Tekken 8 Features Special Style Controls & Special Intros

Taking cues from other 2D fighting games, the upcoming Bandai Namco 3D fighting game Tekken 8 will feature a few nice additions apart from its more aggressive Heat system.

The game will include a new Special Style control type that offers easier access to combos and special moves for new players, as well as some added flexibility. When Special Style controls are activated in Tekken 8, you’ll get 5 different buttons with assigned uses, along with a move display that stays on-screen. By default, players have 4 buttons to work with. An IGN preview showcases that the triangle button will be for air and launcher moves; press it repeatedly for a combo.

In addition, this control scheme is also context-sensitive and can change depending on your character’s status in the match. This seems like a hybrid between Modern and Dynamic controls in Street Fighter 6.

Characters will now have special intros whenever they fight specific people (via Tekken content creator spag). For example, a Jin vs Xiaoyu fight will have special dialogue and animations since they’re both high school friends, while Kazuya and Jun Kazama will have a unique intro as they were former lovers, with the latter being dead before her “return” in part 8.

Whether Special Style controls will be legal in tournaments remain to be seen, but so far Tekken 8 has no release date. We’ll cross that bridge when we get there. In terms of special intros, that’s always nice to see in any fighting game with a long lineage and backstory.

Tekken 8 will be out for PC, Xbox Series, and PlayStation 5.