Tekken 8’s new heat mechanic explained with gameplay footage as Nina returns

In a surprise twist, Tekken 8 got a full-on system and mechanics breakdown video during the Tekken World Tour Finals this weekend. The 36-min The commentary features series director Katsuhiro Harada and game director Kohei Ikeda as they cover all gameplay editions of the sequel. And yes, there is a lot of gameplay footage.

If you’re not already big on Tekken, this video might not do much for you — but it’s fair to say that the development team is making big changes. As previously promised, Tekken 8 will greatly reward aggressive play, introducing an entirely new system called ‘Heat’. This is a new bar found below the health gauge, and when activated, it allows characters to enter a ‘heated’ state in which their offensive abilities are boosted for a limited time.

You could argue that adding another mechanic on top of Tekken’s already complex combat system is a bit much, but the team hopes to counter this new depth with a second control mode. At any point during a match, you can hold L1 and open a list of key moves, each associated with a button. According to Harada and Ikeda, this should allow players of all skill levels to get used to the flow of combat, especially now that the heat system is in place.

And just to top things off, Nina Williams has been confirmed as a returning character. Her latest design looks awesome, and she’s not afraid to bust out some pistols during her combos.

Despite all the new information, however, we still don’t have any sort of release window for Tekken 8. Harada comments that development is going well, but it still “may take some time”.

What do you make of all these Tekken 8 details? Give us a heat engager in the comments section below.