Celia Alexis Wagar's CritPoints

Have you played Tekken 7? If so, what do you think of it?

I’m playing it now, I’m still learning how Tekken works, not really having any 3d fighting game experience and I think I’m starting to get it after a lot of studying, guide reading, and a little play with friends and ranked netplay.

Like, the framedata is REALLY different from the fighting games I’m used to. Nothing faster than 10f startup? Different inputs? Everything except jabs is minus on block? -13 is mostly safe? Block in the standing position by default with lows and throws being the reaction tester guard break options? Pressure with jabs is real and loops into itself, but it can be ducked and whiff punished?

All the risk and reward relationships are weird and I’ve gotta learn them all from scratch. Doesn’t help much that the guides I’m finding aren’t totally explaining this stuff to me. I can get system mechanics, I can get framedata, I have this maaassive list of moves, and thankfully the 15 best ones on each character thanks to Drunkard Shade, but I’m not really getting anyone breaking down why all this stuff works or how to convert it into a strategy.

I’m playing Kazumi because rushdown and pressure is fun and I really didn’t want to play Akuma or Eliza, I wanted to learn more of the Tekken game instead of just doing what I do in 2d Fighters, but Tekken styled.

So far what I intuited is, you need jabs, pokes, launchers, a fast low, and a damaging low. Jabs are always 10f startup, pokes are 13f, launchers 15f. Jabs are plus, pokes are safe, launchers are varying levels of unsafe. Your jabs are highs, like how jabs are mids in SF, they can be beaten with blocks in both directions. Crouching jabs are special mid, which is also beaten by blocks in both directions (because otherwise it would beat crouchblock, which is undesirable). Pokes on my character tend to be mid, beating crouchblock. Since every move is minus practically, it means that if the opponent blocks your hit, they attack first, so by hitting them, you make it your opponent’s turn, but, like smash bros, your opponent has only a slight advantage, so you can take multiple options versus what their next option is, such as backstepping, or sidestepping, which may bait out a move for whiff punishment. Sidestepping in turn gets beaten by homing attacks, or delayed attacks, though those may be beaten by backstepping, which gets beaten by pokes, and delayed attacks are handing the advantage back to the aggressive player.

Throws are sort of like jumping in Street Fighter. They can be beaten on reaction, but get around the opponent’s guard and do a ton of damage if successful.

So my current basic gameplan is, use Kazumi’s d/f 1, 2 to poke and get in on my opponent. A neutral 3 works for keeping them out. 1, 1, 2 serves as a simple, confirmable, pressure string to make them afraid, and I can mix in my poke, or launchers if I’m brave to keep them honest and blocking high, then go for lows or throws when they respect me and block only high instead of trying to duck my jabs.

I’ve still got a lot to learn, because I’ve heard about different character archetypes, like poking or setup, and I don’t really know what goes into those. I’ve also gotta learn more about the right situations to sidestep or backdash in to set up a whiff punish. And I’ve gotta learn basic combos off launcher. It’s a complicated game, and I’m glad I’ve been able to figure out some of the basics relatively quick, but I’ve got a long way to go.

I think overall I’d have to be positive, but since I’m such a beginner I’m really not qualified enough to say much about the game.