The Tekken 8 community has erupted in frustration following the Season 2 update, which introduced a series of contentious changes to the game. The patch notes unveiled a universal increase in character damage potential and offensive pressure, leading many fans to argue that the update has veered Tekken 8 away from its traditional roots.

Professional Tekken player JoKa expressed his disappointment, stating, "This does not feel like Tekken AT ALL." He elaborated on his concerns, highlighting that even minor buffs to characters, coupled with enhanced stance-based transitions and 50/50 situations, are detrimental to the game's identity. He criticized the new moves for being overpowered with minimal counterplay options and noted the removal of character weaknesses and identities through homogenization. JoKa also pointed out the imbalance between offensive and defensive mechanics, with heat and combo damage being excessively high across the roster. While acknowledging improved sidesteps, he questioned their relevance when facing moves with excessive tracking and hitboxes. He lamented the excessive chip damage and the lack of promised defensive options, arguing that the shift towards more 50/50 scenarios detracts from Tekken's foundational gameplay.

The backlash has been palpable on Tekken 8's Steam page, where over 1,100 negative reviews have flooded in over the past two days, pushing the recent user review rating to 'mostly negative.' One standout review describes the game as "a genuinely good game held back by schizophrenic insane developers sent from hell." Other reviews echo the sentiment of overpowered offense and a lack of defensive options, with one stating, "New season dropped and they made every character into a braindead easy mix up machine without a single buff to defense." Another review lamented the balance team's focus on powerful offense, stripping agency from defending players. A third review expressed concern over the game's direction, noting, "Not every character needs to be able to force 50/50 canned mixups constantly, but it seems like the balance team doesn't have any other ideas for how to build characters at this point. It's just a shame to see another legacy fighting game become entirely defined by character offense and situations with little to no response from the defender."

The discontent is so severe that some fans are abandoning Tekken 8 for Capcom's Street Fighter 6, while others have labeled Season 2 as the "worst patch in Tekken history." Professional players have also voiced their dismay, with some threatening to abandon the game entirely. Jesandy, a prominent player, shared his despair on social media, stating, "I don't know if I'll continue playing Tekken if this patch stays. I'm sorry for doomposting, but I thought it had a chance to be a better game. I'm just really sad. Like depressed. I streamed 70 hours of Tekken this past week to prep for s2 just to have those hopes shattered. Gn."

The community is now eagerly awaiting a response from the development team, hoping for either a complete rollback of the patch or an emergency follow-up patch to address the critical issues raised.