Tekken 7

Gameplay

Tekken 7 focuses on 1-on-1 battles. Two new mechanisms are introduced in the game. The first, Rage Art, allows the player to execute critical attacks that deal roughly 30% damage depending on the character once their health bar is critical, in exchange for inactivating the normal attack power increase. The second, Power Crush, lets the player continue their attacks even while being hit by the enemy, although they would still receive the damage dealt by the enemy's attacks. The mechanic also works only for absorbing high or mid attacks. The bound system, which staggers a character to increase opportunity for additional hits, is replaced by Screw Attack, which makes the enemy spin sideways when they are hit airborne, allowing the player to inflict additional hits after they reach the ground. Unlike bound, however, Screw Attack cannot be used to do wall combos. With a new display system, the game's multiplayer allows players to choose which side of the screen to play on. Movement has undergone some changes and now is similar to the movement mechanics found in Tekken Revolution, most notably when characters walk backwards.

The arcade version features the traditional stage-based playthrough, in which the player progresses by beating five different opponents one by one, ending with a fixed penultimate and final stage. Matches may be interrupted if another player joins the game. Online mode is available for both local and international play. Character customization is featured, allowing the player to modify characters' appearances. For the first time in the arcade series, the game features a practice mode, which allows players to train moves against an opponent for a limited amount of time, as well as an option to collect in-game rewards, mainly customization items, through "Treasure Box" by winning enough matches.

Fated Retribution features several gameplay changes to the game. The new "Rage Drive" allows the player to empower certain attacks by sacrificing their Rage Mode. Rage Art is also adjusted so that the amount of damage dealt to the enemy is inversely proportional to the player's current health bar. The update also adds a character-specific feature, the EX/Super meter, which serves as a limiter for some special attacks. This meter is reserved for two characters: Eliza and the Street Fighter guest character Akuma.

Plot

The game's producer, Katsuhiro Harada said that the game's story will be much darker than ever before, closer in tone to Tekken 4 and will serve as the conclusion of the Mishima clan saga. It will provide answers regarding the feud between Heihachi Mishima, his son, Kazuya Mishima and his grandson, Jin Kazama, including the origins of Devil Gene among other Tekken mysteries. A trailer released in July 2014 introduced the backstory regarding Heihachi's wife, Kazumi Mishima, who was killed by him years prior to the events of the earlier games. Akuma, of the Street Fighter series who was announced as a guest character, will play a vital role in the story.

Characters

The game has 38 playable fighters (including palette swaps), 20 of whom make up the default cast on launch; other characters will be added over time. Eight make their debut in this version, along with a new form of Jack and a guest character from the Street Fighter franchise. The new fighters are as follows:

Returning fighters

^a Post-release addition (original arcade version)
^b Unplayable character
^c Added in Fated Retribution
^d Guest character
^e In-battle transformation
^f Skin/palette swap
^g Pre-order bonus (console)

Continuing the trend from Tekken Tag Tournament 2, in addition to Chinese, English, Japanese and Korean, several characters now speak with their native languages, including the new characters mentioned above; thus Leo, Lili, and Miguel now speak German, French, and Spanish respectively, for the first time in a canonical sequel, while newcomers Claudio, Katarina, and Shaheen speak with their native Italian, Portuguese, and Arabic, respectively. This still does not include certain characters with differing nationalities, such as Xiaoyu, Alisa and Lars, who continue to speak Japanese due to their character backgrounds.

Development

In January 2014, Tekken series director and producer Katsuhiro Harada expressed interest in continuing the series on PlayStation 4, and later said that PlayStation was the primary platform of development for the new installment. Tekken 7 was officially announced by Harada on July 13, 2014 during EVO 2014. The announcement was not initially planned, but was done as a last minute response to a leak of the game's announcement trailer that morning. The game will be developed using the Unreal Engine 4, which allows for it to be developed for multiple platforms. While Tekken games historically have been PlayStation-based in arcades, Harada stated that Tekken 7 runs on an arcade board based on PC architecture.

Location tests of the game were held in Tokyo and Osaka from October 3 to 5, 2014. Trailers released in late 2014 showed the game running in 1080p and 60 frames per second. On January 27, 2015, a live-televised tournament based off the same game build was held in the Nexon Arena in Seoul, South Korea known as "Tekken 7 Crash". During the Japan Amusement Expo (JAEPO) 2015, a newer build of the game was showcased, offering Lucky Chloe and Shaheen as part of the character roster for the first time as well as the traditional stage-based gameplay progression. A Bandai Namco-sponsored tournament, "The King of Iron Fist Tournament 2015, took place in November–December 2015 as well, with a prize of ¥10,000,000 (~$81,000) awarded to the finalists. Two top placers from EVO 2015 were also reserved seats, as were select players from South Korea, North America, and other places.

