Tekken 4 is a masterclass in atmosphere and aesthetic. The game's y2k aesthetic becomes apparent as soon as you boot up the game and the intro starts playing with it having one of the iconic moments for the whole series (Kazuya's return to the series after his apparent death in the second game) enhanced by the techno music which accompanies it.
Tekken 4's techno soundtrack helps immerse the player into its more digital aesthetic and 'Fetus' playing in the prologue for each character's story mode paired with the sketchy art and the cold and monotonous speech of the narrator telling the story of the characters does its job to hype the player up for the forthcoming battles.
Speaking of battles the one thing I want to gush about the most are the stages in which the battles take place. Never ever have I seen stages which cater to my taste so much as this game. The stages are much more modern in comparison to what I had come to expect with the battles taking place in airports, malls, top of a skyscraper and other such places. Each stage is distinct and unique and has at least something interesting going on be it mechanically or aesthetically or even both in some cases. Stages like the forest have uneven terrain making it difficult for some moves, parking and skyscraper got objects like poles or statues (respectively) in it which you can use to hide behind or can even destroy by hitting your opponent against it which makes the experience much more realistic. Even stages which don't have a lot going on in gameplay category make up for it in visuals with my favorites being the underground lab surrounded by white fumes at the bottom giving it a more mysterious look and the Underground one in which the crowd surrounds you and they cheer for the fighters when there's a hard hitting move done by either one. Talking about the theme's of these stages would be redundant since I've already praised the ost a lot but skyscraper's theme, 'Authentic Sky' and Airports theme, 'Touch And Go' are my favorites.
I would also like to mention the story mode of each of its character is impeccable and the darker and grittier tone it has makes it much more memorable and its unfortunate to see how much the non Mishima characters are side lined narratively in the successive entries of the series when taking it into account how good this game was because of everyone being given their due.
All in all, Tekken 4 while not as fun to play as 5 for me is still my favorite of the franchise yet (along with 5 ofc) because of its bold and distinct visual identity and various design choices perfectly syncing up with each other to make one of the most atmospheric and immersive fighting games I've played and everyone who's a fan of y2k aesthetic and fighting games should give this one a chance
Tekken 4's techno soundtrack helps immerse the player into its more digital aesthetic and 'Fetus' playing in the prologue for each character's story mode paired with the sketchy art and the cold and monotonous speech of the narrator telling the story of the characters does its job to hype the player up for the forthcoming battles.
Speaking of battles the one thing I want to gush about the most are the stages in which the battles take place. Never ever have I seen stages which cater to my taste so much as this game. The stages are much more modern in comparison to what I had come to expect with the battles taking place in airports, malls, top of a skyscraper and other such places. Each stage is distinct and unique and has at least something interesting going on be it mechanically or aesthetically or even both in some cases. Stages like the forest have uneven terrain making it difficult for some moves, parking and skyscraper got objects like poles or statues (respectively) in it which you can use to hide behind or can even destroy by hitting your opponent against it which makes the experience much more realistic. Even stages which don't have a lot going on in gameplay category make up for it in visuals with my favorites being the underground lab surrounded by white fumes at the bottom giving it a more mysterious look and the Underground one in which the crowd surrounds you and they cheer for the fighters when there's a hard hitting move done by either one. Talking about the theme's of these stages would be redundant since I've already praised the ost a lot but skyscraper's theme, 'Authentic Sky' and Airports theme, 'Touch And Go' are my favorites.
I would also like to mention the story mode of each of its character is impeccable and the darker and grittier tone it has makes it much more memorable and its unfortunate to see how much the non Mishima characters are side lined narratively in the successive entries of the series when taking it into account how good this game was because of everyone being given their due.
All in all, Tekken 4 while not as fun to play as 5 for me is still my favorite of the franchise yet (along with 5 ofc) because of its bold and distinct visual identity and various design choices perfectly syncing up with each other to make one of the most atmospheric and immersive fighting games I've played and everyone who's a fan of y2k aesthetic and fighting games should give this one a chance
3 Comments
@Jackho Yeah I like playing 5 more too mainly cause of it feeling faster and having a lot of characters in comparison to 4.
As much I'd like to imagine it I doubt the series would've had this modern y2k aesthetic for long even if T4 was a success tho the grounded stories for the characters could've been a staple. Btw the PAL cover was the one which had Jin's face covered by the hood right?
As much I'd like to imagine it I doubt the series would've had this modern y2k aesthetic for long even if T4 was a success tho the grounded stories for the characters could've been a staple. Btw the PAL cover was the one which had Jin's face covered by the hood right?
Aye that and the mad stormy atmosphere: https://s.gamer-info.com/gl/t/e/k/k/tekken-4_ba.jpg
Jackho
3 months ago