Soul Calibur VI the newest entry in the series since Soul Calibur V in 2012 (no we will not talk about the ill-fated free to play Soul Calibur Lost Swords) and has been widely anticipated since its reveal late last year . But has the wait been worth it? Does the soul still burn? Or is Soul Calibur nothing more than a relic of the past?
First let’s talk about the story and setting. Soul Calibur VI is basically a reboot of sorts, retelling the story of the original Soul Calibur with characters and references from Soul Calibur 2 and 3. This means that old favorites like Sophitia and Talim are back looking like they did originally which some slight changes. This also means that none of the new cast from the previous game are in this as it doesn’t fit with the timeline.
This was a good move on Namco Bandai’s part as one of the reasons Soul Calibur V was widely disliked was because of a lack of fan favorites. Characters like Talim and Zasalamel seemly disappeared for no reason with Sophitia killed offscreen sometime before the game’s events while characters like Taki and Xianghua were replaced with unlikeable imitations.
That’s not to say the story is good though. While a huge improvement over Soul Calibur V, Soul Calibur VI’s story mode is lacking compared to its competition like Dragon Ball FighterZ and even Tekken 7. Story segments are told in the most laziest fashion, with most cutscenes being still hand-drawn images of characters talking. But that’s only the main story mode Chronicles of the Soul. Libra of Souls, which has you use a created character that can only be used in that mode, handles its story even worse. Story segments are told through character portraits and text boxes. Rarely are there any voiced story segments and in both modes in-game cutscenes are few and far between.
Character Creation mode makes a return. Now you can create different races from elves to horned demons and even your own lizardman. The original cast with the exception of guest character Geralt can also be customized and you can make them wear each other’s clothing. For example you can have Mitsurugi dress like Voldo (disturbing yet hilarious as all hell) or have Talim dress up like Ivy (which looks so wrong on so many levels).
There are 100 character slots to use and you can share one of your creations over the network for other people to see. So if you have a well-designed character or you replicated your favorite anime/videogame/comic book character you can share them with the world. Or traumatize people with lizardmen with giant dongs. The amount of creativity that you can see is amazing… but so is the level of absurdity.
However it seems that the amount of clothing options in Character Creator is a bit limited compared to previous entries. No doubt more clothing options such as those coming with the 2B DLC will be available as paid content which is annoying but not really all that surprising sadly.
The gameplay is also much improved from previous games feeling much faster and more fluid than before. You have your usual horizontal attacks(A), vertical attacks(B), guards(G) and kicks(K) along with the ability to move around freely with the 8-way run system. Just like previous entries battles are decided not just by skill but by how you position your character.
Unlike the previous game, Guard Impact(GI) functions just like it did in Soul Calibur 1 – IV. The player simply presses forward plus the guard button just as an attack connects to parry the opponent, no meter required. And just like in previous games the opponent can still GI you back. If you mistime a GI you will lose a bit of your guard meter and it leaves you wide about for Guard Break attacks (GB). So there is an element of strategy when using GI; do you press the attack on your opponent, attack with a GB or sidestep away and catch your opponent off guard?
Although GI no longer requires meter, it is still used for Critical Edges which functions just like in the previous game as a super move. However unlike the previous game which required the player to do a double quarter circle motion and the A+B+K button here you simply have to press A+B+K to pull it move. That doesn’t make them broken though, although they’re flashy you can be interrupted or even be parried when it lands.
What is more useful though is Soul Charge. An old mechanic absent in the previous game in this game it functions as a power-up that boosts the character’s abilities and give them access to new ones for a limited period of time. It also stops the fight timer. This and its ability to knock back your opponent makes it ideal for comebacks and is activated by pressing back and A+B+K.
A brand new mechanic in this game is Reversal Edge (RE), performed with the B+G button which originally served as a second grab. RE puts the character in a parry state where they will deflect a certain number of attacks before striking the opponent. On hit the players will enter a sort of rock-paper-scissors mini game where A beats K, K beats B and B beats A. It’s a bit more complicated than that as you can also press G to guard A or sidestep to dodge B. RE looks incredibly cinematic as just before the deciding hit connects time slows down for a bit to give it a bit of flair.
As interesting as it is, it can be spammed to easily as there is no cost to using it. It can also make some characters a bit trickier to use as some characters have regular attacks that transition into RE such as Mitsurugi whose third standing B goes into RE. In addition in event of a draw the one who initiates the RE usually has the advantage.
That’s not to say RE is broken, RE attacks are easily dodged with a sidestep as they are mostly vertical attacks. In addition just like any other regular attack a well timed GI can beat an RE. It’s just another in the player’s arsenal albeit one that takes some getting used to.
Although the main gameplay is quite solid the same once again cannot be said about the story gameplay especially Libra of Souls. In this mode players use their custom character who can only be used in this mode as they travel a world map going through fights with special conditions. These can range from extra slippery stages to having to fight with reduced health.
At first it sounds interesting being tested under various conditions but it quickly wears out its welcome as a lot of the fights have the same conditions, with extra slippery stages being the most common in my playthrough. In addition many fights later on have AI that are incredibly cheap spamming ridiculous moves quickly and these opponents usually have an advantage of the player such as permanent soul charge or can only be killed while in soul charge. The only real advantage of this mode is that teaches the player the basics of the game.
Chronicles of the Souls isn’t much better as well. You have the main story which basically retells the story of SC 1 and you also have individual character stories that don’t really have a satisfying conclusion with some them clearly teasing a sequel or DLC such as Talim or Sophitia. And just like in Libra Souls some fights, not all, involve special conditions such as being unable to use soul charge or fighting with reduced health,
The game’s biggest draw by far is definitely the Multiplayer. It can take awhile to find matches but once you find a match fights go smoothly even from here in Brunei. However as of now there’s no way to match with players your own skill level at ranked so expect to get bodied a lot especially if you’ve never played a Soul Calibur game before.
Overall though Soul Calibur VI is a return to form and a much better game compared to its predecessor. Fights are fast and fluid requiring quick thinking and reflexes, Character creation though limited is addicting and it is blast creating your own characters or putting your favorites in. All the characters are fun to play with and the online mode when it works runs smooth as silk.
If you need to pickup a fighting game, or if you have that Soul Calibur itch get Soul Calibur VI a go. I give it a 7/10. Soul Calibur VI is available now for PS4, XBONE and PC through Steam.
HamD Reviews 