Harada: "Taking some effort to review the wake-up system quite extensively"
AAK ON Saturday, July 26, 2014 at 9:26PM 
Famitsu managed to interview Harada after the San Diego Comic Con panel yesterday and managed to get some interesting tidbits about the direction Tekken 7 is going in. In summary the direction Tekken 7 seems to be going in a return to roots and focusing a lot on accessibilty to both newer and core players of the series. The full translation of the interview is below provided by Eventhubs.
Famitsu: It's been about two weeks since you first announced Tekken 7. How has the response been thus far?
Harada: We were actually a little unsure about when we should make the announcement, but we ended up announcing it at EVO 2014 anyway. Although we did put quite a bit of thought into the way we should announce it, in the end, above anything, we were just happy that the fans are excited about the title.
This time around it's a numbered sequel in the main series, so it certain feels like the anticipation for it is quite different than previously. The response from the fans has been overwhelming over Facebook and Twitter so far.
With the previous installment, Tekken Tag Tournament 2, there were a lot more players skipping over the title because it was difficult to learn to use two characters, than we had imagined.
So in contrast to that, since Tekken 7 is a sequel in the mainline series, the expectation here is for us to take the series back to its roots, back to the sort of Tekken that everyone is probably most familiar with. That's the vibe that we're getting from our fans.
Famitsu: What are the objectives you hope to accomplish with Tekken 7?
Harada: There are two main sides to Tekken 7. The first is to neatly tie up all of the storylines that have developed over the course of 20 years for the Tekken series. Since it's Tekken's 20th anniversary, story will play a big part this time around, which is why we wanted to tie things up and reach a conclusion. So in that sense, we hope to be able to wow and recapture the imagination of players who focus on characters and backstories in the games. This will take quite a bit of time to put together, but we have a couple of things in store.
Famitsu: Right, so story-wise, the saga in the mainline games is going to come to a conclusion.
Harada: As for the game side of things, we want to make it easy to approach for newcomers, returning players, and also those who thought that Tekken Tag Tournament 2 was just too difficult.
There are also players out there who keep a distance from the Tekken games because they think the games are too difficult. For instance, there are actually quite a lot of players who watched Tekken match videos on YouTube, but do not actually play, thinking that "it's just impossible for me to learn it". We'd like to make the new game accessible and enjoyable to these players as well, and at the moment we're thinking about implementing some kind of new system that will make them think "hey, I can actually do this". We'd like very much to get these sorts of fans to participate in the games more actively.
Famitsu: What sort of elements have kept these types of beginning players from getting more involved with the games, and how do you plan on refining these elements?
Harada: In Tekken, there's a surprising amount of things you've got to learn. And we think that the problem for beginners is that they don't know which parts to start learning from. This makes it confusing and defrays their focus. So for instance, in 2D fighting games, you could teach new players to "use this move in this way, and you'll be fine". This time around, we'd like to very clearly convey that sort of instruction to the player. We feel that with Tekken thus far, it's quite difficult for these players to tell the various special moves apart, in terms of how strong they are, and so this time we'd like to make that easier to observe.
Famitsu: As a way to make the game more accessible, I see.
Harada: There's another aspect to it... but it's a bit of a spoiler if I talk about it now (laughs). We think that another key aspect to enjoying the game to its utmost, is to be playing against opponents of the same level as you. So we were thinking, even in the arcade verison of the game, wouldn't it be possible to implement some kind of system that would allow players to easily find others at their level to play with? We're currently looking into that, so please look forward to hearing more about it in the near future.
Famitsu: Right. Since there'a wide spectrum of player skill levels.
Harada: I wonder how much further I should say (laughs). One of the Tekken series's unique features is its wake-up game mechanic, which is known to be quite difficult to deal with.
Although in other fighting games, when you get knocked down, there is a certain period of invulnerability that allows you get back up on your feet simply, in the Tekken series it's not that easy. The mechanic is actually quite complex. But because of its complexity, that's what makes it really interesting and compelling to the core players, even though beginning players have a hard time with it. So we're currently taking some effort to review the wake-up system quite extensively. We'd like to get it to a point where it's easy for light users to grasp, but still satisfying for the core players.
