It was a blockbuster weekend for Tekken 8, as it crowned a world champion (Congrats to LowHigh!) and unveiled its new roadmap for Season 3. We're getting Kunimitsu, Bob, and Roger Jr. as fighters that will be released throughout the year.
Kunimitsu is the first new fighter, coming in late spring. This looks like the daughter of the previous fighter to wear the fox mask. Bob is a heavier fighter and was even chowing down on a burger during his reveal. Bob will arrive during the summer. Because we're talking about Tekken, that isn't close to the most humorous thing they revealed. Roger Jr, an actual kangaroo, will also join the proceedings in Autumn of Season 3. There will be a fourth character and a new stage coming in winter.
I love that about Tekken. On one end, we have the demon-infused family drama of the Mishima family, in the same martial arts tournament we have robots, pandas, and kangaroos. More importantly, Season 3 is promising a "back to basics" approach after some unpopular changes in Season 2. This trailer promised a more conventional, more focused, and more deliberate approach for the fighter.
The Season 3 update arrives March 17, but here's some of what we can expect courtesy of Bandai Namco:
For Season 3, battle balance adjustments will be made under the theme of “Refine.” While maintaining the current battle system, we aim to improve the overall gameplay experience based on the following policies:
1. Adjustments that respect each character’s concept, strengths, and weaknesses, while preventing excessive performance gaps between characters
2. Re-evaluating the relationship between character-specific power-up mechanics and the Heat system
3. Prioritizing improvements that align with TEKKEN 8’s core gameplay and the Season 3 balance theme of “Refine,” based on feedback received to date