It’s sort of like training wheels on steroids, where the only real way to lose is to not play at all.
On the easy difficulty your controls are set to easy as well, meaning combos are done pretty much automatically, making you look like a pro player and sapping any chance at absorbing any ability that will translate over to other modes, including multiplayer. Granted, you can play on Easy if you choose, as there are no trophies or achievements tied to the difficulty, but that removes any chance of actually learning the game. Oh, and the computer will ensure that you can’t damage your opponent during these attacks, and they seem to all break through defense. As you up the difficulty, the only way the game really gets harder is by making opponents do more damage and reducing their move pools drastically to where it’s just the strongest attack over and over. Yet Tekken 7 manages to make this design choice a bigger, more annoying issue. I’ve come to expect it from each iteration, though Tekken 6 took things to a new, more frustrating level, but I understood that it was an issue that was part of the package. The computer, for lack of a better means to create real challenge, tends to opt for repeating one or two powerful moves over and over until you either win or give up. I’ve been playing Tekken games for the better part of two decades, and one thing that has been common throughout them all is spam. If I’m being honest, I wasn’t expecting much from the story, yet it managed to keep me enthralled as the tale opened up before me, and that’s saying something because actually playing the fights that take you through the story are a real test of patience. As Akuma sets out on his mission, players are finally treated to answers for questions that have long been thought about, such as why Heihachi and Kazuya hate one another so much, and the origins of the Devil Gene that has caused the world so much trouble. While the developers could’ve easily just placed him into the game and called it a day – many would have been pleased, present company included – they decided to do the guest fighter justice by weaving his presence through Tekken 7 and, by extension, the history of Tekken as a whole. However, while still leaning towards the highly unbelievable – Heihachi battles rocket wielding soldiers with nothing but a door while making his way up an elevator shaft – the inclusion of a fighter from another fictional universe helped to add gravity to the proceedings in an interesting, and enjoyable way.Īkuma, a favorite of many Street Fighter fans, is present in Tekken 7. All of this holds up a narrative that deals with world war, loss, regret, family, and vengeance – themes that have been threaded through the story since day one. Ancient beings, Devil DNA, a tournament that decides who runs the world’s most powerful company, and the strongest head of hair to ever grace an old man are all present in Tekken’s lore. Fans of the franchise are most likely familiar with the fact that the story, as serious as it tries to be, can be quite silly.
For one, the story is easily one of the most intriguing in the series. What Tekken 7 provides is a great multiplayer fighter whose single-player offerings need some serious adjustment.īefore I go into the woes that plague Tekken 7’s single-player, I should be clear that it isn’t all bad. With Tekken 7, the latest installment in the celebrated fighting series, I was hoping that there would be more love and less complaint, but that unfortunately isn’t the case.
I’ve followed the series for years, with each iteration offering me something to love while also giving me plenty to complain about. Some of my fondest memories of gaming as a child include absolutely wrecking my uncles as Eddy Gordo in Tekken 3 – not that it’s some grand accomplishment because anybody can wreck anybody with Eddy Gordo in Tekken 3.
Tekken is a fighting series that holds a special place in my heart.