I grew up with Tekken — 5 ways how the series can finally come to Switch 2

It’s been eight years since Nintendo released the original Switch, and there has been nothing from the Tekken series to play on it. It seems strange, and you may think that’s incorrect, but developer Bandai Namco seemingly doesn’t see the value of doing so, which is sad for those who want to engage in some portable beat-em-up action. 

It’s a bizarre omission, considering the number of titles that other developers like Capcom and Neo Geo have brought out for Nintendo’s console. Indeed, although the original Switch is barely powerful enough to run Tekken 8 at a stable framerate, it could certainly run on the Switch 2 with a few compromises; after all, the new console has the power.

The Escapist recaps

• Tekken first debuted in 1994 in arcades, followed by the Sony PlayStation.
• The franchise has sold almost 60 million copies, with Tekken 7 being the most successful with seven million sold. 
• Tekken Tag Tournament was released in 1999 for arcades and the Sony PlayStation 2 as a launch title.
• Its sequel, Tekken Tag 2, came out in 2012 to great acclaim, but lower than expected sales.
• The latest title, Tekken 8, came out in January 2024 for PlayStation 5, Xbox Series S/X, and PC.

Having first been introduced to the series via a Tekken 2 demo that came with my PlayStation console in 1997, I’ve been a huge fan of the series ever since. Even now, I regard Tekken 3 on PS1 and Tekken Tag Tournament on PS2 as the pinnacles of the series.

But Bandai Namco isn’t limited to just bringing Tekken 8 to the Switch 2. There are plenty of other ways in which Tekken can come to the console. Then, fans of the series can finally play it on the go. With this in mind, we’re listing five ways in which Tekken can come to Nintendo Switch 2:

Port Tekken Tag 2 Wii U Edition to Switch 2, with extras

In 2011, Bandai Namco announced a Wii U port of Tekken Tag 2, which came with several extras related to Nintendo. This included mushrooms appearing during fights and being part of an exclusive mode called Mushroom Battle, where the fights can grow or shrink, depending on what’s collected. This port also heralded the return of Tekken Ball, a volleyball mode that first appeared in Tekken 3.

As a start to push the series on Nintendo’s console, let’s see Tekken Tag 2 Wii U Edition come to Switch 2 with some new items inspired by Mario Kart World. A Feather could make fighters make huge leaps, or a red shell that can be thrown at certain moments. In addition, perhaps some new levels could appear, based on Metroid Prime 4, Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom, and more. This seems like an easy win for both Nintendo and Bandai Namco.

Tekken Advance on Nintendo Classics

Tekken came to a Nintendo device way before the Wii U in the form of Tekken Advance on Nintendo’s Game Boy Advance in 2001. It was based on Tekken Tag Tournament from 1999 in terms of characters, levels, and sound effects, but following Tekken 3’s story. Despite Nintendo’s handheld featuring two buttons and two shoulder triggers, the game was surprisingly fun, letting players easily perform classic moves tied to longtime characters of the series.

As subscribers to the Nintendo Classics service can play a bunch of retro games from the company’s past, including from the Game Boy Advance era, it feels almost too obvious for Tekken Advance to come to the service someday. When you combine it with the features of the service, like save states and online multiplayer, having this title on Switch 2 would be a fantastic start to see the series finally debut on it.

Bring Tekken 1-3 as an Arcade Archives Collection

Although the Switch 2 launch came with some great games, such as Mario Kart World and updated versions of Zelda: Breath of the Wild and Tears of the Kingdom, one surprise was an arcade port of Bandai Namco’s Ridge Racer. 

Part of its Arcade Archives series, it’s a smart way to bring the iconic racing game that arguably defined part of the Sony PlayStation at its 1994 launch, without porting over the home version. Since then, other titles based on Namco’s System 22 arcade architecture, like Air Combat 22 and Aqua Jet, have been released.

However, while the first three Tekken games worked off the successor architecture called System 11 and subsequently 12, it wouldn’t be a stretch to bring the trilogy to Arcade Archives. These versions are also superior to their home ports, as this video shows, with 3D backgrounds, higher-resolution models, better-quality sounds, and more. 

They all had to be downgraded to run on Sony’s first console at a stable framerate. Seeing these three games in their best versions on Switch 2 would be a perfect way for old and new players to rediscover these games all over again, without Namco having to try to emulate their PlayStation counterparts.

Bring Tekken 8 over as a ’Gold Edition’

Capcom made a smart move when it ported Street Fighter 6 to Switch 2 in time for the console’s June 5 launch. Since its release in June 2023, two season passes have been released, containing a bunch of new characters, outfits, and colors. For Switch 2, players could download both season passes, included with Street Fighter 6, and play with others on different systems thanks to crossplay support.

Bandai Namco would do well to draw inspiration from Capcom here, as well as CD Project RED’s effort in porting Cyberpunk 2077 to the Switch 2, as well as including the game on a cartridge, saving players the hassle of downloading it to their consoles. Granted, Tekken 8 runs on the more powerful Unreal Engine 5, but it’s not impossible for the title to come to Switch. 

There could be compromises made, like lower-resolution graphics and fewer details on shadows, environments, but it wouldn’t harm the gameplay. In addition, if this ‘Gold Edition’ came with both Seasons for Tekken 8, that could bring a lot of appeal to new and existing players, perhaps to even buy the game again, just so they can play it on the go. It may be a lot of work for Bandai Namco, but considering the huge success of the Switch 2 already, it could be worth it in the long run.

Bring the lesser-known Tekken Tag HD to Switch 2

Tekken Tag Tournament HD on Switch 2 may be a reach, but bear with us. Not many players know of this HD remaster of the 1999 original, which debuted in arcades, followed by its launch alongside the PlayStation 2 in 2000 worldwide. Beginning life as ‘Tekken 3.5’ at the behest of Bandai Namco superiors, the Tekken team got to work on the spinoff, which evolved into Tekken Tag. 

But the HD port came part of Tekken Hybrid in 2011 for PlayStation 3, which was meant to help promote the Tekken movie on the disk, as well as coming with a Tekken Tag 2 demo. But the HD port wasn’t just a simple port. It features native widescreen 1080P support at a smooth 60 frames per second, making every character and level shine.

The original Tekken Tag is the ultimate compilation of the first three games, with almost 40 characters to choose from and a new mode called Tekken Bowl, which is exactly what it’s called. To see it come to Switch 2 would be a great move by Bandai Namco for the fans, especially if it comes with online multiplayer. 

It’s fun, it’s fast, it has one of the series’ best soundtracks, and random in-game endings that make you question what’s going on. Ultimately, it could be a great way to test the waters for Tekken on Switch, without requiring the developers to maintain it with balance patches.

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References

1. TEKKEN 8 (Steam)
2. Tekken Tag Tournament 2 Wii U Edition (YouTube)
3. Arcade Archives 2 RIDGE RACER (YouTube)
4. Arcade Archives AIR COMBAT 22 (YouTube)
5. Arcade Archives AQUA JET (YouTube)
6. Tekken 3 (Arcade vs Playstation) Side by Side Comparison (YouTube)
7. Street Fighter™ 6 (Nintendo)
8. Cyberpunk 2077: Ultimate Edition (Nintendo)