A New Tale of Two Swords

The SoulCalibur franchise is an incredibly popular fighting game franchise. Bringing with it unique game mechanics, SoulCalibur VI brings a fresh new experience. Although, it has some flaws. SoulCalibur is famous for having guest fighters from other game franchises. This time, they gave us Geralt of Rivia from the Witcher game series. There are 21 playable characters in total in the initial release of the game, but there are 4 DLC characters with two of them yet to be revealed. Many loveable characters make a return!

Libra of Soul

The main story of the game takes place as a created character of your choice soon after it’s revealed that you are lucky to be alive. There are many races you can choose for your character, as well as making them male or female. Initially, you won’t have many options but you can edit your character later. You can change weapons and fighting style at any time, though the game tends to give you weapons based on the style you are using. In this mode, you are racing to close Astral Fissures by absorbing their energy so you don’t die. Along the way, the story progresses and you discover a more sinister plot. You meet other characters from the story here in which you interact with them. This mode has very little voice acting, so if you’re not a fan of reading books you can just skip all the dialogue. You will unlock extra reading material in the Museum upon completing missions here. There is even a multiplayer function in the late-game in which Astral Fissures that appear are other players.

Libra of Soul adds many RPG elements such as leveling up and even upgrading your strongest weapon. Along the way of completing the game, you will be given choices. These choices will determine how the story progresses and will unlock secrets depending on the orientation of the sword you choose – Soul Edge or Soul Calibur. You can hire mercenaries to fight for you, and you can even use food to give you a bonus while in a fight; and trust me, some of the fights are tough and you will need that extra boost. Aside from the random encounters, this mode has a lot of side-stories to explore. You can even fight one of the DLC characters in this mode – Tira. Honestly, I would have been much happier if they released extra parts for character creation rather than making it seem like they butchered the game more than Nemesis from Resident Evil.

Prediction: a ton of Tira cosplay in the near future

Soul Chronicle

SoulCalibur VI takes place much earlier than the previous game took place so many of the characters are younger. The Main Story in this mode has you playing from Kilik’s point of view. This mode is complete with voice acting. After finishing the Main Story here, you will be able to explore each of the characters in the game by finishing their story within the timeline. Although Libra of Soul can be seen as the most important part of the story, in Soul Chronicle you can explore each of the characters with their own short stories. The Main Soul Chronicle storyline unlocks Inferno – the 21st character in the retail version of the game. Unfortunately, Inferno is banned from tournaments and online play.

Character Creation

Here is where you get a chance to go wild. In the upcoming DLC, there will be 2 packs that are scheduled to bring new clothing and accessories for creating characters. Just by looking online you can find great examples of what you can do in this mode. Sad that Waluigi isn’t in Smash Ultimate? Just make Waluigi in the Character Creation. You can even share your creations online. Just makes sure it’s appropriate because people have been getting banned for inappropriate character creations. Be warned!

Though making new characters is pretty fun

Additionally, from being able to make new characters, you can also edit the look of SoulCalibur characters such as Mitsurugi.

Gameplay and Online

The gameplay is solid. A tremendous amount of thought went into balancing each of the characters. There are characters that fit just about any playstyle. SoulCalibur VI is very beginner friendly. Even someone that has no experience in fighting games can pick it up and have fun. Additionally, SoulCalibur VI also rewards players that learn the more in-depth mechanics. The combos don’t require hundreds of hours of practicing. Bread and Butter combos are generally easy to pull off.

With new mechanics brought in, it’s important that you spend some time in the training room. While in the training room, you will also be able to see each of the moves performed so you know what each move looks like. At higher level play, it’s like playing Chess where you figure out what moves to beat your opponent’s.

Museum

While battling online, you will win currency you can use to unlock pictures, music, and lore. Through playing the story modes, you also unlock a lot of reading material. I mean, it’s a lot. Don’t skip over this because the content they packed here is really cool. You can even take a trip through memory lane and look through the art of past SoulCalibur games.

Final Thoughts – 8.9/10

SoulCalibur VI brings a lot to the table. It has an engaging story that will give you a lot of extra reading material and lore from the Soul Calibur series. The fighting is easy to pick up, and rewards players that take the extra time to learn the mechanics of the game. The art and design are gorgeous. Overall, it’s a must-have if you’re a fan of fighting games and can serve as a way to bring new people in.

I am definitely no fan of them having a DLC character on day 1 that you face in Libra of Soul. It’s unfortunate, and I think they should have added more items for the character creation. Instead, we get Tira behind what is pretty much a paywall. With that said, The Season Pass will contain 4 new characters (Tira and 2B have been revealed), and 2 Creation Part packages.