Special Style controls in Tekken 8 - What is it, how to activate it, and more

Tekken 8 has introduced a brand-new way to play - Special Style. Accessibility has become far more important in fighting games over the past few years. In particular, Street Fighter 6’s Modern Controls option has felt like a benchmark when it comes to accessibility. However, Bandai Namco took it further with their new gameplay style. Unlike Modern, you have more control over when and where they trigger this gameplay style.

Here’s what players need to know about Special Style in Tekken 8. We'll cover how to do it, what makes it different from other fighting games, and more.

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What is Special Style in Tekken 8?

Special Style in Tekken 8 is the next evolution of accessibility. One of the downsides to fighting games is how difficult they can be to get into. Street Fighter 6’s Modern Controls went a long way towards making the genre accessible to beginners and returning players alike.

In particular, many 2D fighting game players have difficulty shifting their focus to 3D fighters like the upcoming Tekken 8. This system is to help beginners get into the game and have access to more complicated inputs. The game will even ask you if you want to turn it on upon booting the game up for the first time.

This new gameplay style makes Tekken 8 accessible to so many more players (Image via Bandai Namco)

It could be used by players of any skill level, though. It’s a faster way to get to certain combos or attacks; you can toggle it on or off at any time during a match. To turn on Special Style in Tekken 8, press L1 on your PS5 controller. This will toggle the system on or off as needed.

• Square: Specialty Move
• Triangle (repeated): Air Combos
• X/Cross: Power Crush
• Circle: Low Attacks
• R1: Heat Burst
• R2: Rage Burst

While Special Style is active, you’ll see a series of inputs on a box on-screen. You can see them in the image as well as the list above. This changes your buttons from the traditional Tekken buttons to a series of special attacks and easy combos. If, for example, you are bad at Asuka Kazama, this can help give you an idea of what she can do.

Inexperienced players can feel more powerful using this style of gameplay (Image via Bandai Namco)

What makes this so interesting is that you can toggle it off, even while being comboed. The same goes for turning it on. It can be activated or deactivated at any point during a match, depending on what you need.

You can do a few decent combos this way, as well as activate powerful special attacks. Everyone might not think this is a good idea - some might even consider it cheating. However, accessibility is important in fighting games. It’s a unique choice for players to turn it on and off during a fight.

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Players have access to Special Style in Tekken 8 right now. At least those players who are a part of the PlayStation 5 Closed Network Test. There’s another test coming to PC soon for this upcoming fighting game.