Bandai Namco Games debuted a brand new Tekken 7 trailer during the King of Iron Fist Tournament 2016 Global Final over the weekend, confirming the return of a pair of familiar faces in the fighting game series.
Both Kuma and Panda are the latest characters to be confirmed to join the upcoming sequel, and will come equipped with their own unique Rage Art moves. The bears have been a staple of the Tekken series for a while now, with the original incarnation of Kuma having appeared in the first game back in 1994 as Heihachi Mishima’s bodyguard. Panda, meanwhile, entered the fray back in 1998’s Tekken 3 as a ‘friend’ of Ling.
Watch the new Tekken 7 trailer
Tekken 7 overlord Katsuhiro Harada also confirmed that the console release of the hotly anticipated fighting game will support an Online Tournament mode for up to eight players. This will be accompanied by a Spectator Mode, allowing users who aren’t duking it out in the tournament to chat amongst themselves.
Related – Tekken 7 hands-on impressions
Bandai Namco has yet to confirm a Tekken 7 release date on PlayStation 4, PC, and Xbox One, though has said the title is due to ship at some point in early 2017. The game introduces a wealth of new features this time around, including the powerful Rage Art attacks, Power Crush, Tailspin, and more in an effort to keep the action fresh. The cast has also been trimmed somewhat after the past few games, which featured nearly all Tekken characters to date, with more emphasis placed on newcomers such as Shaheen and Gigas.
Tekken 7’s storyline this time around features on the long running Mishima family feud, which Harada-san has said will finally reach its conclusion. From the look of the game’s intro, we can expect an epic ruck between father and son, as Kazuya and Heihachi clash in the middle of a raging volcano.