Welcome back to the Stage of History
Project Soul announced the game at The Game Awards 2017, and development on the game began three years prior. Motohiro Okubo (praise be), producer of the game, said that SoulCalibur 6 was created in celebration of the franchise's 20th anniversary was well as it being what the fans yearned for. Get ready to unsheathe your swords and ride into battle!
The Wait is Over! Let's Begin!
When it comes to the single-player experience, SoulCalibur 6 delivers above and beyond to provide a compelling story with characters that seem like they could've existed during the time period. There are two story modes: Libra of Soul (a mode where you can create a character and journey a world map taking on side missions and collecting weapons), and Soul Chronicle (a more traditional story mode).
Speaking of creating a character: the beloved, fan-favorite feature of the franchise, Create-A-Soul, returns and you can make your fabled hero or heroine that you'll challenge your friends online with. There are a good many armor pieces, clothing, weapons, accessories, and items to choose from to make your character with. It might not be as robust as SoulCalibur 4 or 5 but I've seen a lot of creativity and variety (so it's pretty awesome).
All-in-all, if the competitive aspect or learning the game isn't quite your cup of tea, then absolutely yes you will enjoy the game's singe-player content.
Single-Player Content Rating: 9/10
A Return to Form (for the most part)
SoulCalibur 4 and 5 introduced meter to the series as well as other mechanics. Now historically, SoulCalibur has never had meter in it, and I really want to touch on the competitive/technical aspect of things here. SoulCalibur, especially 2, what with the implementation of the 8-way running system, set the standard for 3D fighting games not just for the series, but for all 3D games, really. Well, that and Tekken, seeing as the two development teams worked together on it. That being said, in Soul Calibur 2 and 3, the game was very free-form. What I mean by this is: you could play the game how you wanted; you could leave your own personal flair into it. This being evident in the way that movement was faster, easier, and far less restricting. Combos were extremely easy and very short. There were advanced things you could do and some character-specific combos that were huge, but for the most part: combos were just launcher and another hit. Combos were rarely anything of 4+ hits. The advanced aspects of the game came in movement, learning your characters moves, guarding, step-guarding, guard impacts (the parry system of the game), Ring-Outs, and Soul Charge usage.
When it came to SoulCalibur, and this is especially true in 2, the game was just so balanced and heavily focused on chess-like play with movement, parrying, and ring-outs. You didn't have to learn crazy, elaborate combos that took hundreds of hours of training just to memorize to then worry about trying to land it on a human or someone online. You could pick up a character, learn their moves, pull off combos that were both basic and advanced and deal heavy damage. It wasn't about the combo execution; it was about your movement, your knowledge of the character, how you worked to ring them out, the spacing and pokes and simple mix-ups. It was about the mind-games; it was about how you played the game.
Now, with all of that being said: is any of that essence still alive in SoulCalibur 6? In my opinion, yes it is (but not fully). The movement speed of 6 is much like 2 and the free-form nature is there. In many ways you can still play the game how you want. It's just that the inclusion of meter and making Soul Charge and Critical Edges (super art moves) meter-based is not a core identity of traditional Calibur. Soul Charge was a mechanic that never needed meter. Super moves were never in the game before SoulCalibur 5. Combos in the game are a lot longer than they used to be. There's crazier set-ups and combos you can do. In a lot of ways the game added instead of simplifying. But with all of the in-depth systems and intricacies, it feels like SoulCalibur. You can still have your own playstyle and signature flair. Competitively, it's just not as great as SoulCalibur 2 (it might never be), but it's still extremely deep and fun to play and watch. New mechanics such as Critical Edges (was in SoulCalibur 5) and Reversal Edge (rock-paper-scissor type system) aren't great but hey I suppose if the game is to continue to thrive, it has to have some extra spice to it, even though, in all honesty, it really isn't doing the game too much good.
Core Essence and Gameplay Rating: 7/10
Positives:
- Gorgeous 3D models
- Beautiful stages (many are nostalgic)
- Epic OST (huge plus)
- Varied characters/playstyles (no characters play alike, really)
- Geralt of Rivia (great guest character from The Witcher Series)
- Great roster of characters (almost all fan-favorites returned)
- Combos are easy to learn, even the advanced combos (though some can be challenging)
- Helpful in-game notes on how to play characters
- Sample combos are included in movelists for characters
- Create-A-Soul is fantastic (many great options, and customizing)
- Critical Edges are super sick and stellar
- Runs at 60 FPS (console included)
- Huge singleplayer modes; 2 story modes
- DLCs are fantastic (they come with more characters and creation parts)
- 2B as a guest character is amazing
Negatives:
- Reversal Edge could be removed and I wouldn't care too much (I don't hate it but I don't think it's all that good)
- Fundamentally sound and great just not on the level of traditional SoulCalibur (talking about SoulCalibur 1 and 2)
- Some combos could use toning down
- Some of the frame-data should've been handled like it was with SoulCalibur 2
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(Geralt of Rivia, from the Witcher series; Guest Character)
(New Character in SoulCalibur 6: Groh)
(New Character in SoulCalibur 6: Azwel)
Final Verdict:
The SoulCalibur series is one of my favorites of all-time. I love this game so much; I play it almost everyday. It's not without its flaws, but the proof is in the soul-pudding; the game is so much fun and is beautifully crafted. The support of the community and the developers is astounding, and it's no wonder why the game received a world tour slated for 2020. I hope the series continues to grow and remain what everyone's souls burned for. It's without a doubt the premier 3D, weapon-focused fighting game.
Overall Game Rating: 8.7/10
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Notes:
Season Pass 1 includes: Tira, 2B (from Nier: Automata), Amy, Cassandra, customization parts, and BGMs.
Season Pass 1 includes: Tira, 2B (from Nier: Automata), Amy, Cassandra, customization parts, and BGMs.
Season Pass 2 includes: Hilde, customization parts, BGMS, a new guest character from Samurai Shodown: Haohmaru (to be announced), and two other characters to be announced.
