HERE COMES A NEW CHALLENGER!

Series producers Katsuhiro Harada and Michael Murray talk Tekken 8, and how it uses PS5's power to usher in a new fighting generation

- Katsuhiro Harada, Michael Murray

While Tekken 8 might not be the only new fighter on the horizon, it is the only big one whose developers are ditching last-generation hardware, dropping PS4 to focus solely on PS5. Sitting down to play the game in a room thrumming with the excitement of fellow players ready to battle, it's clear this isn't a cynical move; Tekken 8 makes the most of the console - sparring really does feel special in this brawler.

Which is a good thing, as it's something that's been very much on the mind of Tekken Project executive producer Katsuhiro Harada. (Producer Michael Murray, who we also speak with, translates for Harada during our meeting.) Given the high cost of a new console, it had to be worth it. "We have a few goals, actually, of what we want to achieve," Harada explains, "but one of the major ones is to feel like, 'I'm glad that I bought that new generation of hardware because this Tekken is just so awesome and so brand-new."" Tekken 8 is gorgeous, achieving a level of realism that feels a step above most games we've seen on PS5 to date (to be fair, true current-gen exclusives have been few and far between). It's no surprise to learn that, as well as dropping older consoles, the developers have switched from Unreal Engine 4 to Unreal Engine 5. To make sure they're getting the most out of the technology, everything has been completely remade, including every character model - no corners are being cut here. Each stage, too, is full of life, and crumbles around you as you pound your opponents into the ground (and sometimes through it). Visually, it almost feels like someone has cleaned your glasses for you, with the great visual style of Tekken taking on an edge of glorious hyperrealism in Tekken 8- then BAM! the rippling muscles of King pulling you into a piledriver shatters your lenses.