Soulcalibur VI is a fighting game in the Soulcalibur series developed by Bandai Namco Studios and published by Bandai Namco Entertainment for the PlayStation 4, Xbox One, and Windows in 2018. Soulcalibur VI received mostly positive reviews, with praise being directed at its gameplay and faithfulness to the series.
Gameplay[edit]
Following the tradition of prior installments of the Soulcalibur series, Soulcalibur VI's gameplay involves two weapons-wielding combatants battling against one another using a 3D system. The game kept many of the familiar gameplay elements including 8-Way Run, Guard Impact, and character creation, but adds to the traditional formula by introducing new mechanics such as Reversal Edge and the newly revamped Soul Charge.[1] The Reversal Edge allows players to defend against an oncoming attack and quickly strike back, alongside a slow-motion effect, enabling more defensive options for the players.
Characters[edit]
Models dressed as Taki (Xena Kai[2]), Talim and Sophitia during promotion at PAX West 2018
Soulcalibur VI contains a base roster consisting of 21 fighters. Additional characters are added through DLC after the game's launch. There are also 100 slots for custom characters.[3] New characters introduced in Soulcalibur VI are marked in italics.
Notes[edit]
^a Guest character
^b Downloadable content ^c Unlockable Plot[edit]
Soulcalibur VI serves as a reboot to the series, taking place during the 16th century to revisit the events of the first Soulcalibur game/second Soul series game entry to 'uncover hidden truths'.[23][24]
Development and release[edit]
Soulcalibur VI demo at E3 2018
Soulcalibur VI was announced during The Game Awards 2017.[25] Development on the game began over three years earlier.[26] Producer Motohiro Okubo called the game a celebration of the franchise's 20th anniversary.[27][28] Bandai Namco focused more on story elements than in the previous games in the series.[29][30] It runs on Unreal Engine 4 like Bandai Namco's previous fighting game, Tekken 7. According to Okubo, the title's code name was 'Luxor' due to the team's intentions on making the game feel brighter like it was in the first Soulcalibur. Additional mechanics were introduced to help players with the game's learning curve.[28]
The game was released for PlayStation 4, Xbox One, and Windows on October 19, 2018.[31] Its Collectors Edition came with an art book, a soundtrack, a Sophitia statue, and a metal case.[32] A season pass for the game includes four additional characters and more items for character customization.[33]
Reception[edit]
Soulcalibur VI game was well received. Game Informer and EGM both praised the story modes.[39][38] VideoGamer.com praised the environments,[43] while Destructoid praised the music and the character roster.[37]Game Revolution reviewer opined it was 'one of the most enjoyable fighting games I’ve ever played.'[40]IGN summarised it: 'The new mechanics add new layers of strategy and mind games while the one-two punch of Libra of Soul and Soul Chronicle will provide hours upon hours of fantastic single-player content.'[42]4Players praised the netcode,[44] while HobbyConsolas praised the character creation.[45]GameSpot's Tamoor Hussain said it was 'both intuitive and deep'.[41][47]Dead or Alive 6 director and producer Yohei Shimbori commented he could not understand why his series is being criticized so much for the fan service content while Soulcalibur VI 'can do it and doesn’t get a beating over it.'[48]
Sales[edit]
The game reached number 5 in the UK sales chart.[49] In Japan, it sold 24,049 copies within its first week on sale, reaching number 3.[50] It reached number 8 in Australia and number 7 in New Zealand.[51] In the USA, it was the 8th most downloaded game of October on the PlayStation Store. Sales were reported to be up from Soulcalibur V and compared to Soulcalibur III, Soulcalibur and Soul Blade, but still lower than Soulcalibur II and Soulcalibur IV.[52] In 2019, Namco reported the launch as 'successful'.[53]
Accolades[edit]
References[edit]
External links[edit]
Retrieved from 'https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Soulcalibur_VI&oldid=904164867'
For a “tale of souls and swords,” soul was unfortunately what the SoulCalibur series seemed to be lacking most around the release of SoulCalibur 5. The near-brush with death appears to have done Namco’s second-string 3D fighter a whole lot of good however, as SoulCalibur 6 is infused with the sort of energy and heart that the series hasn’t had since its classic second entry.
Part of the success appears to be down to focus: there are less characters and less stages in SoulCalibur 6 than in its predecessor, but that allows the existing cast to breathe. Cues and systems have been ported over from the wildly successful Tekken 7, too, while the developers have clearly focused their backwards consideration on SoulCalibur and SoulCalibur 2, the most beloved entries in the series. The result is an immediately more confident and fun release.
