Standing amongst the brigade of brawling titans that are Street Fighter and Mortal Kombat, the Tekken franchise has stood tall and proud now for 20 years – and soon enough its seventh numbered title and tenth major installment will hit consoles everywhere. Not much has been released on the combo fighter thus far, but a stylish trailer released by Bandai Namco has given us quite the tease. There’s plenty of new qualities and upgrades being shown off, so let’s break it down and see what we’re getting when Tekken 7 finally hits store shelves.
Since the release of the wildly successful Injustice 2, fighting fans everywhere have been getting their fix of excellent content. Not too far behind, making a grand entrance on the current gen era of consoles and PC, Tekken 7 is adding more combo stringing action to the growing realm of fighting legends. As the original 3D fighter, Tekken has held a strong fan base throughout its long twenty year tenure and helped revolutionize the genre – Tekken 7 is looking to remind fans and gamers everywhere why it’s still around and fighting strong.
Flashy moves, punchy soundtrack and combos, the Tekken 7 trailer swings into full effect highlighting the new features that comes equipped with the new fighter. The all-new ‘Rage Art’ battle system acts as powerful moves to shift the ever-flowing tide of battle. Tactical unique skills known as ‘Rage Drive’ provide special combo moves specific to each fighter. Turning the fight in your favor just got a little easier with ‘Power Crush’, an armored move allowing a momentum shift, blasting through enemy moves.
Enhancing the fighting experience also makes an impressive introduction to the series with slow motion ending battle scenes, showcasing tight matches ending in a single, decisive attack. With lively fighting stages, the blistering combat isn’t the only thing keeping the action full throttle. Day changes, weather shifts, music and stage transfers – all of which add more direct and immersive action, giving players a true, dramatic fighting brawler.
The story mode takes you through the series’ famous storyline of the Mishima saga. With beautiful cinematic detail and cut scenes, matches will seamlessly blend all along the story, keeping the player thoroughly engaged from start to finish. Furthermore, guest characters will make their appearance; the trailer showing off an epic battle between Street Fighter mega bruiser Akuma squaring off against the Tekken hero himself, Kazuya Mishima. Other guest character have not yet been announced but we know of at least two more spots on the roster will be added in a later DLC.
Lastly, the online features are covered, and proudly presenting a first in the Tekken franchise, 8-player tournament mode, as well as ranked matches. High risks playing online also come with high rewards, earning large amounts of in-game money, which can be spent on customization items, player profiles and health bars, not only changing the appearance of the fighter, but adding a personalized look to your most dedicated players.
So far, the fighting genre has been struck by greatness already once this year with the recent release of Injustice 2. Tekken 7 is hoping to show us greatness can strike possibly twice, and only weeks apart. Whether it’s the climactic fight scenes, unique roster of fighters or the fluid combo based gameplay that draws you to Tekken, the next installment looks to deliver fast-paced, heart-pounding action, leaving players breathless along the way.
PlayStation 4, Xbox One and PC owners will have their chance to see what the newest title in the series has to offer when Tekken 7 releases Friday, June 2nd, while Switch owners are still clinging to the hope that one day, they too, will have their opportunity.