In July 2015, Bandai namco announced a crossover with The Idolmaster, another property owned by the company, involving Idolmaster costumers for the female characters of Tekken 7. The male characters, meanwhile, were all given the option to fight barechested.

The PlayStation 4 version was confirmed at Paris Games Week 2015 on October 27, 2015. Bandai Namco has also announced that the PlayStation 4 version will feature exclusive content, as well as virtual reality support. In addition to previous graphical upgrades in the arcade version, the console version will also receive one.

The announcement of several of the new characters has led to some controversy online. Negative reactions to the character Lucky Chloe from several message boards has led to Harada tweeting that he may consider removing her from the North American version of the game, making her exclusive to the East Asian and European versions, and instead replace her with a new well-muscled skinhead for the North American market where "They want just Muscle & Skinhead (with Gun or MMA style) character." It was later revealed that Harada did not intend for the tweets to be taken seriously. Although reaction to the revelation of new character Shaheen was largely positive, the reveal eventually led to Harada making a statement on his Twitter in response to those criticizing the inclusion of an Arab character in the game.

While the announcement and reveal of the Filipina Josie Rizal character was also met with mostly positive feedback, her revelation was also met with a mix of excitement and derision among Filipino netizens. Among the criticisms around the net were the lack of respect towards the martyred Philippine national hero José Rizal, who practiced wrestling and Eskrima from Calamba, Laguna, Jujutsu from Japan, fencing and marksmanship from Europe and weightlifting as well as misrepresentation of Filipino Martial Arts. According to Tekken chief producer Katsuhiro Harada, Mad Catz community manager Mark Julio, and Josie's character designer Mari Shimazaki, Josie Rizal practiced kickboxing and Eskrima, but the move set in her reveal video consisted of mostly generic and recycled moves from earlier existing characters in the Tekken series. Someone claiming to be an official of the National Commission for Culture and the Arts was not quite happy with the way the character of Josie was depicted and stated that they would try to look at steps to remedy how she might affect the image of José Rizal and the Philippines by possibly submitting additional materials for the Tekken Team to use. However NCCA legal counsel Trixie Cruz-Angeles clarified that the agency had yet to issue any position on the matter in a post she made on her personal Facebook page: "The NCCA has not asked for the deletion of Tekken character Josie Rizal. In fact, the NCCA has not taken cognizance of the issue nor issued an opinion."

At E3 2016, Tekken 7 was announced to be released for the Xbox One and Windows platforms in early 2017, in addition to the PlayStation 4 version. An official trailer, revealed during same event, showcased some of new features that was included in Fated Retribution, such as graphical updates and stages, as well as a story mode, which adds cutscenes and dialogue during battles.

Fated Retribution

An arcade update title in the same vein as Tekken Tag Tournament 2 Unlimited and Tekken 6 Bloodline Rebellion, titled Tekken 7: Fated Retribution (鉄拳7フェイテドレトリビューション, Tekken 7 Feitedo Retoribyūshon) was announced in a trailer released during the grand final of The King of Iron Fist Tournament 2015 tournament, which was held on December 12, 2015, and was released in Japan on July 5, 2016. The location test was held on February 12 to 14, 2016 in three arcades of Tokyo, Osaka, and Fukuoka. Several gameplay mechanics were introduced in the game, including Rage Drive and an adjusted Rage Art. It features an expanded content, including new customization and stages. Returning characters who have not received newer default costumes are accorded one. Additionally, new characters are featured, including the series' second guest character: Akuma from the Street Fighter series, who has a dedicated EX meter designed to limit some of his special moves. The console and PC versions will be based on this update.

A collaboration with New Japan Pro-Wrestling was announced during the "an presents Dai Pro-Wres Matsuri 2017" event on January 2, 2017. An attire inspired by IWGP Heavyweight champion Kazuchika "Rainmaker" Okada will be added as an outfit for King. A new Rage Art for King inspired by Rainmaker will accompany the outfit. Additionally, New Japan Pro-Wrestling-themed T-shirts will be added for other characters. The collaboration will be available from January 23 to February 22, 2017.