First Impressions
Tekken 8 Preview
Pros
- Heihachi is simple to pick up, but hard to master
- New Heihachi stances are great
- Gorgeous Genmaji Temple Stage
Cons
- Perhaps it was too soon to bring Heihachi back?
Tekken 8 was released in January 2024 to effervescent praise, and as you can tell from our own review, we were big fans of it. It offered most of what we were looking for in Tekken, with a massive roster of newcomers and fan favorites, an intriguing, pacey story, and numerous online modes to satisfy us for many hours.
Still, something was missing, a certain someone whom we all thought long departed from Tekken’s grand stage. Yes, Jin is there in his epic fight against Kazuya. Jun Kazama made a triumphant return to the spotlight, and newcomer Reina looked to have picked up some of the move set from patriarch Heihachi Mishima. We were kept guessing: could he really be gone for good, will there really be no Heihachi this time around?
And then, it happened. At Evo 2024, Bandai Namco took to the stage to reveal that Heihachi would be coming to Tekken 8 as the third DLC character. The time has finally come and, with the release of Patch 1.08, Heihachi will be available to play.
Get ready for the next battle!
Patch 1.08 sees the return of Heihachi to Tekken 8 via paid DLC.
Unforgotten Echoes
We were invited to the Bandai Namco offices to get an exclusive hands-on preview with Heihachi, and everything that Patch 1.08 brings to the table, and it’s a big one! Aside from the release of Heihachi himself, you’ll also get access to the Genmaji Temple stage, Online Practice, a customizable Main Menu, and a brand-new story – Unforgotten Echoes – which tells the story of what happened behind the scenes of the Darkness Awakens storyline.
As a big fan of The Darkness Awakens, getting more of it was a nice, added bonus. Taking place over six Chapters, you’ll learn what the other two DLC characters, Eddy and Lidia, along with Heihachi himself, were up to. It retains the gorgeous visuals and fast-paced storytelling that the original story had and doesn’t take up too much of your time before getting to the good stuff.
I’d not had the chance to test out both Eddy (a former main of mine) and Lidia yet, so getting access to both of their characters for free in this new story is a great addition. It’s safe to say that as soon I was back at my own PS5, I purchased Eddy and took him for a deeper spin. I only got access to the first five Chapters, so I didn’t get to see the epic conclusion but I’m eagerly awaiting the drop of 1.08 to see how it all ends. And yes, you will get to discover just how Heihachi is still around for Tekken 8.
The new battle stage, Genmaji Temple, plays a role in this story, and it’s arguably one of the most beautiful stages yet. When played over three rounds, you’ll see the time-of-day change from morning to evening and it never loses its luster at any point. After spending time on it while testing out Heihachi, it’s quickly become a favorite of mine and one I expect to see show up a lot online.
(1 of 2) The Unforgotten Echoes storyline takes place in parallel to the Darkness Awakens story.
The Unforgotten Echoes storyline takes place in parallel to the Darkness Awakens story. (left), You’ll be able to try out Eddy, Lidia, and Heihachi during this free update. (right)
The King of Iron Fist Returns
Let’s get to the main focus of this DLC, though, the release of Heihachi Mishima. Fans of Heihachi will be happy to hear that he’s back in all his glory with brutal attacks, lethal juggles, and deadly throws. Still, even for Heihachi masters, there’s a lot to learn here as he does have an updated move set with stances added. From the developer’s mouth, Heihachi is a brand-new character built from scratch, not a simple port over from previous Tekkens.
Admittedly, I am anything but a Heihachi expert: it’s a character I’ve dabbled with in the past, but I’ve tended to favor the more agile characters in Tekken’s massive roster. Fortunately, I was pleased to see that Heihachi is very easy to pick up and play, offering heavy damage that you can really feel the impact of. It wasn’t long before I picked up a nice combo string that carried me through some of the Vs. Mode battles I had the pleasure of trying.
The most interesting mechanic, for me, is the two stances that Heihachi has access to. This is where it’s going to take players a while to master as switching between them can really put you at a massive advantage. During Heat, Heihachi can enter Warrior Instinct-this increases his recoverable health and, at the same time, decreases your opponent’s recoverable health. This is a powerful technique to get used to and one I relied on heavily during my preview sessions with Heihachi.
(1 of 2) All of Heihachi’s attacks pack a real punch.
All of Heihachi’s attacks pack a real punch. (left), Heihachi’s move set has been slightly revised along with the addition of new stances. (right)
The biggest praise I can give Heihachi is that he feels both familiar and new, and as someone who hasn’t spent too much time with the character in the past, it’s something I greatly appreciate. While Eddy felt as great as he did in the previous Tekken installments, it did feel a bit too familiar: this isn’t the impression I got with Heihachi as it feels like I’ll really need some time with him in practice to really understand how to best make use of his stances.
For those of you who are fans of the post-battle quotes, you can expect to see many unique ones with Heihachi and the various Mishima family members, more specifically against Kazuya, Jin, and Reina. Likewise, you’ll get access to multiple costumes for Heihachi, his fourth option being a personal favorite of mine.
Patch 1.08 Features
A hugely requested feature, Online Practice, makes its long-awaited debut with Patch 1.08; this will allow you to train together with a friend online. It’s a feature that I’m sure my friends will be pleased to see, instead of having to always give me advice over party chat, they can now show me it in action. You’ll also finally be able to alter the character that shows up on the Main Menu, not just the current DLC character. It’s a neat touch that I love and showcases the gorgeous character models while preventing the menus from getting boring after many hours with the game.
The graphics continue to look as gorgeous as ever.
Finally, you can expect some unique collaborations with Patch 1.08: the free fight pass brings collaborations with Nike for some stylish sneakers you can earn while Gentle Monster sunglasses bring these iconic glasses to the game. These are only available for a limited time, so it’s well worth taking the time to blast out some of the fight pass while you’re jumping online with Heihachi.
All said and done, Patch 1.08 is a large one, bringing many requested features to Tekken 8 and arguably one of the most sought-after characters in Heihachi Mishima. I quickly got to grips with his character and can’t wait to put a lot more time into a character I’ve not spent much time with previously.
The Tekken 8 Heihachi Mishima DLC releases September 30 for Character Year 1 Pass owners and October 3 for all users.
Mishima Clan Complete
What more could you ask for than the return of a fan favorite? Built from the ground up, Heihachi is an excellent addition to the fantastic Tekken 8 cast and the other features of Patch 1.08 add some great quality-of-life features to this fighting epic. Tekken is in the best shape for years!
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