As you may have heard already, Tekken 7: Fated Retribution will add Akuma into the game. His inclusion might be a small preview for Tekken X Street Fighter.
For those that have forgotten about the game, Tekken X Street Fighter is a crossover game being developed by Bandai Namco. It will have several fighters from both the Tekken and Street Fighter franchises. It will be using the Tekken fighting mechanics.
The game was announced back in 2010 along with Capcom’s Street Fighter X Tekken. That game used the Street Fighter engine and already came out successfully in 2012. Tekken X Street Fighter however has barely been mentioned all these years other than it’s still in development.
Akuma’s inclusion in Tekken 7: Fated Retribution might be an indication that Bandai Namco is testing the waters to see how Street Fighter characters play like in a Tekken game.
Street Fighter X Tekken is easier to make as the Street Fighter engine is full of fighters with projectiles and other unworldly attacks. Tekken on the other hand is more “realistic” focusing on hand-to-hand combat mostly. Only some of the demonic characters have laser beams.
Akuma is a good way for Bandai Namco to test out how Street Fighter characters play like in a Tekken environment. From the first trailer we have seen, the character won’t be dumbed down in any way. He will still have his iconic moves including his hadoukens.
It will be interesting to see how Bandai Namco balances Akuma so he won’t be too overpowered. Akuma is already powerful in Street Fighter games, and he might be even more deadly in Tekken 7: Fated Retribution.
If Akuma proves to be popular, hopefully this means Bandai Namco will speed up the development for Tekken X Street Fighter. Many fans have been waiting for a long time for the game to come out. Tekken 7: Fated Retribution should be a good preview on what’s to come. Akuma is actually not in Street Fighter 5 mainly because of his inclusion in Tekken 7.
