Considering the way that Tifa Lockhart fights in Final Fantasy 7, it's strange that the character hasn't seen too many outings among the fighting game circuit, unlike Cloud and Sephiroth who are now in Smash Ultimate. However, one fan has decided to amend this oversite with a new mod that turns Tifa into an unofficial guest fighter in Tekken 7.
The modder Wolfe, who has worked with Tekken 7 mods before, not only included Tifa, but also included a brand new stage inspired by Final Fantasy 7 to go along with the new fighter. To add to the expertise of the mod, the character model wasn't simply ported from one game to another, as it would seem that the model has actually been specifically built in order to fit into the Tekken art style.
When it comes to porting Tifa into the game, the mod is actually a replacement for the Tekken 7 character Josie, whose move set works smoothly to emulate the new model. It currently comes with Tifa's dresses from Final Fantasy 7: Remake, her flashback cowgirl out, and her clothes from Advent Children as alternate costumes, however the Exotic Dress is currently still in development. The different outfits sometimes run into physics and clipping issues at the time of this writing, but Wolfe is continuing to support the mod and has stated in attached notes and comments that fixes are coming soon.
Coming alongside the inclusion of Tifa is another replacement mod that swaps the background of the G Corp Helipad stage for a backdrop of Final Fantasy 7 Remake's Midgar, with the Shinra Tower overlooking the fight. This new location comes with a night and day function and works perfectly with the new fighter, who blends in even better with a stage built around her own game. The result of pulling both Tifa and Midgar into Tekken 7 together does a lot to make the mod have the look and feel of an official addition to the game, even though it's really the work of a talented fan.
Looking at the effect that the mod creates, it's a wonder that Tifa hasn't been included in more fighting titles as a guest fighter before, outside of Dissidia and Ehrgeiz at least. At least modders like Wolfe are able to provide fans who want more Tifa content around the fighting game community with such a close approximation of how the character would behave in a title like Tekken 7. Then, with any luck, some headway between developers could see a crossover bring more Final Fantasy fighters into more games as the series continues.
Tekken 7 is available now for PC, PS4, and Xbox One.
Source: Tekkenmods