Tekken 7: The Fated Review

The latest iteration of Bandai Namco’s primary fighting game franchise, Tekken 7, came out in the arcades in 2015. Console players and, for the most part, people outside of Japan had to wait 2 years to be able to play the game. Now in 2017, Tekken 7: Fated Retribution has finally released on PS4, Xbox One, and PC. Was the wait worth it? Well, that’s what I’m here to talk about.

The Story

For the greater part of Tekken 7’s marketing, the story is what Bandai Namco has been pushing to the forefront. Customarily, most think that fighting games don’t need a story to be a good game; and for the most part the Tekken series has had some frankly absurd, and at times hilarious, stories. However, thanks to Netherrealms Studios and their work with Mortal Kombat 9 & X, and both Injustice games, players have now come to expect more from a fighting game’s story mode. We’ve seen this with Street Fighter V, and now with Tekken 7. Having said that, the question remains whether or not Tekken 7 was able to succeed in creating a compelling story.

Before I continue I’d like to clarify that I really don’t care about a fighting game’s story.  I appreciate a good story as much as the next guy, but it’s not something I expect or need a fighting game to have. Hell, I’d rather have a full-on several hours-long cutscene (ala Guilty Gear Xrd) that I just sit and watch. Having said that, in my opinion Tekken 7 has a pretty fun story mode.

It’s pretty much just the standard: cutscene > fight > cutscene >fight > rinse/repeat. This time, though, Bandai Namco did some nifty things wherein a cutscene, VERY NEATLY, transitions into a fight. For instance, if 2 characters do a “cross-counter” with one-another, the fight starts with them trading blows and a little bit of damage is taken by both the player and the AI. Moreover in story mode, the game provides “easy inputs” for character special moves. Thus making it easier for beginners to enjoy the story. Overall, it’s a very classy rendition of a fighting game story mode.

As for the story itself, it’s pretty serviceable. It continues right after the end of Tekken 6, with Jin defeating Azazel and being labeled missing due to the aftermath of the battle. Due to this, Heihachi (Jin’s Grandfather) takes the opportunity to take over Mishima Zaibatsu (again) and uses its resources to have final confrontation with Kazuya (his son/Jin’s father). The story also explores the relationship between Heihachi and his wife: Kazumi. Overall I’d say Tekken 7’s story mode is pretty good. I still prefer the Guilty Gear Xrd style of story, but Tekken 7 still does a good job.