Famitsu: When you say that you're going to make it more enjoyable for beginners, I'm sure the core fans must be worried about if that might mean there won't be as much depth in the game for them to bite into. How do you plan on tackling that issue?
Harada: We absolutely plan on implementing the level of depth fans have come to expect of the series. It's just that, for beginning players, if what their opponent is doing is too deep and profound for them to understand, then even if there is depth, they wouldn't be able to get into it. So I think we need some kind of mechanic that will ease players into the depth level by level. So that in the beginning, even if you don't have to be too conscious of the game's mechanics to be able to enjoy playing it. We want to allow seasoned players to be able to start at the deep end. But at the same time, beginners will be just fine not using the advanced mechanics. That's the balance we're striving for.
Famitsu: I see. Alright then, when is the next time we will hear an update on Tekken 7?
Harada: Probably just before or after Tokyo Game Show, is what we're looking at for now. That's about slightly more than a month away, but in the meantime do stay tuned to us on Facebook and Twitter. We'll be doling out bits of information over the course. And for the fans, please send us any questions you may have.
Reader Comments (32)
Thats stupid all you people are saying to tone down tekken come on you must be joking well im against it as an experienced casual player I say let it stay how it is if is not the moves or the character roster size let it stay how it is don't tone it down
Have you heard of punctuation, you fucking retard? You write like a complete illiterate!
Nobody in life should take you seriously when you can't even write a few coherent sentences!
My main concern with all this is that Harada will listen to all the complaining and overcompensate. People bitched about backdashing in TTT1, and as a result T4 nerfed movement completely. Juggles were complained about, so T4 killed juggle damage resulting in really stupid juggles that emphasize guaranteed floor hits (e.g. with Bryan people were doing d+2 d+2 dash snake edge as combos).
Hopefully Namco keeps a sober mind and realizes exactly what makes the games fun and challenging. I really think the only thing that made TTT2 so complex was that it had too many characters and it was impossible to keep up with the shenanigans.
Yo, if the game is difficult go fucking play some puzzlebubble shit, we don't need noobs in the community. You can't bitch about ss-ing left or right or strings YOU can't avoid, because it doesn't mean nobody can. These 'difficulties' are the ones which make the game interesting and challenging, you can't fucking start playing tekken from the 7th title, unless you're retarded... Do you really want this game to be some cheap shit like TR ?
OH PLZ.
Cunty McCunt is a fucking tool who doesn't know what he is talking about. Never listen to month 1 noobs who want to change the standard Tekken mechanics
I cannot see how this is a bad thing in the long run, sure its has pro and cons but its good.
From a player point of view. I do feel accomplished when I can execute a multi electric combo at home and impress my friends/crowd but I feel worse when I go to the tournament and lose to some gimmicky string or weird moves because i forgot to go in training mode and practice against bears or Leo or any other underused character because there are no bear or Leo players in my scene. Tekken has to many variables in the mix with the large character roster and lengthy movelist and it takes far to much time to learn to evade and punish the insane amount of attacks.
From a Tournament Organiser point of view. Tekken is difficult to attract and keep new players. I feel that a lot of newer people give up because they realize the amount of work ahead of them when they enter tournaments.They are faced with players with a lot of experience and they now realize their online gimmicy strings are now very seeable and easily punished. They now feel the urge to learn to punish/evade attacks themselves and rely less on gimmicks and the only option is to dedicate a lot of time to learning the shitload of attacks and how to beat them . Most people just end up focusing on the game that they feel is easier to learn . like Street FIghter or Injustice and give up Tekken or just end up entering Tekken tournament at a casual level.
As for the veterans t they end up quitting because the Tournament is not attracting enough new competition and fighting the same people at the top is getting boring.
Not saying Tekken should become a totally shallow game but the game keeps growing and at it current state it is very daunting like a 4000 page University Textbook version 1.12391231
To all the people hating on people who won't put the work in...you really need to quit with the elitism. Whoever referred to Tekken as a "legacy game" is absolutely right. The game so far has rewarded players who have been there from the beginning, as all the skills you worked hard at can easily be transferred to the next game, resulting in a massive head start.
