Tekken 8 is bringing in a unique mode called Arcade Quest, which throws a nostalgic blanket over the modern fighting game. Tekken is one of the few series still around that can trace its lineage back to arcade cabinets. Arcade Quest brings us back to those days when you could challenge other people in the arcade, and it’s fantastic.
According to the PlayStation Blog article, you get to design your own digital avatar to roam the local arcade scene. You’re a new person here and will quickly find a crew of fellow fighters. These aren’t opponents but friends who cheer on your victories and offer genuine advice to hone your skills. This adds to the immersion and reminds me of those adventure games that let you step away from the action just to do role-playing. Your digital homies share tips, strategies, and the occasional trash-talking.
Instead of each challenger progressing in difficulty in the Arcade Quest mode of Tekken 8, there are different styles of challengers. If you challenge a laid-back friend, and you might face a playful breeze of easy combos, and if you challenge someone who seems serious, you’ll probably be sweating to beat them. Each encounter is unique, mirroring the diverse personalities you’d find in any real arcade.
What I like is that there’s a sense of overall progression. As you conquer arcades, your crew’s notoriety rises, and your own skills sharpen. It’s small, sure, but it makes it feel like you’re not just facing endless opponents for no reason.
On the PlayStation 5, The DualSense controller pulsates with every blow. The haptics will apparently do a great job of mimicking what is happening on screen so you can feel as if you’re really there. While I wonder if that’s as authentic as PlayStation makes it sound, it’s a cool feature. I’d say that Tekken 8’s Arcade mode is the answer to Street Fighter’s open world.
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