Let’s proceed in chronological order of the trailers. If we already knew that Jun would return after his disappearance in Tekken 3, no gameplay had yet been presented. Mother of the protagonist Jin Kazama and therefore ex-wife of Kazuya, she seeks to purify her family of the Devil Gene, this malignant strand of DNA driving its carriers to murderous madness. Needless to say, he is the key character in the story of Tekken 8. In game, Jun consolidates the new bases acquired in TTT 2. His techniques aim to punish opponent errors and include three complementary postures: Genjitsu, Izumo and Miare. Big news, the Kazama matriarch injures herself while attacking; conversely, once the Heat Mode universal engaged, it heals with each blow. A nice trickery to turn the tide two centimeters from defeat.
On March 29, it was Ling Xiaoyu’s turn to come back in pictures. Always looking for Jin, the young woman still practices a fusion of Chinese martial arts, characterized by atypical postures such as the squatting Phoenix or the so-called “talk to my back, my head is sick” technique. Energetic, bubbly and nimble, Xiaoyu hasn’t changed much – and that’s good for her fans.
The little family
In the Kazama family tree, I ask for the niece, Asuka. Still just as hot-headed since Tekken 5, vigilante of the streets in front of the eternal, the young student practices the Kazama style with a twist more aggressive than his aunt. After all, on the pavement, you have to know how to impose yourself. Dressed in a brand new uniform, Asuka will however find her classic costumes in the Customization tab, always conducive to aesthetic experimentation. If she typically adopts a screenplay role withdrawn compared to figureheads, focusing on her rivalry with Lili de Rochefort, her blood ties with the Kazama clan risk dragging her into a conflict she cannot imagine.
Finally, introduced in DLC in Tekken 7 and already a public favorite, the blind master of wing chun Leroy Smith returns undermined like never before. Quick strikes, lightning punishments and parries of excellence characterize its gameplay. Leroy is accompanied by his mastiff Sugar and can also take out his cane to square it between your eyes. Even more expressive and classy than before, the “Grandmaster of Drip” stands out as a new pillar of the franchise. Evidenced by its presence in the animated adaptation Tekken: Bloodline. And it’s not the esports statistics that will tell us the lie: at EVO Japan 2020, Leroy monopolized 7 places in the top 8… (well, because he was totally unbalanced, that also helps).
Tekken 8 will be released on PlayStation 5, Xbox Series and Steam at an undetermined date. Given the marketing cadence, we can easily speculate that we won’t have to wait very long.