There’s a respectable 21 character slots in the base game, though much fuss has already rightly been made of the fact that one fan favourite character is already available as day-one DLC. More DLC will follow, too, including a season pass that sources have led us to believe will include another guest character and a range of series staples that didn’t make the initial cut. 21 is a decent number; it’s comparable to SoulCalibur 2, is more than the initial 2016 release of Street Fighter 5 and more than SoulCalibur, a game which I consider a high watermark both for the series and fighting games in general.
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The cast feels sufficiently varied, too. For my money, the SoulCalibur series’ focus on different weapons and their attached fighting styles makes for one of the most inherently varied casts in fighting games, and that’s no less true here. Guest fighter Geralt of Rivia is also a joy to play as – even in a completely different style of game he moves in a style and tempo that is fully in keeping with his appearances in the Witcher – and that same level of attention has been put into all characters, even if some do appear to be reusing some of the work from the decent-but-flawed SoulCalibur 5.
The important thing is that this is a better, more confident game than its direct predecessor in practically every sense. Tekken has perhaps always been the more balanced series, but it feels like lessons learned in the excellent Tekken 7 have this time made their way across to their tale of souls and swords. Battles are balanced and crisp, and the game’s penchant for sensing when close calls are incoming in order to deploy nerve-wracking, exciting slow motion sequences honestly never gets old.
That sort of wild, cheer-inducing sequence makes SoulCalibur 6 perfect for casual fighting game fans, coupling perfectly with the weapon-based focus of the game. The wide arcing swings of weapons are easier to read and understand than even the exaggerated martial arts of Tekken, putting this series more on par with the properly over-the-top movement of Street Fighter.
That makes it easy to pick up and button mash through, but depth is available, and it’s not even hidden – one-button commands like the sidestep or Reversal Edge counter make it easy to add a dash more tactical flair to even the scrubbiest match-up, but there’s a great deal to learn and master beyond that, too.
Sometimes the way the simple and complex systems intersect isn’t the most elegant, and this makes the ride from newbie to pro nowhere near as comfortable as in something like a Street Fighter 5 – but it’s better than many, like Namco’s own Dragon Ball FighterZ where newcomers can only hope to be crushed online repeatedly and eventually learn from mistakes. Some of the easy mechanics actually work as a disincentive, too – mastering proper blocking will likely be less attractive to newer players when they can just spam the reversal edge, for instance. Consider these systems a double-edged blade; SC6 is a winner in the player-versus-player department, but the path of self-improvement could be better constructed.
For those less confident about online fighting SoulCalibur 6 features two story-based modes, Libra of Souls and Soul Chronicle. The latter is relatively throwaway but for how it tells the tale of Geralt ending up in this universe, but the former is a significant mode with quite a lot for players to sink their teeth into.
Series veterans will recognize Libra of Souls as inspired by SoulCalibur 2’s excellent Weapon Master Mode, which at the time was a full-on masterclass in fighting game single-player content. It’s part RPG, part fighter, with the player tasked with creating their own new fighter before exploring the world to level up your character and upgrade your weapons. This plays out mostly via text and through picking menu options, but it’s nevertheless a full-blown RPG with side-quests and reams of lovingly crafted flavor text. When you do enter a battle, special mechanics and battle conditions will make this more than just a glorified arcade mode (which is also included, by the way) – so as you play there’s a real sense of progression.
The text-based presentation isn’t for everyone, to be sure, and the fights are often over all too quickly, but that’s what Soul Chronicle aims to even out with its more focused doses of stories – one for each character, then a general one tackling the main thrust of the series narrative. Both are ultimately decent and ensure that alongside the more traditional modes there’s a reasonable amount of single-player action on offer.
I tested the game on PC, running on a high-end machine using an Nvidia RTX 2080Ti graphics card. That’s as powerful as they come, more or less, so it probably won’t surprise to learn that the game looks pretty damn good. The initial automatically detected settings weren’t anywhere near correct to what my card could handle, so PC players should be aware they’ll probably need to make some manual tweaks. Once tweaks are made performance is generally rock solid, hitching only on things like the versus screen when character models and stage assets are being loaded in. The important stuff, in battle, runs perfectly.
