Tekken 9 Fighting Game Basics Explained

Tekken 9 Fighting Game Basics

Alright, let’s jump into the world of Tekken 9! This isn’t your average button-mashing game. Tekken is a deep, 3D fighting experience with tons of moves, combos, and strategies. It can seem overwhelming at first, but don’t worry! We’ll break down the basic building blocks to get you started on your journey to becoming a Tekken master. We’ll explore the core mechanics, movement options, the importance of understanding the four main buttons, and some basic attacking strategies. So, buckle up, grab your controller, and let’s learn the ropes!

Understanding the Core Mechanics

Tekken 9 operates on a unique system that separates it from many other fighting games. It’s not just about projectiles and jumping. Positioning, timing, and precise inputs are crucial for success. Here are some key mechanics you need to get familiar with:

The 3D Plane

Unlike 2D fighters, Tekken lets you move in three dimensions. You can step into the foreground or background, circling your opponent. This movement is essential to create opportunities to attack, avoid hits, and position yourself for powerful combos. Learning to sidestep and move around the arena effectively is one of the biggest differences between a beginner and an experienced player.

The Four Button System

Tekken utilizes a four-button control scheme that’s mapped to the limbs of your fighter. The four buttons typically correspond to:

• Left Punch (usually mapped to square/X)
• Right Punch (usually mapped to triangle/Y)
• Left Kick (usually mapped to cross/A)
• Right Kick (usually mapped to circle/B)

These simple inputs are the foundation for every move, combo, and attack string you will learn, Understanding the functions of each button is step one to playing Tekken. The great thing is that every character uses the same basic 4 buttons, but they use them in very unique ways.

High, Mid, and Low Attacks

Tekken divides attacks into three categories: high, mid, and low. The way you block these attacks differs, adding another layer of complexity and strategy.

• High Attacks: These are blocked standing. However, they are easily ducked under with a quick tap down on the directional pad.
• Mid Attacks: These can only be blocked when standing up. They are generally the hardest to avoid since you have to stand to block them.
• Low Attacks: These are blocked by holding down-back on the directional pad. They cannot be blocked standing and will damage the player who stands.

Understanding the properties of each attack type helps you to defend effectively and to punish your opponent’s mistakes. A major part of Tekken is identifying which type of attack your opponent is using and defending correctly.

The Importance of Frames

While you don’t need a deep technical understanding of frame data to begin with, it’s crucial to understand that every move in Tekken takes a certain number of frames (milliseconds) to execute and recover. Faster moves will come out before slower moves, allowing you to beat certain options. Frame data is very important at the highest level of gameplay, but it’s not critical to start playing the game. As you become more advanced, you might find it useful to look at this data to find out which moves are advantageous. In general, faster moves are generally more advantageous.

Damage and Health

In Tekken 9, each character has a health bar. Damage dealt by attacks varies greatly depending on the move and how many times you have hit them with a move in a short period. Some moves deal very low damage but have other properties. Some moves deal huge damage but are easily avoided. Learning about how much damage each attack does in Tekken is an extremely helpful skill to develop. Be aware that you can die very quickly if you are not careful. The game also has some mechanics to help you catch up when you are low on health.

Movement in Tekken 9

Movement is the key to victory in Tekken. It’s not about jumping around like other fighting games. Tekken is about taking position and creating opportunities for offense. Here are some common movement techniques:

Forward and Backward Walking

The most basic form of movement is walking forward and backward with the directional pad. This can be useful for gaining space, closing the distance, and finding your character’s optimal range to attack. Try to maintain your optimal range so you can apply your best attacks.

Sidestepping

Sidestepping allows you to move around your opponent in a 3D plane. By quickly tapping up or down on the directional pad, your character will step towards the foreground or background. This movement lets you evade linear attacks, set up cross-up situations, and create space. Sidestepping is the most important tool for advanced players in Tekken.

Back Dashing

A quick double tap backward will make your character perform a backdash. Backdashing lets you create distance quickly and is crucial for escaping pressure. Backdashing can sometimes be used to bait out attacks, punish slow attacks, and sometimes even evade many slow projectiles.

Crouching and Ducking

Tapping down on the directional pad will cause your character to crouch. Crouching is useful for avoiding high attacks, but you are vulnerable to mid attacks. Be aware that many characters have low attacks that will hit a crouching opponent. Ducking is an advanced movement technique that can be used to quickly move under linear attacks, but it is important to not rely on this technique too heavily.

Running

By double tapping forward and holding the direction, you can make your character run forward. Running is very useful for covering a large distance very quickly, but be careful because many running moves are easily predictable and can be punished by an experienced opponent.

