The Tekken series has been quite the influence back in the Playstation One days as well as at the arcade scenes. The story behind Jin, Kazuya, and Heihachi has spread onto various home consoles and finally to the PC. With Tekken 7 being available to the PS4, XBox One, and PC Steam, the Mishima family conflict that is said to come to its conclusion.
The story behind Tekken is very engaging. Cutscenes play throughout the experience and add significance when it comes to character and plot devleopment. And with the introduction of additional fighters (like Katarina, Gigas, Lucky Chloe, Claudio, and Shaheen) in Tekken 7 along with the evolution of fighting mechanics, it is able to compete against other fighter titles like Street Fighter. Speaking of Street Fighter, Akuma is also playable which is always great. Â That said, there are characters that didn’t make the roster cut, such as Julia, Lei and Anna. So it’s a mixed feeling when it comes to the resulting fighter line-up. Regardless, the story is enthralling enough to have you welcome the new fighters with open arms.
Control-wise, Tekken 7 feels very responsive and familiar. It’s best played with the controller since the default button arrangements work right off the bat. Still, you can always customize your configurations to your heart’s content. Combos don’t take too much time to execute but may require some memory jogging to perfect. But adding the cherry on top is the new fighting mechanic introduced to Tekken 7 which is the Rage Art. This is your “super attack†that takes place when you are low on health, similar to the Samurai Showdown series. In this situation, you’ll need to input a specific button sequence which will implement this cinematic-style move that heavily reduces your opponent’s health. There is also the Rage Drive which executes quicker attacks when your character is having low health.
Tekken 7 has plenty of modes to keep the gaming experience lively and to add replay value. Obviously, there is the story mode which brings the player through specific battles important in the events of the character chosen. Additional to that is the standard arcade mode where you fight random CPU characters or can engage in a fight with another player with the added bonus that you can earn money. These funds you earn can be used to unlock items, like skins and such. One noticeable mode is the Treasure Battle where you engage in various battles which has special rules and lets you unlock special clothing items.
And to make Tekken 7 complete, it has online capabilities, which you can choose to engage in free play, ranked matches and tournaments. The latter is the most entertaining as you can see how other players perform in their battles and at the same time can help you find characters. No matter the results, you get rewarded. Regardless of the mode you choose online, the connection seems to be stable.
In terms of the presentation, Tekken 7 looks crisp and clean. The character design is very intricate and detailed while the backgrounds are colourful but also kind of ordinary in today’s standards. Nevertheless, the overall look is fantastic. As for the audio implementation, the soundtrack is a mix of electronic and house music. The audio effects themselves have an extra bass that is apparent when punching and kicking your opponents, thereby giving a worthwhile impression.
What can I say? Tekken 7 continues to be a memorable and epic fighting title. And on the PC, it successfully “kicks butt†when it comes to graphics, replay value, and the vast amount of content. With such an addictive fighting game, you’ll want to get your hands on this baby for either your home console or computer!
