Tekken 8 is shaping up to be one of the best games in the franchise, and maybe even one of the best games of next year. Along with weekly character trailers, which in this week’s case was for Yoshimitsu, Tekken fans were treated to a brand-new sneak peek at the game’s storyline that showcased the direction that the narrative would take.
This trailer was revealed during one of Bandai Namco’s livestreams that was hyping up the first chapter of the Story mode, The Dark Awakens. All of this excitement gets even crazier with the official demo, which has just been released for PS5 and will be released next week for Xbox Series X|S and PC.
The New Tekken 8 Trailer Reveals Key Details About the Narrative
Tekken has always been a story-heavy franchise, despite its massive eSports scene. Tekken 7, despite being a little lackluster when it comes to the narrative, still provided fans with an excellent culmination to the entire Kazuya vs. Heihachi conflict.
Tekken 8 continues that, this time with Jin Kazama and Kazuya Mishima. The trailer focuses heavily on Jin’s Kazama roots as he reconnects with his mother, Jun, and tries to use his power for good. The uncertainty in his resolve is also quite noticeable due to his horrific acts of war in Tekken 6.
It’s clear that throughout the game’s narrative, we’ll see Jin develop into his own and eventually be able to go toe to toe with Kazuya. Another point that is highlighted throughout is that Jin still doesn’t have full control over his Devil power, being unable to bring it out on command.
But it seems that with the help of his uncles, Lars Alexanderson and Lee Chaolan, he’ll be able to become even stronger than Kazuya, who has just essentially waged war against the entire world with another King of Iron Fist Tournament.
A theory that has been all but confirmed with the new trailer is that, similar to Kazumi from Tekken 7, it seems that Jun Kazama may still be dead, but only present in visions, dreams, and flashbacks in this game.
The Dark Awakens Storyline Features More Characters than Ever Before
A big criticism of Tekken 7‘s Mishima Saga was that it focused too much on the Mishimas, leaving no room for other characters. Well, it seems that Bandai has acknowledged this directly, as the newest instalment in the massive fighting game franchise will include almost all characters from the roster within its narrative.
We see characters like Leo, Azucena, and Steve, who were never present in the main scenarios, take an active role within the world that Kazuya is trying to make. Returning characters like Claudio also get their shine, who has seemingly teamed up with Zafina, Ling Xiaoyu, and Panda.
From the YouTube thumbnail, it’s clear that Hwoarang has also taken Jin’s side in the battle for peace. New characters like Reina, who is possibly Heihachi’s daughter, and Viktor, who is the leader of the Ravens, are also making an appearance in some way.
You can also try out the first chapter right now on PS5 via the official demo. It focuses on the initial fight between Jin and Kazuya and also features small appearances from characters like Paul, Viktor, and Raven.
Ultimately, the only characters missing seem to be Yoshimitsu, Bryan, Asuka, Kuma, and Shaheen. We even saw Leroy and Jin having a Killer Bee-Naruto-like dynamic, and Feng Wei facing off against Leroy was just, in Lee Chaolan’s words, marvelous.
But it could be that they are saving these characters for the full game. After all, if there’s a whole war going down, everyone in the world will be affected, and it’ll be very intriguing to see how characters like Bryan react to the situation.
All this to say, it seems like this may just turn out to be the fighting game that fans have dreamed of. Other than the Mishima storyline, the game will also feature Character episodes similar to Tekken 7 but will be of much higher quality with gorgeous cinematics and visuals.
It may just be the best game in the franchise, and the full release draws ever closer. The game fully releases on PS5, Xbox Series X|S, and PC on January 26, 2024.
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