Tekken was my first fighter. It was the moment I fell in love with the genre and the characters I could play. With the launch of their eighth installment, the franchise found itself at a crossroads in the fighter renaissance that Street Fighter 6 ushered in. With a new roster and a new Mishima in Reina, Heihachi’s absence may have been felt, but by focussing on rebuilding all the character models and move sets from the ground up, the game’s success didn’t miss him. But having him back feels like the return of a family member (pun intended).
Tekken 8 marked an entry point for many new players and a return for those of us who have loved it for so long. Now, Heihachi has survived his cliff fall and returned. Choosing to rebuild him perfectly encapsulated how Tekken 8 revitalized the franchise by opening the door for new players but honoring the legacy that staples like Heihachi had built with existing fans.
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On striking this balance, Game Director Kohei “Nakatsu” Ikeda said, “Tekken 8’s overarching concept is to make it more approachable to beginner players, but we also have to appeal to the hardcore fans who have been playing the series for quite some time. We try to make sure that the moves that people expect are still there and still feel as good as they did initially for every character, especially Heihachi.”
Nakatsu continued, “For him, whether that’s his Hell Sweep or his forward forward right punch, these techniques are intact. But we also made sure to give you new options like his stances. For newer players who can’t do a Wind God Step or the Dragon Punch inputs steadily, then now he can go into a stance easily and do the Wind God Step from there without needing to do the complex inputs. This will allow people to feel what is unique and exciting about the character without the complex inputs. It is a fine balance, but that’s how we do it. We keep in mind what defends the character from their moveset while changing enough to make him feel fresh.”
During a media event debuting this new Heihachi, we got to go hands-on with the DLC character and play through the new story addition, available for free with the upcoming update, “Unforgotten Echoes.” While the end of the story showcases exactly how Heihachi will fit into the current lore, the standout for the story content was that you play it through the DLC characters released this season: Eddie, Lidia, and then Heihachi.
“Unforgotten Echoes” serves as an entry point for three characters and does so by selling the particular out-of-this-world flair that only Tekken can offer. Big, bold, and just a little camp, Unforgotten Echoes continues the franchise as its first expansion content for any story made by the franchise. While we’ve seen new characters added, we’ve never seen the story expanded in this way, and the benefit of doing so is getting investment from every player. And I do mean every player.
“Unforgotten Echoes” is primarily focused on Eddie and Lidia as they work with Tekken forces to investigate the rumored return of Heihachi Mishima. The choice to make these paywalled characters available in the story update is a move that opens a classic character like Eddie up to new players, who may not have been rushing to buy his DLC. But for me, the truth is that the eccentricities of Tekken lore are why it has always stood on my fighter Mount Rushmore, and with “Unforgotten Echoes,” we get more of it.
With wild swings and scenarios, “Unforgotten Echoes” is something I didn’t know I needed. I’ve been content with just picking up new additional fighters, but now, I’m craving even more story DLC. The action is nonstop at just 90 minutes long (obviously dependent on your difficulty setting and how good you are at mastering that). Each fight pays off. I’ve been waiting for Heihachi’s return from fan-assumed death, and the perfectly balanced action and humor make it all the more fitting.
Tekken 8 will be considered a definitive classic in a new generation of players’ lives like the original was for me. Heihachi’s return and ability to balance himself against the other Mishima are absolutely inspiring. During free play, I probably played too many matches, such as Heihachi versus Reina, where I switched to both. While some fans have seen Reina’s entrance as a way to make up for Heihachi’s absence, the truth is that the two are wildly different when you play them, even with the small flares in her move set that connect her to Heihachi Mishima. Reina is her own character, and that’s what means the most to me as a fan of both her and Heihachi.
Reina’s speed is how she tackles the upped aggression level of Tekken 8, but that speed also sets her apart from the moving mountain, Heihachi. Each hit’s weight showcases his grounded power, particularly leaning even hard into the Mishima fighting style (which Reina notably doesn’t use). This also allows the character to return to Heihachi mains with a slight learning curve, but that is overcome once stance switching is nailed down.
It is important to note that while Heihachi can pull off some astounding ariel juggles and easily keep your opponents on the ropes, he isn’t without his balance. Heat is required three times throughout a match to use unlock-specific moves that allow him to reach his stances’ full potential. It’s devastating to an opponent, but it takes time to build. That said, Heihachi is surprisingly approachable to new players.
For me, mastering the stance switching between Thunder God and Wind God was the easy way to feel like I had a mastery over Heihachi’s devastating power. Both allow you to pull off different special attacks and are the perfect follow-ups to landing a string of combos. I’ve found that he’s particularly great against quick opponents. It feels like he has an answer for all the speedsters on the existing roster—Reina in particular.
Additionally, the free update is a large addition to the game. With the new Genmaji Temple (with both a night and daytime variant worth switching between), the ability to add your favorite character to your start screen, and the new online practice mode, in addition to the new story content, the free update is as noteworthy as Heihachi himself.
Truly one of the best fighting games of the last ten years, Tekken 8 continues to open its doors to everyone who just wants to fight. It’s what’s beautiful and what makes it so special. While there is no confirmation on whether this story content for a DLC character is a first and last or indicative of how the team will handle expanding its roster in the future, I, for one, am excited for what the future holds. There is no quitting Tekken 8 yet.
