Tekken 7

Tekken 7 (鉄拳7) is a fighting game developed and published by Bandai Namco Entertainment. The game is the ninth installment in the Tekken series, and the first to make use of the Unreal Engine. Tekken 7 had a limited arcade release in Japan in March 2015. An updated arcade version, Tekken 7: Fated Retribution, was released in Japan in July 2016, and features expanded content including new stages, costumes, items and characters. The same version was released for Microsoft Windows, PlayStation 4 and Xbox One in June 2017.

Set shortly after the events of Tekken 6, the plot focuses on the events leading up to the final battle between martial artist Heihachi Mishima and his son, Kazuya. Tekken 7 introduces elements for the fighting system such as the Rage and the Power Crush to increase the characters' powers. Tekken 7 was a critical and commercial success, selling almost three million copies worldwide by the end of March 2018.

Gameplay
Tekken 7 focuses on 1v1 battles. Two 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 for absorbing high and 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 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 introduces meter-type characters, who utilize jump-in attacks and special cancels, and use an EX/Super meter as a limiter for some special attacks in place of Rage Drive. However, they have no 10-hit combo moves. This type is reserved for three characters: Eliza, and the guest characters Akuma from Street Fighter, and Geese Howard from the SNK fighting game series. Meanwhile, Noctis Lucis Caelum from Final Fantasy XV incorporates both aspects of preexisting gameplay types (he has Tekken-type gameplay but possesses jump-in moves). The update also added Wall Bound, which initially only applied to guest character Geese Howard. The Season 2 update eventually added the mechanic for every character.

Further game modes were released as post-release downloadable content (DLC), such as a bowling minigame.

Plot
After the events of Tekken 6, though Azazel was destroyed by Jin Kazama, the war between the Mishima Zaibatsu and G Corporation continues to ravage the world. The game's story is told from the perspective of a reporter whose wife and son are killed in the crossfire, leading him to begin writing an exposé on the Mishima Zaibatsu and G Corporation. Nina Williams leads the Zaibatsu in Jin's absence, attempting to locate him, but Heihachi Mishima takes advantage of the vacuum of power and forces Nina to work for him, regaining control of the Zaibatsu. Heihachi makes a deal with Claudio Serafino, head of the powerful Sirius Marksmen organization, to help him expose his son, G Corporation head Kazuya Mishima, believing public opinion will shift in the Zaibatsu's favor if Kazuya's Devil Gene is revealed. Claudio senses a powerful force in the Far East that is unconnected to either Jin or Kazuya. The reporter researches the Mishima family history, learning that Heihachi's coup against his father Jinpachi and the death of his wife Kazumi both occurred in the same year he threw his son Kazuya off a ravine. Meanwhile, the United Nations intelligence group has located Jin, but he evades capture long enough to be rescued by his half-uncle Lars Alexandersson. Lars takes Jin to recuperate at Violet Systems, where Jin's adoptive uncle Lee Chaolan has repaired Alisa Bosconovitch following her seemingly permanent shutdown in the previous game. The Zaibatsu attacks the compound, but the trio are able to secure Jin. The reporter, having rendezvoused with Lee and Lars, tries to kill Jin in his sleep, but is discouraged by Lars, who says Jin is the only person capable of stopping the conflict. According to Lee, the reason behind Heihachi fathering Lars was to confirm that he didn’t possess the Devil Gene, proving it originated from the Hachijos, Kazumi's family. The force sensed by Claudio is eventually revealed to be Akuma, who made a promise to Kazumi that he would kill Heihachi and Kazuya if she fails to, as she predicted both of them would engulf the world in war and destruction. He defeats Heihachi after their temporary alliance on fending off an attack by an army of Jack-6's at the Mishima Dojo, and proceeds to G Corporation's Millennium Tower. Heihachi survives, but declares himself dead to the public to continue his plans in secret. He then captures and spreads images of a transformed Kazuya worldwide before using a satellite to obliterate Millennium Tower. Kazuya survives the attack and destroys the satellite, with the wreckage destroying a town and once again slandering the Zaibatsu. The reporter uses this opportunity to inform the Zaibatsu about his exposé, but to his surprise, Heihachi offers to meet him in person. Heihachi recounts his love of Kazumi and the night he learned that she possessed the Devil Gene and was sent by her family to kill him, regretfully being forced to kill her in self-defense, which eventually marked the feud amongst the Mishima clansmen as of the present. Suspecting that Kazuya had inherited the Devil Gene, Heihachi threw him off a cliff, believing the boy's survival would confirm his fears. Heihachi has the reporter escorted out back to Lars before traveling to a volcano for a final battle with Kazuya. Vengeful over his parents' betrayals, with Heihachi being the one who never told him about Kazumi's assassinations on them before her death in the first place, Kazuya finally kills Heihachi in battle and throws his body into the volcano. Akuma appears and attacks Kazuya; the result of their battle is unknown.

