin Kazama has been consideredTekken’s lead protagonist sinceTekken 3, being the more benevolent son of Kazuya Mishima and grandson of Heihachi. While he briefly stooped to corporate supervillainy inTekken 6, he’s returned to his roots forTekken 8in a big way.Tekken 8’s cinematic story mode takes a much different approach than comparable modes in other fighting games, as it seems to primarily focus on Jin’s struggle with Kazuya and his own Devil Gene instead of other fighters. While the story mode’s full content isn’t known yet, Jin should continue to feature heavily, so his players can get more time with their main acrossTekken 8’s extra offline modesthan anyone else.
Jin Kazama Gives Players A Good Tour Of Tekken Fundamentals
There’s a good reason whyTekken 8’s story mode, and even its free demo, points players towards Jin Kazama. With Heihachi out of the picture and some of Devil Jin’s moves rolled back into regular Jin, he and Kazuya are now thedefinitive Mishima archetypes ofTekken 8. Jin can adequately use most play styles inTekken 8, and should help players build transferable fundamentals for other characters and even otherTekkentitles. There’s also a lot of moveset crossover between Jin and other fighters from both the Mishima and Kazama sides of his family, so he’s a great springboard for branching out into a third ofTekken 8’s starting cast.
Tekken’s Mishima Family Is Usually Worth Playing
Learning Jin has other uses than just becoming familiar withTekken 8’s gameplay. While it’s too early to predict the game’s competitive meta, the main Mishima trio of Jin, Kazuya, and Heihachi arealmost never low-tier in anyTekkentitle. In fact, they’re typically among each game’s best, albeit with a steeper learning curve and execution demands than most of the cast. However, that shouldn’t be a major barrier inTekken 8.
Tekken 8’s Jin Is The Easiest Version To Start With
More so than any other entry,Tekken 8is designed to be the most accessibleTekkengame. At any moment,Tekken 8’s controls can be switched to Special Style, enabling auto-combos and one-button special actions. On top of that,Tekken 8’s Heat modegives most Mishimas more leniency while executing frame-perfect Electric Wind God Fist inputs, and since this applies to two of Jin’s equivalent moves, he has never been easier to pick up. Players looking for a smooth start toTekken 8should take advantage of this new-and-improved Jin Kazama.