Understanding Movement Ranges

Every move has a certain reach. Some moves are best used up close, while others are meant to hit from afar. Understanding the range of your moves will help you space yourself correctly and make sure your attacks connect with your opponent. Try to learn which moves have the best range for each character and then create distance where your character can take advantage of their best moves.

The Importance of Stance

In Tekken, Stance is not just a defensive position. It also influences your character’s movement, attack options, and the flow of battle. Here’s a breakdown of how stances function:

Neutral Stance

This is your character’s default position when you’re not pressing any buttons or directional inputs (except for holding back to block). Your character will return to the neutral stance after many moves. When you are in neutral stance you will be ready to react to whatever the opponent does.

Blocking Stance

You initiate blocking stance by holding back on the directional pad. This is the most important defensive maneuver in Tekken, protecting against high and mid attacks. Remember, you’ll have to crouch-block to defend against low attacks, and blocking against throws doesn’t work. Blocking is a core component of the gameplay, and being able to defend yourself well will drastically improve your performance.

Crouching Stance

Crouching by tapping down on the direction pad is not only a movement option but a stance in itself. In this stance, you are susceptible to mids, but immune to highs. Some attacks will leave you in a crouching stance, opening up new options and moves. It’s important to know which characters can attack directly from a crouching stance, which attacks will put you into a crouching stance, and which attacks leave you unable to attack in a crouching stance.

Other Stances

Many characters have unique stances they can enter, which can change their move sets. Learning these stances can create new possibilities for combos. Stance is a big part of Tekken, and mastering how different stances work will drastically improve your gameplay.

Basic Attacks and Combos

Now, let’s delve into the bread and butter of combat: attacking. Understanding the basic moves and how to put them together into combos is essential for creating offense.

Simple Attacks

Start by getting used to your character’s individual moves by pressing the four basic buttons. Each character’s moveset is very unique, so spend some time exploring each character’s individual moves.

• Jab Attacks: Fast punches and kicks that can be used to interrupt opponents. They usually have short range, and very little damage, but they can be very advantageous.
• Power Moves: Slower and more deliberate punches and kicks that deal more damage but are easier to predict. These attacks are typically more dangerous, and often will launch your opponent, setting up a combo.
• Low Pokes: Attacks that hit the opponent low and must be blocked while crouching. These are a key part of mixing up your opponent’s defense.
• Throw Attacks: Special attacks that can grab the opponent. These cannot be blocked, but can be escaped with the right input.

Every character has a variety of attacks, with different speeds and ranges. Learning each character is a big part of mastering Tekken, and this is the most fun part of the game. You can practice these basic attacks against a practice dummy to see how they work.

Basic Combos

Tekken lets you string simple moves together into combos. Combos are where you deal a large amount of damage quickly, so try to master at least a basic combo for each character. The basic concept is to launch an opponent in the air and use that window to deal additional damage. Here’s how basic combos work:

1. Launch: Most combos start with a move that launches the opponent in the air.
2. Juggle: After launching an opponent you follow up with a series of fast attacks while they are in the air.
3. End: Finish with a stronger move when your opponent hits the ground.

As you get more comfortable, you can learn longer combos by watching other people play, looking up tutorials, and experimenting in practice mode. The most important thing when learning combos is to understand the rhythm and timing.

Punishing Opponent Mistakes

One of the core principles of Tekken gameplay is punishing mistakes. If your opponent throws out a move that is too slow or too predictable, you can use a fast attack to interrupt it. You can use this to deal damage and establish your dominance in a match. Punishing is a key skill to develop in Tekken, and as you get better at the game, you will learn the best ways to punish each of your opponent’s moves.

Putting It All Together

Learning Tekken takes time and patience. Don’t try to learn everything at once. Focus on the fundamentals and then start learning more complicated techniques. You will slowly begin to improve and start to apply the lessons that you learned. Here is a simple guide to help you get started:

1. Get used to moving around and using the four buttons.
2. Learn each character’s core moves and the range of each move.
3. Master one or two basic combos for your favorite character.
4. Work on defense by learning to block highs, mids, and lows.
5. Play matches and try to use your techniques to win, even if you lose.

The key is to have fun. Tekken is a game that requires a lot of practice and time, but it is a very rewarding experience to master. Keep at it, and you will eventually become a great player.

Tekken 9 offers a deep and complex fighting experience. While it can be intimidating at first, remember to focus on the basics we’ve covered here. Movement, blocking, knowing high, mid, and low attacks, understanding the four-button system, and practicing combos, are all crucial for success in Tekken. As you become more comfortable, you’ll naturally learn more advanced techniques, but a solid foundation in these areas will set you on the right path. Don’t be afraid to experiment, and most importantly, have fun! Keep practicing, and you’ll be dominating the King of Iron Fist Tournament in no time.