Bandai Namco is on a bit of a fighting game roll. Tekken 7 and Dragon Ball FighterZ are both hugely successful, and SoulCalibur 6 comes out swinging with the same sort of tightly-constructed, satisfying action. It’s arguably the most approachable of the trio, though its accessible systems aren’t necessarily the best-balanced in the world. It’s an easy recommendation, mind, because at a casual level SC6 is just bloody good fun. Get some friends, some beers, some button mashing and some toe-curlingly tight encounters and you’ll find the spirit of the original alive and well – and that’s all that matters in the end.
Tested on PC (specs here) with a review copy provided by the publisher. At time of publication, online modes were not available.
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Welcome to the stage of history!
'Transcending history and the world, a tale of souls and swords, eternally retold..'
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The Soul series (unrelated to the 'Souls Series' note ) is a series of 3D weapon-based fighting games created by Bandai Namco Entertainment's team Project Soul, arriving shortly after the success of its other 3D fighter, Tekken.
Chronicles Of The Sword Walkthrough
In 16th-century Eurasia, rumours persist of a legendary sword of heroes known only as 'Soul Edge.' Only a few know that Soul Edge is actually an evil Artifact of Doom with an insatiable thirst for human souls. Some warriors seek Soul Edge without knowing the truth, whereas others seek to destroy it or capture its power for themselves.
Woods of desolation toward the depths. To counter Soul Edge, an opposing sword of light was created: the spirit sword, Soul Calibur. When these two swords first clashed, Soul Edge was shattered into pieces and Soul Calibur fell dormant. Now, the shards of Soul Edge are seeking to reunite, oozing corruptive power that bestows misfortune on all who encounter them. An epic final battle between the two opposing swords is now fast approaching, with the fate of the world at stake.
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The series began in the mid-'90s with Soul Edge, one of the first games to feature three-dimensional combat where every character held a weapon. Control was mostly similar to Tekken and Virtua Fighter, where characters could move along the three-dimensional plane, and could be knocked out of the ring if they were careless. Characters could also deflect each other's weapon attacks, or break them and render them useless if hit enough times.
Soul Edge, though mildly successful in arcades (and on the PlayStationasSoul Blade), was largely overshadowed bySoulcalibur, which revamped many of the original game's aspects, including the three-dimensional movement, character combos, and timing, and completely removed the breakable weapon aspect. The Dreamcast port of the game rebalanced the gameplay and overhauled the graphics, becoming its system's Killer App in the process. It is often placed among game critics' 'favorite games of all time.'
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Soulcalibur has since spawned four sequels, which have been ported to a number of home systems. A spin-off Action-Adventure title, Soulcalibur Legends, has been released for the Wii; IV has also been ported to the PSP as Soulcalibur: Broken Destiny, which guest stars Kratos, the God of War. note
Soulcalibur: Lost Swords was released on February 6, 2014 in Japan and on April 22, 2014 in North America. Lost Swords was a single-player, online-only, free-to-play title distributed through the PlayStation Network and based on Soulcalibur V, the goal of which was for the player to collect loot through battles. Players could imbue the weapons with elemental properties, such as fire and wind. Virtual item sales were also offered. Lost Swords has since been shut down on November 30th, 2015.
On December 7, 2017, Namco Bandai announced the next installment of the series, Soulcalibur VI, which is at least in part set during the events of the original Soulcalibur. It was released on October 19, 2018 for the PlayStation 4, Xbox One and PC.
As of Soulcalibur III, the series title seems to beSoulcalibur in a reference to Excalibur. The series underwent change in direction after this point. Soulcalibur V was directed by Daishi Odashima, who said he wanted the game to be named Soul Edge 2, but was rejected. In December 2013, the series again changed project direction, and Masaki Hoshino took over as head of Project Soul, leading development of Lost Swords and Unbreakable Soul. At some point he also left the team, resulting in Tekken 7 producer Motohiro Okubo stepping in to lead development of VI.
The series contains the following games:Main Series
Spinoffs
Transcending media and the internet, a tale of tropes and cliches, eternally reclicked..
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Chronicles Of The Sword Playstation
Soul Calibur 6 Chronicles Of The SwordThe alternate universe single player modes, Weapon Master and Chronicles of the Sword, have examples not found in the main games:
The soul still burns..
Alternative Title(s):Soul Calibur, Soul Edge, Soul Blade, Soul Calibur IV, Soulcalibur II, Soulcalibur III, Soulcalibur LegendsIndexComments are closed.
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