Our editor, Mahmoud Zuaiter, had the opportunity to try the fighting game that we are eagerly awaiting, Tekken 8, from Bandai Namco, as the first experience in the region in the Arabic language. Speaking of which, the Arabic translation in the game is very excellent as of now, but it is not final yet, as work is still underway to improve and revise it. There are some minor errors. We tried the different game modes, such as the promising story mode, which continues the saga of the Mishima family, and we tried the Arcade Quest mode, which promises to bring back fond memories for fans of the series. Here are the impressions:
Story Mode: We were able to experience the first chapter or Chapter 1 of the story, which was called Evil Stars Collide, where the events begin from the point where the previous part stopped after the disappearance of Heihachi and Jin’s attempt to stop his father, Kazuya. In terms of destroying the world, what caught my attention most in this mode was the presence of dialogue clips during the fights, not just before and after the fight! Giving the story a unique, cinematic feel to a fighting game. We remain waiting for the final game to experience the full story and delve into the saga of the Mishima family.
Arcade Quest: This mode completely reflects what the community of players was like in the arcade halls, and it comes as compensation for the game not being released on arcade devices before home devices, unlike what was the case in Previously, the mode is very suitable for new players or beginners, as the mode trains the player on all the commands and powers that must be learned to compete, such as Rage Art and Heat Burst. The mode is also suitable for the rest of the players, even the advanced ones. In this phase, you will get to know Max, your friend who will accompany you on your journey as a professional in the game and compete against the community of players in the arcade halls. During the beginning of the phase, you will be able to design your virtual character as you wish with the many options available, and during the game we were able to experience the first area in this phase, which is called Gong. After completing the warm-up and learning about the moves, you will be able to participate in the region’s arcade tournament, which will allow you to expand later in this phase (of course, there is no need to say that I won the first time). During this phase, you can use in-game money (or points, call it whatever you want) to purchase and unlock additional items to build the virtual character.
Super Ghost mode: This is a special mode where you can compete with yourself! Yes, this is true, as the artificial intelligence in the game reads the movements and commands that you perform in each character and then combines those movements and commands and applies them to you. The mode is available to play after progressing in the Arcade Quest phase in a simple way, and you need to play in the character for some time in order for the artificial intelligence to recognize it. On the way you play, if you are looking for a professional player like you and do not find anyone to compete with, then compete with yourself!
Training mode: Another mode that helps you develop your skills and is very similar to what is in the previous parts.
VS mode: The usual competition mode, which allows you to compete with the game, specifically the CPU, at different levels, or with another competitor of yours on the same device, or you can even watch the game compete with itself via CPU vs. CPU, it may be like watching an electronic sports match, but it will certainly be an appropriate opportunity to learn a set of successive moves, or what are called Combos, that you may not have thought of.
Tekken Ball mode: You may remember this mode if you are an owner of Tekken Tag Tournament 2 on the Wii U version or even Tekken 3. After more than 10 years, this mode returns based on The game’s audience requested, but this time for everyone! In this phase, which we may liken to the game of Dodge Ball, players compete by throwing the ball at each other using the usual movements, and the force of throwing the ball varies depending on the strength of the hit itself. You can also hit the enemy directly at the point where the players meet in the middle, and the phase provides the option of the shape of the ball that you like. Yours with beach ball as default selection.
Also, during my testing of the game, I tried out the character of the Saudi fighter, “Shaheen,” who had a new costume, but if you were a fan of the costume in the previous part, do not worry, as you can obtain it by collecting points and exchanging them for costumes and items for the characters, which provides many clothing options for each character, and by the way. Regarding costumes, it is worth noting that there are many customization options within the game. The matter was not limited to the default character in Arcade Quest mode or combat characters, but the customization also extended to other elements such as the energy bar, which you can modify with several features such as colors, frame, etc. I assure you that there are a large number of references and Easter eggs in it. I also quickly had time to try out the new characters. I first tried the character Reina, whose fighting style attracted a large number of fans of the series, as some of her movements are similar to Hiachi’s style. During my experience with this character, I can confirm this information, but what is the relationship of this mysterious character to the Mishima family?
I also tried the French spy Vector, a fast-moving character who uses sharp tools such as a sword and a distinctive type of knife in addition to a pistol. Naturally, since we are talking about swords and spying, you will notice animosity between him and the Raven character, and this is what you will notice when the two characters fight in the pre-fight dialogues (which Personally, I enjoy it very much! Finally, I tried out the fighter from Peru, Azucena, who is a character with a distinctive fighting style. It is true that she relies on mixed martial arts, but I expect that many players will rely on the character’s style of dodging the opponent’s blows, which opens the way for them to respond with offensive strikes.
There is no doubt that Tekken 8 makes us more and more eager to try the final version of the game. The game offers a distinctive translation in Arabic in a continuous embodiment of Bandai Namco’s attempts in this aspect. It is rich in game modes, and is also not devoid of innovation in the gameplay. As for the existing modes, they promise content. Relatively rich. We are waiting for our experience of the final version of the game until the picture is complete.
