Tekken 8 Season 2 Changes Spark Outrage, Pros Consider Quitting, Steam Reviews Plummet

The Tekken 8 community is up in arms following the controversial Season 2 update, which has sparked a wave of discontent among players. The patch notes unveiled significant changes, including an across-the-board increase in character damage potential and offensive pressure. Many fans argue that these alterations have veered Tekken 8 too far from its traditional roots, leading to a perceived shift away from the classic Tekken experience.

Professional Tekken player JoKa expressed his dismay, stating, "This does not feel like Tekken AT ALL." He criticized the update for introducing excessive buffs, enhanced stance-based transitions leading to more 50/50 situations, and new moves with minimal counterplay. JoKa also highlighted the removal of character weaknesses and identities through homogenization, which he deemed as lazy balancing. He pointed out the nerfing of "oki" mechanics, the buffing of heat, excessive combo damage, and the continued presence of high chip damage with unchanged heat smashes. Additionally, he questioned the lack of promised defensive options, noting, "Where are the defensive options that were mentioned?"

The backlash has been significant, with over 1,100 negative reviews flooding Tekken 8's Steam page in the last two days, resulting in a 'mostly negative' user review rating for recent reviews. One of the top reviews described the game as "genuinely good [but] held back by schizophrenic insane developers sent from hell." Other reviews lamented the new season's focus on turning every character into a "braindead easy mix up machine" without any defensive buffs, and criticized the balance team for prioritizing powerful offense over player agency.

The frustration is palpable, with some fans switching to Capcom's Street Fighter 6, and others labeling Season 2 as the "worst patch in Tekken history." Pro players have even threatened to abandon Tekken 8 entirely. Jesandy, a prominent player, shared his disappointment on social media, stating, "I don't know if I'll continue playing Tekken if this patch stays. I'm sorry for doomposting, but I thought it had a chance to be a better game. I'm just really sad. Like depressed. I streamed 70 hours of Tekken this past week to prep for s2 just to have those hopes shattered. Gn."

The community is now eagerly awaiting a response from the development team, with many calling for either a complete rollback of the patch or an emergency follow-up patch to address the key issues raised by players.