Should you buy Tekken 7 in 2021/2022?

If there are a few fighting games that everyone has heard about in various forms in recent years, Tekken 7 has to be right near the top, next to Street Fighter and Mortal Kombat.

Enjoying a very successful offline scene, taking the stage and limelight with some of the most hyped matches in recent history happening in the game, and Kazuya from Tekken featuring in Super Smash Bros, Tekken 7 has been doing well.

Full of action (Image via Tekken 7/PC Gamer)

The game, however, has changed a lot. In 2021 Tekken 7 looks and feels quite distinct from the original version which came out in 2017 for home consoles and PCs. Currently jam-packed with tons of content and three different versions of the game currently available, newcomers might get flustered or even frantic with so much to take in.

Here are a few takeaways to help one decide if Tekken 7 is worth purchasing and getting into in 2021.

Note: This article reflects the writer's opinion.

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What is Tekken 7? Understanding the 3D fighting game

Now, we could go in-depth with what Tekken 7 is and how it plays, but that is for a different article. This guide is about knowing if the game is worth buying and playing in current years. But, for the uninitiated, Tekken 7 is the seventh mainline entry and the ninth overall entry for the Tekken fighting game series by Bandai Namco.

The game plays like a 3D fighter. Compared to the 2D fighters like Street Fighters or Mortal Kombat, which are only four directional, Tekken 7 plays on a 3D stage, where characters can even strafe left or right, apart from the usual directions.

Crazy fighters (Image via Tekken 7)

The current numbered entry, Tekken 7, features some new battle mechanics, such as Rage Arts and Rage Drives, and the base game features a whopping roster of 36 characters with fifteen additional characters, game modes, and stages added via the four season passes.

Additionally, Tekken 7 concludes the “Mishima Saga” storyline, which has been going on for the past six games, so if one has played the previous entry and was invested in it, but wants to see the conclusion to the storyline, Tekken 7 is a definite must-try.

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Should you try the game?

Now here comes the million-dollar question. Should one try out Tekken 7 in the current year? In short, it’s very subjective but it is definitely worth it. There are, of course, a few catches.

To start off, if one is looking for a fighting game that is easy to get into and master quickly, Tekken 7 is not for them.

The game is notorious for being one of the hardest fighting games with a steep learning curve and a non-existent tutorial. Fortunately, tons of Tekken content creators like Avoiding the Puddle and professional players like Fergus have worked on tutorials for newcomers who are willing to learn the game.

In terms of content, Tekken 7 is rich with it. Four season passes added an additional 15 characters over the base game, making the roster have 51 total fighters for players to try out. Each character plays in different ways, so players will experience a lot of variety while testing out each character and their playstyles.

Kunimitsu from Season 4 (Image via Tekken 7)

The biggest gripe that leaves a sour taste in the mouth is the netcode. Tekken 7 does not run on Rollback Netcode, so the online experience is not exactly that great. In fact, it is infuriating and painful in many ways.

However, with the addition of the connection type indicator, it has become a bit more stable given whether one is playing against a wired or wireless player. Regardless, the online experience is not where Tekken shines. In terms of the player base, the game is fairly populated with online players, so people will get matches at good intervals.

Tekken 7's frame Data DLC (Image via Tekken 7)

The other issue is with the questionable DLC choice the game made during the season pass releases. Frame Data is an essential tool that allows players to check how many frames each move of a character takes to start and end, essentially helping one understand which move is safe to use in a match that was made as a DLC add-on.

For people who want to seriously learn the game, that will require some extra bucks to be shelled out for a feature that comes for free in Fighting Games.

Regardless, four seasons later, the game is surely in a state where it is mostly balanced and complete. With some very interesting characters to try out like Akuma from Street Fighter, and the game selling for cheap during the sales, it is worth trying out one of the best fighting games to release in the last decade.