Bandai Namco resumed its rollout of character trailers for Tekken 8 after a brief hiatus. This latest one centers around Claudio Serafino, a character previously introduced in Tekken 7’s base roster who returns here in Tekken 8 apparently to annoy me specifically. He was easily one of the least compelling newcomers from that game, but at the very least, those who enjoyed his playstyle will undoubtedly look forward to seeing how he fits into Tekken 8’s revamped mechanics. Bandai Namco actually already revealed Claudio’s return in a brief teaser at the end of the announcement trailer for the upcoming closed network test. This new trailer does, however, provide our first glimpses into Claudio’s gameplay.
A powerful exorcist hailing from Italy, Claudio played a relatively minor role in Tekken 7’s story campaign. Heihachi Mishima tracked him down in the hopes of recruiting him so that he could use his demon-purging powers to help deal with Kazuya and his devil form. After an obligatory fight, Claudio agreed to join Heihachi, at which point he simply doled out a few more lines and did pretty much nothing for the rest of the mode.
What about his gameplay?
As for his fighting style, Claudio utilizes “Sirius-Style Exorcism Sorcery,” a fictional discipline that combines vicious strikes with light-based magic. In practice, this sees him firing arrows of light and posing during his attacks as if he’s trying really, really hard to look cool. He also retains his Starburst mechanic, which provides a buff to some of his moves while active.
Of course, like every other Tekken 8 character trailer, this one sees Claudio concluding his move set showcase by performing his Rage Art. All he really does for it is shoot a bigger, more powerful light arrow much like he did in Tekken 7, only this one has a lot more visual effects attached to it.
