Tekken 8 director Katsuhiro Harada claims that Bandai Namco’s upcoming fighting game will have more aggressive gameplay than Tekken 7.

Tekken 8 director Katsuhiro Harada claims that Bandai Namco’s upcoming eighth fighting game will have more aggressive gameplay than the previous game. He made this statement in an interview shortly after the latest trailer was released at The Game Awards 2022. The trailer for Tekken 8 focused more on the story, promoting a showdown between Jin Kazama and his archenemy, his father Kazuya Mishima, the two remaining members of the Mishima bloodline and bearer of the Devil Gene.

In an interview with Harada, he elaborated on several aspects of the trailer shown, including some gameplay details that weren’t specifically mentioned. For example, since Tekken 8 is built on Unreal Engine 5 on next-gen hardware, every single character has been redesigned for the game, including models and skeleton. The new engine also improved the visual performance in terms of lighting and setting the game’s mood. One of the biggest changes is the gameplay in Tekken 8 compared to 7, which Harada described as being much more aggressive.

Harada says the concept behind the new system is the expression of aggression, which comes from making Tekken 8 fun to play and watch. He gives a specific example where the attacking player should enjoy the game and feel that if he has an advantage, he has a better chance of winning. This is also emphasized by the game’s new “Heat” system, which was introduced in the recently released trailer itself, and more details about the system and how it affects gameplay will be revealed next year.

According to Harada, most of the design of Tekken 8 was influenced by both Tekken 7 reception both the esports competition scene. It reiterates that fighting games should feel good to watch and play simultaneously, which helps get more people involved. He gave another example: players of a similar experience level will typically not attack when playing at a high level. Harada wanted to motivate Tekken 8 players to be more on the offensive and try to create openings for their opponents.

This change will not only benefit those who play as a spectator or competitive player but will make the overall experience satisfying for all players, whether they are against CPU or human opponents. According to Harada, details like stage destruction, cinematic sets, characters that react to hits, and more help emphasize Tekken 8’s philosophy. Hopefully, fans will be able to see how all these additions help improve quality in a demo video probably next year.

The latest installment of Tekken is currently in development and is coming to PC, PS5, and Xbox Series X/S. You can see the Game Awards 2022 trailer below.

Source: Gematsu