Ever since it debuted in arcades in 1994 Tekken has been a fighting-genre fan-favorite. Now, 23 years later, Tekken 7 leaves the arcades and brings Tekken into the modern console generation, as well as on PC. The game boasts multiple single-player modes, plenty of cosmetic customization options and, most importantly, a smooth multiplayer experience. It has been five years since Tekken Tag Tournament 2 landed on consoles, and for fans, the wait has been worthwhile.
While Tekken 7 does have a variety of single-player modes they will not take long to plow through for most gamers. The story mode, which follows the Mishima family, clocks in at less than two hours, including the cutscenes. Side missions do unlock which you can play at your leisure, but they don’t add much. The Arcade Mode and Treasure Mode each have potentially unlimited gameplay, but it will largely depend on how much you enjoy fighting bots. The real meat of the game is, of course, in the multiplayer, and this game provides that in spades. Whether online or against a local opponent the experience is smooth and polished. Every time I faced an opponent and was beat (which was nearly always) I had nowhere to place the blame except on myself. It won’t magically make your bad connection good, but so long as there are no issues on your end you should not encounter any problems with latency in online multiplayer.
You can button-mash your way through the single-player content — the game even has an easy mode which encourages this — but playing against any real opponent will require at least a little skill. The Tekken series is known for its highly technical gameplay, and Tekken 7 is no different. In addition, the (large) roster of playable characters is well-tuned, and you would be hard pressed to find any one character who is far-and-away superior to the others. There is a multitude of cosmetic customization options available, as well, which will let you distinguish your fighter from the others you will encounter online.
Tekken 7 Review Final Thoughts:
If you are in the market for a multiplayer fighting game then Tekken 7 will more than meet your needs. There is a lot of potential for growth in the game, so long as you don’t let yourself get frustrated by the steep learning curve for online play. The single player content is far more forgiving if you aren’t looking for a challenge, but by the same token, it won’t keep you occupied for long. If you are a single-player gamer I would recommend you wait for this game to go on sale before picking it up. However, if you are a multiplayer gamer then you should consider this a safe purchase. There’s a lot to enjoy here, and it will absolutely be able to hold fans over until Tekken 8 or Tekken Tag Tournament 3.