Tekken 8 is like Dark Souls: "People who keep dying over and over are having fun with the game"

Tekken 8's director has compared the new fighting game sequel to Dark Souls.

Speaking to PLAY Magazine in a new interview, Tekken series lead Katsuhiro Harada contrasted Tekken 8 with Dark Souls. Harada disputed the notion that fighting games are complex and complicated, instead saying that Tekken 8 feels like a natural evolution of the series in the way that Dark Souls players feel like they want to improve and get better.

Harada thinks Dark Souls is a game that's deliberately meant to be difficult. But it's the enjoyment for players, even those who find playing FromSoftware's game difficult, that shines through, spurring them on to reach new levels and improve their gameplay as a result.

This is, in a nutshell, what Harada is going for with Tekken 8. The director wants players to feel like they're progressing in the new fighting game, having fun as they go and really striving to reach new levels. This is where the comparison to Dark Souls really comes into focus for Harada.

It's a bold comparison, but not one that's without merit. Fighting games attract players of all skill levels and capabilities, just like deliberately difficult and challenging games like FromSoftware's titles. If players are enjoying the experience though, which Harada obviously hopes they will with Tekken 8, they'll push on to better themselves as a result, and so won't find the game that tough in the end.

This is the first time Harada has properly revealed anything surrounding Tekken 8, since the game director dropped in on an Evo livestream last year to tease the sequel in the most chaotic way possible. Chaos and mayhem is just another day at the office for the prolific fighting game director.

Check out our new games 2023 guide for a look at all the games that will probably be with us before the new Tekken.