Tekken 7 – Review

Nearly a decade has passed since we saw the main series of Tekken progress. Luckily, we had Street Fighter X Tekken and Tekken Tag Tournament 2 to satisfy our Tekken needs, but we were still wondering how this seemingly last episode of the main series would turn out. Those who had been following the story portions of the game since the beginning were pushed to the edge of their seats by the promise of finally clearing up certain aspects of what was and currently is going on. We were eager to find out the truth about one of the main villains of the series, Heihachi, as well as getting our much needed dose of nostalgia, as well as old school fighting mechanics.

Story

In Tekken 7 the story will continue by diving deeper into the Mishima bloodline, mainly when it comes to Heihachi, and his son Kazuya, and to a lesser extent his grandson Jin Kazama. The story will show how the war is still going on between G Corp and the Mishima Zaibatsu, the two companies who are seemingly dominating the world with their show of power. The complicated mess of the war aside, you’ll see how Heihachi evolved over the years and that his final days may just be around the corner.

For those whom this might be the first Tekken game they’re playing, or those who never truly bothered with the story of the previous iterations, will probably not really know what the hell is going on. Nonetheless, there are a few story elements in place that are still pleasant to wade through, namely Heihachi’s past, and his relation to Kazuya are properly explained in this title, and how Heihachi came to be the villain that he is today. Other than that, it’s more about the war that is still raging on, on our planet and the reporter telling the story is one of the victims of the war, who is trying to get to the bottom of what went down. Akuma from the Street Fighter series becomes a rather important character in this storyline as well. It’s quite a big thing for a Street Fighter character to get a big role in the story of a different franchise to be honest.

If you’re disappointed you’ll only get to wade through fourteen very short chapters, that mainly revolve around the Mishima characters and there’s a bit of extra content to be found after you’ve cleared the main storyline. Upon completion of the story, you’ll unlock story missions for all of the other characters in the game, which may only be one battle with a bit of text thrown on the side, they still add a bit to the overall story value of this title.

Graphics

The characters in Tekken 7 are very impressive to look at, ranging from the very realistic character models, to the more unrealistic fighters that are thrown in the varied cast. Movements and special moves look impressive and add a lot of flair to the battles. Sadly, as good as the the characters may look, the arenas and some other practical effects are sorely lacking in quality. Most of the arenas have almost no background action, feel empty and when you break parts of the environment, it’s done in a very poorly fashion, making the game feel a bit dated. Other mishaps include characters pretty much sinking in the floor when knocked down, or getting stuck in the wall, which all take back a bit from the otherwise realistic looking avatars.

Sound

Even though the voice acting may steal the show when you’re playing the story portion of the game, it’s actually the extremely expansive and action packed soundtrack that makes your heart start racing, making you ready for the many fights to come. You’ll not only be limited to the soundtrack of Tekken 7, but also all its predecessors if so desired, canon and non-canon titles. It’s quite fun to create your own playlist for the game if you want to filter certain songs, or simply want to go back in time and listen to classic Tekken tunes while pounding the characters’ asses in this next generation version of the game.

Gameplay

As expected Tekken 7 remains true to its roots, and thus it’s a rather traditional fighting game, that focuses more on combos, rather than spectacularly-hard-to-learn special moves. You’ll find yourself in one to one battles from start to finish, be it online or offline. All have a few different modes, but in the end, the gameplay remains the same throughout the entire game.

Even with the different modes in place, there’s only one thing that is truly important when it comes to fighting games, namely the controls and the responsiveness thereof. Overall the controls are easy to learn, as each button supposedly corresponds with one limb of the character you’re controlling. For the most part this seems and feels rather accurate, making it easier to decide which move you’re going with after a few gaming sessions. The responsiveness still feels a bit like the older Tekken games, where there’s a short delay between your button press and the actual execution onscreen, which is also simply a matter of getting used to. The moves, in the menu, are depicted in a fashion that positions the buttons for those who are gaming with a fight pad, as you’ll have to hold your controller in a crooked position to fully mimic the control scheme shown on your monitor.

While not much has changed, the new ‘rage’ mechanics add a bit of extra fun and tension. You’ll be able to perform rage moves when you’ve been tossed around the arena a bit, which allow you to perform strong(er) moves, in order to turn the tide of the battle. This might be fun for some, frustrating for others.

The game offers a fair amount of customization options, be it for your character or your profile and HUD in-game. For most items you’ll need in-game currency, which can be earned by completing random things, such as the treasure battles. You’ll surely find your pick from the litter, and it’s also quite fun to collect all the items in this game. If you’d like to see more about the older Tekken games, there’s a rather expansive video library for you to spend your cash on.

Conclusion

Tekken 7 was well worth the long wait, even with a few graphical flaws in place. The story may have been a rather short one, but it properly wraps up many open questions that may have formed over the many years this franchise has existed. The fighting mechanics have remained true to the original titles and once again, as a Tekken fan you’ll have your fill, with a few new additions thrown into the fray. If you’re looking for a more traditional fighting game, without too many whistles and bells, the Tekken series does not disappoint.

ThaMofo

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