Just before the Top 8 at the Tekken World Tour Finals in Amsterdam, Katsuhiro Harada and Michael Murray leading the Tekken project presented new information about Tekken 8, including a 35-minute video covering the new mechanics, alpha testing closed and added veteran series Nina Williams to the list.
Nina has appeared in every major Tekken release since the original 1994 game. Her new iteration is largely based on her secret agent/assassinant skill set, as she now ends incorporate the akimbo pistol into his Jujutsu and Koppojutsu themed fighting style.
Tekken 8’s main new mechanic is called Heat Gauge, which can be activated with a single button press called Heat Burst and after a certain number of moves in each character’s move set is called Heat Engagers. . Activating the Thermometer will give that player an attack advantage and access to new mechanics as long as the Thermometer is depleted.
What makes the Thermometer unique is that once activated, the attacking player can pause the gauge’s depletion by continuing to attack and force the opponent to block. According to the video, the mechanic is designed to highlight a more aggressive approach to combat mechanics, while also giving new players the tools to get to know multiple characters.
The health gauge is also getting a big change in Tekken 8: recoverable health appears after a character blocks a large move from the opponent. However, while previous Tekken games allowed the player to recover health by playing defensively, this new version only allows health recovery by hooking up attacks.
Finally, the Closed Alpha Test will be available at specially designated offline locations around the world. The first venue test will be held at Evo Japan 2023 in March, where all Tekken 7 participants will have the opportunity to test Tekken 8 through a special registration website. More locations will be announced in the future.
Tekken 8 will launch on Xbox Series X|S, PlayStation 5, and PC.
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