Tekken Card Tournament Beta Impressions

Everyone and their mother knows Tekken so I don't even have to tell you how awesome it is when I heard that they're combining it with Trading Card Game mechanics. I know that it has been done before with the Universal Fighting System TCG but this time, it's also available online.


The gameplay of the game is pretty simple, resembling Rock Paper Scissor and reminiscent of the card game Yomi (which you can also play for free at http://www.fantasystrike.com/game/ ). The main point of the game (aside from trying to beat your opponent into pulp) is to try and guess what their next move is going to be (just like when you're actually playing a fighting game).

Turns are done simultaneously so you and your opponent does 1 action at the same time. There are three actions you can select on each turn: Focus, Strike and Block. Focus will let you draw 1 card, Strike lets you attack with all the cards you have (you can only have a maximum of 5 cards in your hand) and Block will let you defend against the first two attacks that your enemy throw at you, that is IF he attacks. SO you see, it all  essentially comes down to the mind games that happens in a real match but without having to worry about memorizing all the moves and having the reflexes needed to do it all. It's the perfect game for me and those who just don't have the skills needed to play actual fighting games.

Wait, does that mean that the game is just some "slow man's fighting game"? of course not. The cards you get in your hand could have various different effect that you can try and use to your advantage. This adds a level of depth to the game and make it a lot more interesting than just simply a Rock Paper Scissor game. You can also customize your deck of 15 cards with cards you get via winning fights or from booster that you can buy (don't worry, it's all done with in-game currency).

Now, the gameplay is pretty exciting, but your stamina depletes pretty quickly and this means you can only fight for like 5 rounds before you have to wait until you gain more stamina. Although, it is only a 20 minute wait until you gain one stamina and you can do one more match. The thing that disappointed me the most is the graphics. I know it's only a Browser Game but that's no excuse for making the game looks so horrendous. So if you're jumping in hoping that it'll at least looks decent then no, the game's graphic looks bad.

Is it worth it though? I'd say yes. For a game that'll only take less than 5 minutes per match this is pretty addictive and I always like collecting cards to use in a deck so that's a big plus for me. Currently the number of character to choose is pretty limited with only Xiaoyu, Nina, Lili, Kazuya, Paul, Law, Panda and Yoshimitsu but I believe they will eventually add the other characters. I would also hope that they will sell alternate costumes for all the characters. So, if you like Tekken, Fighting Games in general or Card Games, try this game out. It doesn't waste much of your time and it's quite fun.

Check the site here: http://www.tekken-card-tournament.com/en/play