Season 2 forTekken 8was just released, but a lot of fans are not happy with the new changes, claiming the alterations made were not what was originally promised by developer, Bandai Namco. The overall package was labeled as a “defensive” update, alongsidereturning characters and a new stage. But players are discovering this update is anything but defense focused.
Over in a post on Reddit by userNixUniverse2, players are detailing their frustrations with the new update, how even more oppressive some of the game’s mechanics are now, as well as improvements to pressure and mix-ups for a lot of characters that conflict with the “defense focused” label of this new update, as was touted by Tekken 8 director, Kohei “Nakatsu” Ikeda in an interview posted toEventHubs.The Season 2 patch was huge,with mechanical changes, character changes, and system tweaks.Tekken 8has been a very aggressive fighting game since its release, and players have been asking for more defensive mechanics since.
How Players Are Responding To Tekken 8’s Season 2
More Offense, More Aggression Isn’t What Hardcore Fans Wanted
The response toTekken 8’s unexpected changes shows that the update is not what a lot of fans wanted. The game’s Heat System was designed to make gameplay more aggressive, but a common complaint with Season 1 was that the game lacked the defensive mechanicsTekkenhad become known for. Now, players are discovering a lot of the character buffs and new moves actually lead to the game being even more aggressive, with the majority of the roster getting notable buffs to their kits.
NixUniverse2noted in their original post that the game needed more defensive mechanics, but the new changes make it seem like the developers are out of touch with hardcoreTekkenfans, saying:“These Season 2 changes are not befitting of a team that actually understands what their fans want.They said multiple times they recognize veterans want more defense and less aggression.”
Tekken 8 Players Desperately Want A Waffle House Stage, But It’s Unlikely To Happen
Despite strong fan interest in adding a Waffle House stage to Tekken 8, it remains unlikely to happen, due to various logistical challenges and costs.
Bandai Namcoprovided a laundry list of patch notes, showing how much has been changed. However,the patch is only a few hours old, so a lot of techniques and moves have not been fully explored, but early impressions are not glowing.
Our Take: More Changes Are Probably Coming
The Developers Tend To Listen To Feedback
While Season 2 has clearly gotten off to a rough start, Bandai Namco tends to listen to fan feedback pretty seriously, and with a lot still to come inTekken 8’s second season,it seems likely that more changes are on the way. A change that we know is coming is that breaking throws as the defender will not generate chip damage, which is currently still in the Season 2 build of the game, but was confirmed by the developers to be removed in upcoming hot fixes after negative feedback from players.
The Season 2 patch was so big that not every new mechanic has been explored yet, asTekken 8is already a complex game, and this could easily just be a gut reaction to how strong aggressive moves are now in Season 2 at first glance. What remains and what will be changed forTekken 8’sSeason 2 remains to be seen, but it’s a disappointing turn after thecontentious addition ofFinal Fantasy 16’s Cliveturned out to be a success.
Source:NixUniverse2/Reddit,EventHubs,Bandai Namco
Tekken 8
Tekken 8 is the next installment in the 3D fighting game franchise, initially teased at EVO 2022. Formally revealed at the PlayStation State of Play in September of 2022, The King of the Iron Fist Tournament returns with several classic characters returning, as well as a brand new fleshed-out single-player mode.
