1 week Ago
Tekken 8 is one of those games to earn mostly positive reviews from critics and fans after its global launch. 2024 was a tough time for the gaming industry, with massive game failures hitting developers brutally. At that time, games like Tekken 8 had maintained a tradition of delivering successful games.
Therefore, Season 2 of this highly successful game was expected. The cord was cut when the patch note of Tekken 8 Season 2 was released. It ignited a firestorm within its community, leaving many players disillusioned and frustrated about the highly anticipated Season 2 update of the game.
According to most of them, Season 2 has compromised the essence of what makes this game a beloved franchise. Since Tekken 8 is a fighting game, its inclusion of offense is natural. But at the same time, the franchise used to focus on the defense as well, especially strategic fights.
However, one of the most notable changes that Season 2 has made is the shift to offensive gameplay. As revealed in the patch notes, the across-the-board buffs to character damage and offensive pressure have led the gameplay to another level where aggression overshadows the strategic depth of the gameplay. The most renowned players and streamers of Tekken 8 are frustrated with this change.
One of them criticized the characters, the excessive combo damage, and the lack of defensive options in Season 2, which have been destroying the foundational strategies that the Tekken franchise is commonly renowned for. This emphasis on offense not only interrupted the flow of the seasoned players, but it has also restricted the feature of Tekken where this franchise used to support different playstyles . As Season 2 has stressed moves with minimal counterplay and enhanced 50/50 situations, eventually, it has reduced calculated steps and promoted wild guesses.
The community players aren’t at all happy with these things. Instead, they have pointed out that these changes suggest that Tekken 8 is compromising its identity and becoming a game that prefers brutal force over tactical strategies . The backlash from players was severe.
The Steam page of the game has been filled with more than 1100 negative reviews; that’s also in two days. Therefore, within 48 hours of the Season 2 release, the Steam review of the game has transformed into ‘mostly negative.’ Players have straightforwardly expressed their dissatisfaction, stating that they are not happy to see the game departing from its roots.
Most comments from the gamers show their concern about the balance of the game and how the offensive mechanisms are taking over Tekken 8 . In fact, this dissatisfaction has reached a height where a lot of professional gamers have even declared to abandon the game. This situation poses a significant threat to Tekken’s legacy, but until now, Bandai Namco has been silent about everything.
Whether they are working on implementing the player feedback or not isn’t yet sure. The Tekken 8 Season 2 update once again pointed out that shifting far from the principles of a franchise can lead to severe backlash. Hardcore fans love the core features of a franchise, and as soon as the developer team shifts from there, things get worse.
While innovation and evolution are part of staying gloriously in the competitive market, the balance shouldn’t be compromised for the sake of popularity. The current situation of Tekken 8 can only be settled if Bandai Namco addresses the issues and revises the Season 2 changes with balanced gameplay where offense won’t suppress strategic gameplay..
