Miary Zo is coming to Tekken 8 in December and a recent Dev Talk video has discussed the fighter’s background, powers, and design.
While Miary Zo was initially met with a lot of criticism from the FGC, the Dev Talk video has changed some opinions about her.
When Miary Zo was first announced, the FGC was underwhelmed. Game Director Katsuhiro Harada was even forced to tell fans on X (formerly Twitter) that her generic looks were the result of some sort of bug and not because developers just made all female characters have the same body shape and facial features.
He then made some very minor changes to her face that didn’t seem noticeable. At this point, the fighting game crowd wasn’t too excited about her arrival.
Miary Zo Dev Talk Videos Reveal Unique Playstyle
Now, developers have revealed more insight into Miary Zo’s design and abilities in two extensive Dev Talk videos. Round 1 discussed Miary Zo’s concept and design while Round 2 discussed her fighting and stage.
According to Harada, Miary Zo grew up around animals and began imitating their movements, which sparked her interest in martial arts. Soon, the top fighters from around the world were visiting Madagascar just to challenge her.
Things changed when Miary Zo started noticing strange markings all over her body. She eventually fell ill with a fever. When she woke up, she had the power of the Fighting God.
The Fighting God first appeared in Tekken 3 as referenced by the Ogre from Mexico. However, developers explained in the Dev Talk that there are multiple Ogres from various regions. The one in Madagascar is seen as benevolent and is worshipped as a deity.
With the Fighting God power, Miary Zo can stretch her arms like a snake and has a long, ringtail lemur-like tail. These special powers primarily manifest during Heat, enabling her to clash with other fighters who possess similar abilities.
Comments on the Dev Talk videos indicate that the perception of Miary Zo is largely positive, with many players excited to see her in action now that they have a better understanding of what sets her apart. The FGC has remarked on developers putting effort into her design and backstory, which is a big difference from how players felt before when they saw initial images of her face.
As the FGC grapples with frustrations brought on by gameplay updates in Season 2, competitive players are looking forward to Season 3 to see if Miary Zo and balance changes will make the game feel healthy and more complex again.
As the backlash to Season 2 continued, Harada had written on X: “I personally do not think this backlash is at all unjustified. I recognize that it is a natural occurrence and we have no choice but to respond by continuing to update.”
