Developer: Namco Bandai
Publisher: Namco Bandai
Genre: Fighting/Free-to-Play
Platform: PlayStation 3
Released: June 12, 2013
Website: www.tekken.com/revolution

Ratings

Design: 7.9/10
Gameplay: 9.2/10
Presentation: 8.9/10
Overall score: 8.2/10

It’s quite an unusual step to see a free-to-play fighting game for home consoles being released, but the team at Namco Bandai has taken the initiative recently with the release of Tekken Revolution. It is the first free-to-play Tekken game released for the masses, and is currently exclusive to the PlayStation 3 console. Tekken Revolution is more of an experimental title, nevertheless a lot of fun to engage in.

Players need to be connected to the internet to access the game content, which includes Ranked and Player matches, as well as an Arcade mode. The roster includes a total of eight playable characters at the start of the game, with the option to unlock four more as you keep fighting and earning rewards, and two boss characters that aren’t playable.

Using the same engine as the recent Tekken Tag Tournament 2, the gameplay in Tekken Revolution has seen a few changes here and there. The fights are one-on-one, with the players making use of various attack moves, throws and counters to lay the beat-down on their opponent. The Bound system has been removed, meaning a lot of the combos that you had learned in the previous games won’t work anymore, though some moves do bounce opponents off the ground and give opportunities for juggles.

New systems in place include the Special Arts and Critical Arts moves, which give bonus damage when landed. Upon finishing an online match or ending Arcade mode, players can earn points to level up their profile and also Fight Money, which is used to customise your favourite player’s stats. Each player can be levelled up by adding points into three distinct categories – Power for more damage, Endurance for more health, and Vigor for more critical changes and higher damage from Critical Arts. This degree of fine-tuning your character is unprecedented in a fighting game, but it makes for a nice addition to the game.

Sadly, there are no customisation options to change the appearance of your chosen fighter. Namco has monetised the game by introducing Arcade and Fight tokens, Premium Tickets and Premium Coins, which let you access each of the modes for single player. Arcade and Fight tokens are refilled over time, Premium Tickets can be won within the game, and Premium Coins must be purchased from the PlayStation Store. While the addition of such features does work to the game’s credit, the lack of any offline play or training mode really hurts the experience, along with a slight lag caused by the network code. Despite its misgivings, Tekken Revolution is a free ticket to witness the Tekken experience for those who have a PlayStation and enjoy playing it online. Checking it out would be worth the time.