Character development? In my fighting game?
Bandai Namco has been treating players with more detailed looks at some Tekken 8 characters in the lead-up to Evo Japan and the games first hands-on experienceand the latest trailer showcases a new side of Jin Kazama.
Following in his fathers footsteps, for once, Jin is the second character to get this treatment. The brief trailer mostly focuses on showing a handful of updated moves and options the character will have in the newest Tekken titleand fans are excited about the prospect of an embraced devil.
While a lot of the comments regarding Jins trailer involve fans discussing the absurd amount of particle effects on screen with basically every action, there is an equal amount discussing just what this updated gameplay is telling us about Jin, his Devil Gene, and the story that will unfold as he clashes with Kazuya.
Unlike in previous games where Jins devil powers are more of an afterthought while he is acting under his own strength, Tekken 8 seems to be advancing his character further based on his previous decision to cautiously embrace his power to face and kill his father. This leads fans to believe that Devil Jin will not be a factor in the game as a standalone entity because Jin is working to embrace the power he once fought against.
You can see this development in his moveset since Jin actually incorporates more of Devil Jins options into his own kit. You can see hints of him incorporating Fly stance, a Devil Jin staple, or his own Omen stance to build into moves typically used without access to those optionssomething fans are already breaking down.
Outside of lore context and how cool some of the moves look, this will also be a great thing for Jin players since combining his normal moveset with that of Devil Jin in a way that enhances the characters options can really only benefit him. Though it might be a bit too anime for some Tekken purists.
As one Reddit user put it, Jin goes full One-Winged Angel. Now, we just have to wait and see how far the Tekken team has taken this merger once we get more details and a look at more gameplay heading into April.