Earlier this week we heard rumors of a modern character being announced for Tekken 8, and at the same time the trailer included a clear hint of red-clad rabble-rouser Anna Williams. It turns out that this unmistakable tip was wrong. My mistake. During yesterday’s Game Awards gala, we learned that the next player to appear at the gala will be… Clive? From Final Fantasy XVI? Bright. Why not.
Oh yes, lots of whirring fire and ice effects and those stabs and slices befitting a magical man. This is the second Final Fantasy character to guest star in a fighter recently, as Final Fantasy XV’s Noctis also found his way into the 2018 Iron Fist Tournament. Some of Clive’s warped moves are reminiscent of a traveling prince (one air-slapping combo in particular), but most of Clive’s moveset looks like his own furious pounding. At one point, he slashes Zantetsuken-style after Odin, a long-time summoner from the RPG series, and finally summons Ifrit into existence in what appears to be the character’s Rage art.
He is the fourth and final character for anyone who purchased the Season 1 DLC Pass, standing next to the already released Eddy, Lydiaand Heihachi. Also included is his fiery Phoenix Gate stage. I’m sure there will be some disappointment, considering how some fans have been clamoring to see Tifa – another Final Fantasy character – as a guest star (or Kiryu from the Yakuza series) for years. Once again they saw no answer to their prayers, but perhaps the pain would lessen as they checked Clive’s movement. Some of his attacks look terrifyingly quick. It will be added to the game next week on December 16.
As for my earlier reports that the modern character would likely be a bifferesa in red, well, I found myself confused. These tips were intended for Next fighting game season, which suggests that Anna will appear next year (Anna has been a main character in all Tekken games, except Tekken 4 for some reason). This serves me well because I get caught up in the prevailing winds of streamer opinions and YouTube comments, rather than trusting my reporter and just saying in a dull voice, “we don’t know who it’s going to be yet.” Honestly, I’m just upset that we haven’t seen any signs of drunk Master Leia or irritated matador Miguel yet. Although now when I look at Clive’s hair, I see something distinctly Miguelish about him. Maybe I’ll wear it?