In the aftermath, Jin awakes and meet up with Lee, Lars, and Alisa, promising to put an end to the war once and for all by killing Kazuya. The reporter, reflecting on all he has learned, completes and publishes his exposé.

Characters
The game has 43 playable fighters (including palette swaps), 20 of whom make up the default cast on launch; other characters are to be added over time. Eight make their debut in this version, along with a new form of Jack, and four guest characters from Capcom's Street Fighter, SNK's fighting game franchises, Square Enix's Final Fantasy, and Image Comics' The Walking Dead.

New fighters

 * Akuma : The dark master of the Satsui no Hado from Capcom's Street Fighter, added in Fated Retribution. Within the story, Kazumi asks him to repay a debt to her by killing Heihachi and Kazuya. The player can fight him in place of Kazumi as the final boss if a certain condition is met.
 * Claudio Serafino: A white-clad man from Italy who's a member of an Anti-Devil organization combating the Devil Gene's threat. Empowered with a Sirius magic.
 * Geese Howard  : The crime boss of South Town from SNK's fighting game series Fatal Fury, The King of Fighters and Art of Fighting, added to the console version as post-launch downloadable content. His fighting style is Hakkyokuseiken. Geese was the second most requested character in a fan poll on Harada's Twitter account.
 * Gigas : A hulking, red-skinned humanoid who appears to have cybernetics attached to his otherwise nude body. He uses destructive impulse to pummel his opponents. He was discovered in leaked arcade data before his official reveal by Bandai Namco.
 * Jack-7 : A new model of the Jack series, he has a slightly modified design with red hair and green glowing arms. As with the previous Jack series, he uses brute force to pummel his opponents.
 * Josie Rizal : A young Filipina woman who wears a yellow top, a blue miniskirt, and a red bow. She practices Eskrima and Kickboxing. Like Gigas, she was first discovered in leaked arcade data before being officially revealed during a Tekken 7 broadcast on Niconico on March 29, 2015.
 * Katarina Alves: A sassy woman who practices the art of Savate. She was designed to be a beginner-friendly character.
 * Kazumi Mishima / Devil Kazumi : Heihachi's wife and Kazuya's mother, who possesses the Devil Gene. Kazumi's fighting style is Hachijo Style Karate, which is similar to the Mishima Style Fighting Karate as used by her husband and son, but with additional abilities such as summoning a tiger and levitating. She originally served as the game's unplayable final boss prior to becoming the seventh time release character added after launch. Kazumi also has a devil form, which remains unplayable outside of the final stage in which she is fought.
 * Lucky Chloe: An otaku who wears a kitten-themed costume and has a "freestyle dance" fighting style.
 * Master Raven : A female ninja with a fighting style very similar to Raven. She is in charge of the organization that the original Raven works for.
 * Negan  : A villain from The Walking Dead comic and television series. He wields a baseball bat wrapped in barbed wire, known as Lucille, which he uses to bash his foes. He will be added as post-launch downloadable content.
 * Noctis Lucis Caelum  : The prince of the kingdom of Lucis and the main protagonist of Final Fantasy XV, added to the console version as post-launch downloadable content.
 * Shaheen: A keffiyah-wearing Saudi Arabian man who uses a "military self-defense" fighting style. He was also designed to be a beginner-friendly character.

