Tekken 8 has many firsts. It also marks some possible lasts. For the arcade fan in me, there’s one particular first and last that stands out from the crowd: it was the first Tekken game to be released on home consoles before hitting the arcades. Depending on which way the wind blows, this could also mean that we’ve seen the last arcade version of Tekken, 2015’s arcade version of Tekken 7 .
I understand why this happens, Iron Fist isn’t the first series to do this. Capcom already tried it with Street Fighter 5, and it’s continuing the trend with Street Fighter 6. In fact, six months after SF6’s release, SF6’s “Type Arcade” has been announced, but has yet to be widely released. I understand why this is right and appropriate; but at the same time, my heart is broken.
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Thankfully, I know I’m not alone in my heartbreak. In fact, I share the pain with the people behind Tekken, who made this decision with the heaviest of hearts.
“I feel kind of the same way because I grew up in arcade games,” Tekken boss Katsuhiro Harada agreed, nodding when I explained my bittersweet feelings about Tekken 8’s console debut.
“But it’s just something we can’t change; it’s a sign of the times. It’s just people’s lifestyles changing and adapting, so playgrounds are not as prevalent a part of their lives as they once were.”
The death of arcade gaming has been a phenomenon that’s been going on for a long time. Western arcades and other entertainment centers are now generally filled with strange, uninspired ports of popular mobile games, like Flappy Bird Arcade or the Claw Machine. You’d be lucky to find a light gun game, let alone a fighter jet. Japan has always been doing better – but the Covid-19 pandemic has absolutely devastated the Japanese arcade scene. The situation feels quite serious.
“I’ve been coming to Japan for 25 years, and part of the reason why I ended up staying here for so long is probably because when I first went there, there were amusement parks and it was a very exciting place,” Tekken ” added producer Michael Murray. I’ve been around Harada promoting and explaining the series for as long as I can remember. “And, you know, we have all the fighting games there and you get to meet new people, which is really cool.”
There were many goals in the development of Tekken 8, but a key thread was that the developers wanted to respect the arcade culture that the series now serves as a secondary market, if not abandon it entirely. That’s the genesis of “Arcade Quest” – Tekken’s more light-hearted story mode for the game, in direct opposition to the cutscene-y, goofy-but-serious ending to the Mishima Saga in the cinematic story.
If you haven’t played Tekken 8 yet, Arcade Quest is basically a simulation of arcade life. Players create a custom avatar to represent their performance in the arcade – you can then progress in this virtual arcade by playing Tekken 8 and progressing. It’s part teaching tool, part story mode, and part homage to the good old days. Those “in there” can expect inside jokes and references; new players can not only learn how to play Tekken well, but also learn about some of the culture that shaped the fighting game genre.
“It should be about creating the same environment,” Murray said of the model. “So for people like us who were there, you have a sense of ‘oh, this is what it’s like,’ and the story also goes through an arcade-centric culture. But for people who’ve never been to that era For players who are new to the arcade, they can play it and get a feel for what it’s like.
“Because we love the culture so much, we try to incorporate that into this model.”
Ever since Tekken 8 launched, I’ve been watching people’s attitudes toward Arcade Quest with great interest.Like Street Fighter 6’s Battle Center, this aesthetic could also serve as a gateway to online multiplayer – I’d be happy to see something like this Queue behind the machine Play against specific high-end or famous players. Of course, you can’t put a coin in the corner of the monitor…but you can put it in an orderly queue. very beautiful.
Culture is one thing, but the training tools element is perhaps the most important part of the model. Tekken 8 already has strong story-based elements in its character stories – but the mode is built for spectacle rather than education. In the old days, you might go into an arcade and watch other players, learn, get your butt kicked in the ass, but improve because of it. Arcade Quest might be friendlier, but it’s designed almost like a Trojan horse – you go into cuteness mode and leave with a deeper understanding of Tekken fundamentals.
“Even without knowing much about the game, you don’t have to go through all these settings or anything,” Harada explains, highlighting the key difference between learning through Arcade Quest and simply jumping into training mode. “You’re following a story in the game, but it’s also teaching you the fundamentals and fundamentals.”
So, arcades are dead—but long live arcade culture. In this way, arcade games may never truly die – they will still exist as special interest shops, much like the sort of resurgence we’ve seen in the UK and US with the advent of combo arcade bars catering to nostalgia of people in their thirties. -Things with alcohol dependence and disposable income. That target consumer? This is me. Our numbers are quite small. But we’re not Tekken 8’s target audience either – so it makes sense that Bandai Namco’s goals have shifted.
“While we miss the culture, it’s also difficult on the other hand because only the Asian markets had arcades at the end, so all the Western gamers were watching their Asian counterparts playing brand new games and they were really frustrated because they were in It won’t be accessible for two years,” Harada explained, sidestepping online dissatisfaction over the disparity between Tekken 7’s 2015 arcade version and its 2017 console launch.
“Then it’s very frustrating for them when they end up in tournaments against players who have been playing the game longer than they have. So there’s a benefit to starting with the console version. Everyone can enjoy it at the same time. “
I guess every dark cloud has a silver lining. In the case of Tekken 8, the failure of the arcade launch version will be a bonus for everyone who can experience it at home this weekend. Most importantly, arcade DNA runs through the very soul of Tekken — in the hearts of its creators, in the fabric of its modes, and in every heart-stopping, screaming, machine-smashing slow-motion ending. Regardless of whether there is a new version or not, what arcades give us is timeless.
Tekken 8 Available now for Xbox Series X/S, PS5 and PC. You can read our five-star review of the game here.
