The very best fighters have an almost inscrutable element to them.
Though there are countless games
where you can punch and kick your way to victory,
these special few manage to make every fight a small spectacle.
They become more than a weekend time waster,
motivating you to get better even after the most crushing defeat.
Tekken 7 is one of those games.
The series is more than two decades old
but this latest iteration is filled with so much vitality
that even its most expected elements are captivating once again.
While Tekken 7 does fumble some of the details its competitors have nailed,
it has a solid core that rises above these shortcomings.
A large part of Tekken 7’s appeal comes down to its presentation.
Even the smallest elements have a certain sharpness to them
that contributes to the overall sense of excitement.
The character select screen, for instance,
features large, clear portraits of the 37 available characters
with light reflecting off shards of broken glass floating in the background.
After choosing characters and a stage,
the words “Get Ready For The Next Battle”
appear in a giant golden font surrounded by flames.
The game carries itself like it’s a very big deal
and the performance is convincing enough that it’s easy to buy into.
Such swagger is present in the soundtrack as well,
which does a fine job of pumping players up with swelling electric beats.
The biggest aesthetic success is also the most important one.
Every character looks fantastic,
contributing an identifiable and distinct personality.
The burly wrestler King appears both distinguished and intimidating
in his flowing white cape
while characters like the suave exorcist Claudio
have enough of their own pizazz to fit right in to the eccentric roster.
As usual with Tekken, every attack has a hefty sense of weight,
making the most basic move feel like a small victory
as you shave chunks of red from your opponent’s health bar.
Effective new visual additions ratchet up the drama of fights,
such as a slow-motion effect that kicks in
when both players are at low health and attack simultaneously.
Because the effect only happens during already tense moments,
it doesn’t grow tiresome.
It’s just a smart way for the game to puff up finales
without becoming overbearing.
As far as the fighting itself goes, Tekken 7 is largely familiar
but what it does add feels significant.
For those fresh to the series, two of Tekken’s most identifiable traits
are precise movement and lengthy air combos.
Players can sidestep attacks by moving toward or away from the camera,
which can be preferable to blocking because you don’t take any damage
and you can easily follow up to punish the opponent.
Every character can also launch the enemy upward,
allowing for follow-up combos called “juggles”
where they’re completely defenseless, hanging in mid-air as you pummel away.
What’s new are rage arts, rage drives, and power crushes.
Rage arts are similar to super moves in other fighting games
and as equally grand.
The catch is that they can’t be activated
until the player is down to 25 percent health or less.
Every rage art is extremely powerful
and gets more powerful as your health lowers,
making it a dangerous comeback mechanic that plays into the mind games of a match.
Much like the aforementioned slow-motion that occasionally happens,
it’s another way to spice up the end of fights,
but experienced players can block or avoid careless rage arts,
preventing them from feeling cheap.
Like rage arts, rage drives can only be activated at low health
and they open up lengthy combo opportunities.
Meanwhile, power crush moves continue
even if you’re taking damage from mid or high attacks,
essentially easing the pressure from a particularly aggressive player.
All of these new mechanics can be understood within a couple of minutes
and are easy to execute.
Unlike other fighting games, it doesn’t take a lot
to start doing something flashy or effective in Tekken.
Many moves are performed with simple button combinations
sometimes combined with basic directional inputs.
Yet where Tekken falls short is informing the player
on why these moves are effective or when to use them.
There is no tutorial mode at all, and while there is a solid practice mode,
those completely new to Tekken will likely find themselves losing after a while
without completely understanding why.
As with almost any fighter, there are an abundance of resources online,
but considering the game does so well in many other areas,
it’s disappointing to see this aspect neglected.
There is, however, a fair amount to do
even if you can’t muster the courage to take your skills online.
Most prominent is a cinematic story mode that focuses on the longstanding feud
between the devil-possessed Kazuya and his father Heihachi.
Thanks in part to an emotionless and irrelevant narrator,
the storytelling is far from great, but the mode is entertaining
because it’s infused with the perfect amount of Tekken goofiness.
Whether it’s watching Heihachi punch and kick away missiles
or seeing Akuma bust into a dojo in spectacular fashion,
these scenes are perfect reminders that
although Tekken may not always make sense,
it’s nonetheless a blast to be a part of
because of how readily it embraces its own schlock.
You switch between different fighters often throughout the story,
and the whole thing lasts around three hours.
It’s long enough to feel substantial without overstaying its welcome.
Newcomers may have some difficulty with the final two fights of the story,
but it’s nothing that can’t be overcome with a bit of patience and persistence.
Outside of the story, there’s a traditional arcade mode
as well as individual character episodes.
These episodes only feature one fight apiece
and although they are exceptionally brief,
each ends with what is usually a comical cutscene in the classic Tekken style.
If the idea of a panda bodyguard
desperately searching for her master sounds appealing,
the humor as a whole will likely resonate with you.
Treasure battle is an endless fight mode
and the primary place to earn customization items
like new headgear, hit effects, and costumes.
Occasionally you’ll be thrown a curveball
like a special match against a boss character
or a fight set at a significantly faster speed.
Considering how ludicrous some of the unlockable items are,
such as a mini tank that follows you around,
there’s proper incentive to keep playing if only to see how crazy things get.
The downside is that getting these items from chests is completely random.
It’s frustrating to play for hours and not get the one thing you really want.
The various online modes,
ranked matches, unranked player matches, and tournament battles
all work well after a recent patch
and we’ve had no trouble connecting to lag-free fights.
Tournaments are especially great to have around
since it’s a solid way to earn a sizeable amount of fight money and loot
outside of Treasure Battle.
Tekken 7 is every bit as great as its over-the-top presentation suggests.
The fighting is immediately gratifying, the roster impressively expansive,
and there’s a fair amount to do regardless of the type of player you are.
Here’s a game that takes pride in its own legacy
and instead of that pride feeling unearned or overstated,
Tekken 7 makes a thorough case for itself.
At a time when plenty of fighters are competing for attention,
it seems there’s more than enough room for the King of Iron Fist.
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