Since the launch of Tekken 8 Season 3 on the 17th, the Steam user reviews have been drowning in criticism, with the overall rating plummeting to 'Overwhelmingly Negative'.

Tekken 8 Season 3 promised a 'return to basics' and 'refined balance'. The developers implemented restrictions on offensive play during Heat, such as removing the wall splat effect of Heat Smash, disabling enhanced states upon Heat termination, and limiting Heat Dash combos. With the addition of new stance transitions and follow-up moves, a massive shift in the meta was expected.

However, the community’s reception was icy. Contrary to the claims of balancing the game by increasing defensive options, the tangible changes were practically non-existent. Furthermore, the newly added moves felt like recycled animations from past titles or existing characters, accompanied by a slew of game-breaking bugs. Heihachi Mishima suffered from a bug dubbed the 'healthy knuckle' on his new skill, while Jack gained the nickname 'healthy stomp' for a similar glitch. It is particularly galling that after nearly a year of radio silence on balance adjustments, this update failed to deliver anything meaningful.

Consequently, the user reviews posted since the start of Season 3 have hit 'Overwhelmingly Negative' (986 participants, 13% positive). Players are furious that a patch waited upon for months was released in such a buggy, untested state, with many accusing the developers of deceiving them by failing to align with pre-announced directions. Critics also argue that giving every character similar stances has eroded their unique identities, leading to a stale, homogenous gameplay loop.

The developers have since issued an emergency patch to address the most egregious bugs and abnormal balance issues. Furthermore, a follow-up patch including comprehensive character performance adjustments is scheduled for mid-April.

Elsewhere in the global charts, Crimson Desert continues its reign at number one for the second week, even as the Steam Spring Sale winds down. Recent quality-of-life improvements have seen its user rating climb, and a shift to 'Very Positive' seems just around the corner.

In the daily peak Concurrent Players top 20, Apex Legends saw its numbers climb to 284,179. This surge appears tied to the announcement of a new event starting on the 31st, alongside audio improvements and legend balance adjustments.