Tekken 8’s story mode is set to be even greater in scale than its predecessors and may be an even bigger part of the game itself.
Tekken has a wild, over-the-top storyline. In fact, Tekken holds the Guinness World Record for “longest-running video game storyline without any substantial development gaps or reboots.” Tekken 8 will keep that streak going as it continues the franchise’s story.
An interview with marketing producer Naoya Yasuda and game director Kohei Ikeda revealed some interesting things about Tekken 8’s story mode. That includes a tease that the story mode will have an even greater presence in the game than it did in Tekken 7.
Will Tekken 8 have a story mode?
Tekken 8 will have a story mode that continues the story of Kazuya and the Mishima family.
In an interview with Famitsu, Ikeda and Yasuda were asked about the expansiveness of Tekken 8’s story mode. Yasuda answered that it would be bigger than that of Tekken 7, which is impressive considering the story mode was the biggest the franchise had seen to that point. The game took a more cinematic approach to the Mishima saga, similar to what is seen in Mortal Kombat.
That said, reception to the story mode in Tekken 7 was mixed among fans. Despite the jaw-dropping fight scenes and seamless transitions into gameplay, the story mode was also criticized for its narration through a random journalist character. Tekken 7’s story ends with Heihachi being killed by Kazuya with the tease of a redeemed Jin returning as the star of Tekken 8.
A renewed focus on the rest of the Tekken 8 roster, as well as a bigger budget, could potentially lead the story down a more consistent path than before. Recent fighting games have been putting a greater emphasis on story modes and single-player gameplay than they traditionally have and Tekken 8 will likely continue that trend in its own way.
Tekken 8 looking to fight off brutal competition
2023 has been a stacked year for video games, but it’s been particularly strong for fighting games. The release of Street Fighter 6 in June exceeded fans’ expectations, the upcoming Mortal Kombat 1 will likely make a splash, and Granblue Fantasy Versus: Rising will give Arc System Works fans something to enjoy. The calendar is actually so jam-packed that some publishers are actually delaying games’ releases in order to give them space to breathe.
Thankfully for Bandai Namco, the Tekken 8 release date falls outside that window. That said, Tekken is still one of the biggest fighting game franchises in the world and it likely would have been competitive even if it released in the thick of things.