A lot has changed since Tekken 8 released on Jan. 26. Changes like the addition of a paid costume shop, and battle pass were not viewed favorably, which is a shame because the original release had a lot of positive buzz. Naturally, a lot of eyes are on the first DLC character, and long time fan favorite, Eddy Gordo. Known for his powerful kicks, juggling combos, and overall style, is he a must have, or it is another loss?
Right off the bat I like that Eddy Gordo is now featured on the title screen, and main menu. It’s nice to see how this will change over time, especially if featured characters will extend beyond the latest DLC release. While this was nice, I was disappointed to see Eddy did not receive a character episode, at least at the time of posting. Small touches like this are always appreciated as games continue to evolve.
Naturally, this means Eddy’s value comes down to gameplay alone. At first glance he has a lot of potential for lower skilled players. Most notable being his third sample combo, which does 61 damage by repeatedly pressing the same button. To put this into perspective, landing three of these combos is enough to win a match.
Even if Eddy has some accessible combos, he has some things for more skilled players as well. A big part of his fighting style is alternating between stances like Banaeira, Negativa, and utilizing Mandinga.
When in Banaeira stance Eddy will do a handstand, though that doesn’t mean he will necessarily do overhead kicks. Many of his combos are actually middle attacks that build up to an high blow. Several moves, along with the stance itself, can also be shifted to Negativa.
When using Negativa Eddy briefly crouches low, before attacking. Like Banaeira the assumption would be mostly low attacks, but instead it’s more middle/high attacks with several offering a variety of change ups. So, think middle, high, middle, or low, followed by high. It’s also possible to shift back to Banaeira to keep your opponent guessing.
Several combos end with Eddy activating Mandinga. This is a two level skill that empower attacks. It’s a nice way to build up momentum beyond simply dealing damage to foes. It also adds some slight changes, like altering the hit properties, that can result in throwing your opponent off.
With so many different elements to keep track of, there will also be a learning curve for opponents as well. All the little details will result in plenty of mistakes that will be taken advantage of. Long term it is hard to say how the community responds.
Low skill/accessible moves will work on inexperienced players, but those who know what you’re trying to do will almost certainly win in the end. It’s the type of tactic that makes an opponent predictable, and in doing so extremely easy to counter. More skilled players will likely get a lot of milage out of unexpected moves, or well crafted change ups.
Odds are this will result in a lot of confusion, frustration, and comments about Eddy Gordo being overpowered. This will likely last for a bit, followed by players starting to have a better read on whether he is truly strong, or this is more of a knee jerk reaction.
What we can say is Eddy is a legitimately fun character. Being a more accessible character makes him more friendly to the casual player base, with enough flash to keep things interesting. Even without mastering his combos he does fairly well in arcade, and other offline modes. So if you’re looking for a flashy character that is on the more accessible side we think you’ll be happy, but if you’re curious about his high level play potential I’d give it a bit to see what the community ultimately decides on.
Editor’s Note: Tekken 8 Eddy Gordo DLC was provided to us for review purposes.
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You were scammed if you bought this incomplete game. Of course he isn't worth it. Are they going to record 2 or 3 DIFFERENT lines that he says at the intro of a fight to EVERY single other fighter in the game, like Netherrealm do? NO, of course they aren't going to do anything close to that for the ripoff price.