Returning fighters
• Alisa Bosconovitch

• Anna Williams

• Asuka Kazama

• Bob Richards

• Bryan Fury

• Devil Jin

• Eddy Gordo

• Eliza

• Feng Wei

• Heihachi Mishima

• Hwoarang

• Jin Kazama

• Kazuya Mishima / Devil Kazuya

• King

• Kuma

• Lars Alexandersson

• Lee Chaolan / Violet

• Lei Wulong

• Leo Kliesen

• Lili De Rochefort

• Ling Xiaoyu

• Marshall Law

• Miguel Caballero Rojo

• Nina Williams

• Panda

• Paul Phoenix

• Sergei Dragunov

• Steve Fox

• Yoshimitsu

Post-release addition (original arcade version) Unplayable character Added in Fated Retribution Guest character In-battle transformation Skin/palette swap Downloadable content

Continuing the trend from Tekken Tag Tournament 2, in addition to Chinese, English, Japanese and Korean, several characters speak with their native languages, including the new characters; thus Eddy, Leo, Lili, and Miguel speak Portuguese, German, French, and Spanish respectively, 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, along with newcomer Josie, who speaks in English instead of Filipino.

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 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 was 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.

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. 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, 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."

In July 2015, Bandai-Namco announced a crossover with The Idolmaster, a property owned by the company, involving Idolmaster costumes for the female characters of Tekken 7. The male characters, meanwhile, are given the option to fight barechested. 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.

On March 29, 2018, Bandai Namco announced that the online Tekken-Net service for the original arcade version of Tekken 7 would cease on May 31, 2018 in all regions, effectively ending support for the game. An update patch was issued which allowed the game to run offline.

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 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 12–14, 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 were based on this update.

After The Idolmaster series, a collaboration with another Bandai Namco property, this time the Taiko no Tatsujin rhythm game series on August 31, 2016 added player icons, customization, and other aesthetic features.

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 was added as an outfit for King. A new Rage Art for King inspired by Rainmaker would accompany the outfit. Additionally, NJPW-themed T-shirts were added for other characters. The event ran from January 23 to February 22, 2017. Another collaboration with NJPW started on November 18, 2017, this time providing a Hiroshi Tanahashi-inspired outfit for Lars accompanied by a new Rage Art and background theme.

A collaboration with Summer Lesson, Bandai Namco's foray into PlayStation VR debuted on April 4, 2018. All female characters received costumes modeled after either of the game's three protagonists: Hikari Miyamoto, Allison Snow, and Chisato Shinjo.

Characters then exclusive for the console version: Eddy Gordo, Eliza, Kuma, Lee Chaolan, Miguel Caballero Rojo, and Panda, were announced on July 12, 2017 to be added for arcades on July 27, 2017. Three out of ten stages added in the console version: G Corp. Helipad, Infinite Azure, and Violet Systems were added for arcades as part of the Ver.Q update on November 14, 2017. The rest were added as part of the Ver.T update on April 3, 2018.

An update titled Tekken 7: Fated Retribution Round 2 was announced at the "Tekken MASTERCUP.10" event on October 20, 2018 to be released for arcades in February 2019. The update will bring all content from the console version yet to be added to the arcades at that time, including four characters (Anna Williams, Geese Howard, Lei Wulong, and Noctis Lucis Caelum) and two stages (Hammerhead and Howard Estate).

Home versions
The PlayStation 4 version was confirmed at Paris Games Week 2015 on October 27, 2015. Bandai Namco also announced that the PlayStation 4 version would feature exclusive content, as well as PlayStation VR support. In addition to previous graphical upgrades in the arcade version, the console versions also received one. Exclusive content on the PlayStation 4 version were released in the form of classic costumes for Jin, Xiaoyu and King, as well as a Tekken jukebox with classic musical tracks.

At E3 2016, Tekken 7 was announced to be released for the Xbox One and Windows platforms in 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.

The game is supported by downloadable content. Players who pre-ordered the game received a code that downloads the character Eliza. She is otherwise available as paid DLC starting on July 28, 2017. Taiko no Tatsujin collaboration items were also made available as free DLC on the same date. The first major batch of DLC, containing the Tekken Bowl minigame, The Idolmaster collaboration outfits, Tekken: Blood Vengeance uniforms for Xiaoyu and Alisa, swimsuits for female characters, fundoshi for male characters, and Vintage 1920's bathing suits was made available on August 31, 2017. The second major batch of DLC, adding Geese Howard as a playable character and the stage Howard Estate, was released on November 30, 2017. The third major batch of DLC, adding Noctis Lucis Caelum as a playable character and the stage Hammerhead, was released on March 20, 2018. These three batches can also be bought together with a season pass.

