The most famous mini-game in Tekken, Tekken Ball, is making a return here in Tekken 8 as part of the new Clive Rosfield DLC update.
Katsuhiro Harada and a few developers from Bandai Namco show this new old favorite off alongside Final Fantasy XIV Main Director, Hiroshi Takai and some of his team from Square Enix.
Tekken Ball first appeared back in 1997’s Tekken 3 as an unlockable mini-game players could use for a fun, more lighthearted approach to Tekken’s action. Characters would suddenly find themselves on Gon’s Beach Island stage, now updated with a volleyball court, using their abilities to more or less play the classic game with a bit of a violent twist.
Instead of a point system, competitors cause damage to one another either by getting them to fumble the ball, or be hit by it more directly as each successful volley imbued the ball with more and more energy and momentum.
Though fans showed appreciation for Tekken Ball, it would not come back until the 2012 Wii port of Tekken Tag 2, where it was widely unchanged from its first appearance.
Here in 2024 the mini-game returns for a third round in Tekken 8, but this time developers have added a few more bells and whistles. First off, the game’s unique Rage Art mechanic comes into play as characters can use Rage Burst to ensure a clean hit on the ball and sends it directly at their opposition.
Developers at Bandai Namco have also included different types of balls via the red and blue explosive Final Fantasy Bomb King balls. These, which you’ll see in action in the showcase video below, can randomly explode during the game to add an extra element of unpredictability and positional strategy to the mix.
Check out Tekken Ball as it appears in Tekken 8 in the full video below (skip to 1:03:20). There’s a ton more to the Tekken 8 presentation here as Bandai and Square Enix roll out their new joint venture in Clive Rosfield’s T8 guest appearance, so you may want to watch the rest of the show as well as the previous Tekken X Final Fantasy presentations for more.