For new players, however, it's extremely frustrating to have to learn all this stuff cold. When we had arcades back in the day, there was real motivation to improve in order to get to the level of the regulars and "fit in". With online play ruling the day, that motivation is gone and people no longer have the patience to learn the nuances of the game. The developers are now stuck with the massive task of simplifying the game to attract new players while simultaneously keeping the legacy players happy. Not an easy task.
When I look at Street Fighter, I'm amazed at how little it has evolved at all. A typical game of Ultra SF4 still looks like 3rd Strike to me. Yet, people still flock to the game in droves. It's easy to pick up, and Capcom knew that they didn't need to keep adding features in order to keep the game fresh. The game still rewards skill, as you can see by the consistent placers at major tournaments over the years. It's still footsies and fireball the way it's always been. Namco seems to be under the impression that they need to keep adding brand new system changes to the game, when they really should just be fine tuning the stuff that is known to work.
For Tekken 7, Namco just needs to limit the roster size. I don't think the movelists need to be decreased, or that moves need to be taken out. There is no need to learn every single move, as players normally employ only half of them regularly anyways. This game would be a lot better off if it emphasized execution and strategy over character knowledge. The execution element needs to be there or the game will lack depth and wow factor. Emphasizing execution, however, does not necessarily mean that the game becomes more complex or requires more knowledge. For instance, BDC is a simple concept, but requires practice to be good at. The game just needs to be tight and focused rather than branching out into experimentation and complexity.
And importing other eye catching stuff like new character models and artwork wouldn't hurt either. The fact that Tekken 7 is being developed on the Unreal engine implies that new visuals are in order and that's definitely a good thing.
Fuck you all cunts! Namco ain't maiking a game for only 20 people in the world who enjoy it being a clustefuck of factors.
Tekken should be about skills and execution and mindgames, not about acquiring encyclopedic knowledge, which it is now. People who think they're being awarded for 'the time and effort they've put in' are simply mistaken. Knowing all the random bullshit different characters can produce isn't a skill, nor does it equal to a quality game.
There is a reason so few play this game and it's because it is too overwhelming. Harada simply fucked up, that fucking cunt!
^guess you're some beginner shit dear CuntyMcCunt, who can't even dodge a 10 hit combo and dies from it.. :( better make each character with max 20 moves so that your little brain can understand how this works.. Or maybe make a 2d tekken so that it won't be needed to sidestep ! ahahahaha
Peace
Hi folks.
Some good points were mentioned here. I play Tekken since its first installment and had the most fun back in the days with Tekken 2 and 3. I was young, PS1 was a blast AND I had much amount of time to play the game against my friends.
I then totally passed every PS2 title of the series and came back when Tekken 6 was in its late days. I bought an Arcade Stick and learned how to use it and "the old fun" from the 90s came back (in a different way though, but there was this feeling again).
With TTT2 I've had much fun as well but I can agree, there are too many details in it to get used to without playing a lot. Of course, the more you practise, the better you will be. I like that, don't get me wrong here.
Maybe I'm too lazy, maybe I was scared - but after all it's still fun when I play against equally skilled friends, although only few are left in regards to playing videogames regulary.
Speaking of "only a few" - TTT2 sales were bad compared to previous Tekken games and from NAMCOs point of view something has to be changed to attract the game to a bigger audience. I'm not speaking about TR mechanics, that would be way too casual but I think if they can adjust or balance deepness and accessibility, T7 will be a great and well selling game.
After all, videogames are produced to a) sell 'em to many players and b) to please a lot of players by content which leads to c) fun for a big crowd of players, regardless of skill levels etc. In no way it will make sense to release a game only enjoyable by a bunch of hardcore players.
Time will tell if NAMCO can achieve this: to bring all Tekken lovers and newcomers together to enjoy 20th anniversary of this great game.
One thing left to say: please NAMCO, if you're going to implement customization, make this part of the game more accessible and intuitive, 'cause it's one of the most annoying things I can think of in T6 and TTT2. ;)
In my opinion if revolution had a retail version, this debate would be over. there is a reason SF3 sold worse. The market is filled with casuals. Business sense will pervade. I personally like the way tekken is. But casuals will destroy tekken like they ruin everything. Noobs.
I bet ya Tekken 7 will take place 5 years after the events of Tekken 6.