Tekken 8 is bringing a lot to the table. It's great to see that a fighting game comes with so much content on its launch, including a massive roster and a plethora of single-player and online modes. Among the content that Tekken 8 offers right from the start, the fan-favourite Tekken Ball finally makes a return and the question is how to win in Tekken Ball! We haven't seen this fun mini-game since the days of Tekken 3, or Tekken Tag Tournament 2 for the Wii U.
Tekken Ball is fantastic fun, and although it might seem like a silly mini-game, it actually has a lot of depth and tactics for a competitively serious match of slamming balls on the beach in a true Tekken fashion. So, how to win in Tekken Ball? What are the best strategies? Let’s find out.
How to dominate in Tekken Ball
To begin with, a lot depends on the settings of the Tekken Ball match, primarily the choice of the ball you will use. Certain balls behave differently and have various effects, and there's an option to adjust Ball Damage before the match. The maximum is 150%, but you can lower it down to 50% if you want your Tekken Ball matches to last longer. Also, in the main game Options, under the “Game Option Settings” you can set the number of rounds for the Tekken Ball mode as well as the round duration.
Always try to hit the ball with your strong moves and wait for the ball to line up with the point of impact before you press the button. When the ball is coming your way, you can use the block as well, but you will still take a small amount of damage.
The Power Gauge at the bottom of the screen indicates how powerful the ball's impact will be, and it builds up every time the ball gets hit successfully. The power in the Power Gauge will only be depleted when the ball hits a player or touches the ground.
If you want to take an easier route in a Tekken Ball match, you can turn on the Special Style (L1 on PlayStation, L on Xbox) and use the Power Crush parry (X on PlayStation, A on Xbox) to slam your opponent with an almost unblockable fast ball, this almost feels like cheesing the game.
You can even use Rage Arts, but in this mode, there won't be animations where characters perform their ultimate moves. Instead, you will simply slam the ball with maximum power for easy big damage. Similarly, you can use homing moves for a Zig-Zag ball attack or tornado moves for a Tornado Ball attack, making it harder for opponents to counter.
And if you really want to get super-technical in Tekken Ball, you can try to throw moves to toss the ball. These moves must be perfectly timed, and if successful, the tossed ball will have a random effect after being hit, which can be similar to Rage Arts.
Those would indeed be some of the best strategies that will answer your question about how to win in Tekken Ball. So now, go have fun, and don't forget to properly customize your characters for a beach day! Unfortunately, right now, only Azucena can wear a proper bikini. DLC, perhaps?