A free DLC, Season 2, was released on September 6, 2018. It focused on balance changes, several modifications to the characters' moves, the addition of Wall Bound mechanic for every character, as well as Simple Combo and Assist, which were previously exclusive to the Story Mode. On the same date, the fourth and fifth major batches of DLC, adding characters Anna Williams and Lei Wulong, respectively, were also made available for purchase. The two, as well as four upcoming characters, including Negan, were packaged into the second season pass for a cheaper price.

Reception
Tekken 7 received "generally favorable" reviews, according to review aggregator Metacritic.

Chris Carter said on Destructoid, "Impressive effort with a few noticeable problems holding it back. Won't astound everyone, but is worth your time and cash," and awarded it a score of 8/10.

Electronic Gaming Monthly's Evan Slead scored the game a 7.5/10 with the consensus "Tekken 7, the latest entry in the long-running franchise, delivers what fighting genre fans love about multiplayer battles, but there isn’t enough new material to make it truly stand out from the increasingly competitive options in the fighting genre."

The game was rated 36 out of 40 for both the PlayStation 4 and Xbox One versions by Famitsu. Eurogamer Italy said, "Tekken 7 is what the fighting game community was waiting for. Awesome gameplay, new mechanics, great characters and a good amount of contents." Metro summarised it as "Tekken with better graphics - the gameplay and characters are still a huge amount of fun." 4Players said that players would be "rewarded with one of the deepest combo-filled fighters out there that will give Injustice 2s superheroes a run for their money."

James Kozanitis from Game Revolution gave the game a score of 4 out of 5 stars saying that "Tekken will always have a place among today's fighting games, but it will always be its own place, and Tekken 7 is the best embodiment of that mentality. They've made very little effort to conform to what other fighting games have taken for granted, even down to Tekken 7's use of 3D arenas where most fighters conformed to a 2D battlefield years ago. Rather than getting hit by typical fighting game tropes, Tekken 7 was able to sidestep them. But it's the ways in which Tekken 7 can still feel fresh despite its classic formula that set it apart from the pack. Even in the few concessions Tekken 7 did make to become more traditional, it did so with its own flair. Its smooth release on PC only goes to bolster the fact that the Tekken series will be around for quite some time, doing its own thing and doing it well.

Matt Elliott of GamesRadar awarded it 4 out of 5 stars stating that "Despite some narrative missteps, Tekken 7 is still a compelling, exhilarating experience. Find the right sparring partner and it will entertain you indefinitely." Polygon stated that the "unforgettable characters and fluid fights are worth the work."

Darry Huskey's score of 9.5/10 on IGN said that "Tekken 7 is a hallmark fighting game that's both accessible and highly technical, with great customization options." GamesMaster agreed, saying it was a "gratifying fighting game".

"A smart, blisteringly fun experience at its core, Tekken 7’s limited singleplayer campaign and poor tutorials marr an otherwise resounding win," was Dave Houghton's conclusion on PC Gamer with a score of 79%.

In Game Informer's Reader's Choice Best of 2017 Awards, the game came in second place for "Best Fighting Game". The game was nominated for "Best PS4 Game" in Destructoid's Game of the Year Awards 2017, and for "Best Fighting Game" in IGN's Best of 2017 Awards. It was also a runner-up each for "Best Multiplayer" and "Game of the Year" in Giant Bomb's 2017 Game of the Year Awards.

Sales
In the UK, Tekken 7 was the best selling software in the week of release; this is a first for the series in 19 years, since the debut of Tekken 3 on the original PlayStation. It remained at number 1 in the second week. The game also topped the Japanese charts in its first week, selling 58,736 copies. The release of the game also boosted PlayStation 4 sales. It fell to number 2 in the second week, behind Mario Kart 8 Deluxe. It was number 1 in both Australia and New Zealand. Tekken 7 was also the best selling physical software in North America in the month of June 2017, as well as the 8th best selling download on the US PlayStation Store. It was the 5th most downloaded game on the EU PlayStation Store.

Within the first two months of release, Tekken 7 had sold over two million copies worldwide. Harada was satisfied with these sales as they surpassed the team's own expectations. By the end of the year, Tekken 7 sold over 2.5 million copies. By March 31, 2018 the sales for the game had reached 2.8 million. Harada later revealed that the game sold over 3 million copies before its one year anniversary.