‘Tekken 7’: What you need to know

MANILA, Philippines – Tekken 7 is one of the six medal games to be featured in the inaugural esports tournament of the 2019 Southeast Asian Games (SEA Games). 

Here’s what you need to know in case you’re not the type to have dabbled in fighting games. 

What is Tekken 7?

Tekken 7 is the latest entry in the long-running fighting game series Tekken, developed and published by Tokyo-based entertainment company Bandai Namco.

The first entry in the franchise came out in 1994, and is one of the key titles that brought 3D fighting games to the mainstream along with Virtua Fighter. 

The base Tekken 7 game first rolled out in arcades across Japan in early 2015. It received an expansion in July 2016 that added new content to the game like characters, stages, and cosmetic items. 

This updated version of the game called Tekken 7: Fated Retribution was the version that was ported and launched on the PS4, Xbox One, and PC in June 2017. The game will be played on PS4 at the 2019 SEA Games.

How do you play?

Two players take control of characters who throw punches, kicks, and other special moves at each other with the goal of completely draining the opponent’s health bar. 

Tekken 7 features a roster of 48 playable characters; each with his or her own unique set of martial arts-inspired moves and attacks that are used to knock the opponent out.

Basic attacks are mapped to four buttons – one button to control each limb of the body. These attacks can be strung together in a combo, which can deal lots of damage. 

Players also have to defend against their opponent’s attacks if they don’t want to go down quickly. They can block, duck, sidestep, and parry most of the moves that can be thrown at them. 

The most advanced players know how many frames of animation a move makes, allowing them to react with a proper counter-move. 

A traditional Tekken game consists of 3 60-second rounds; the first player to win 2 rounds wins the game. 

How popular is it?

Bandai Namco announced in July that the game has sold over 4 million copies worldwide since it launched 2 years ago.

Overall, the franchise has sold over 48 million units. It’s the second best-selling fighting game franchise of all time, next to Nintendo’s Super Smash Bros., which has sold 53 million units. 

The Tekken series has long established itself as a pillar in the competitive scene, fostering a growing community of players and viewers that go beyond the mostly niche fighting game genre. 

Tekken 7, in particular, has been featured in numerous esports tournaments since its arcade launch, most notably in the Evolution Champion Series, or EVO, which is hailed as the world’s largest annual fighting game event. 

Much of this popularity can be attributed to how accessible the game can be for both players and spectators. 

While Tekken 7 can be a very technical game that demands a deep understanding of its fundamentals, it’s known for having a control scheme that is easy to grasp, as well as an auto-combo system that can help casual players chain attacks together without much care for precision or timing. 

Meanwhile, spectators can enjoy the action even without much Tekken knowledge because the game itself has a very simple objective: beat down the opponent until he’s knocked out. – Rappler.com