Soul is a weapon-based series. The series revolves around a sword that, after years of bloodshed and hatred, gained a soul of its own, the, and the sword forged to counter it,. The series is special in that each is created to have his or her own different weapon and style creating a varied fighting experience. The series has spawned six games., (due to his appearance in Soulcalibur II as Nightmare and as Nightmare's third costume) and (He first appeared in Soul Edge as, and albeit as multiple hosts sharing the same identity) are the only characters to have appeared in every Soul game to date., and (though as clones) are close runner-ups having appeared in every game but one.
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Contents General information All games in the series before Soulcalibur III were originally arcade games, subsequently being ported to home consoles. Main article: The first installment was named Soul Edge in Japan, which was 'upgraded' to Soul Edge Ver. II and transported overseas as Soul Blade. Set in the late sixteenth century, the game follows nine warriors in a quest, each of whom have their own reasons but share a common goal: to obtain the legendary sword,. After appearing in arcades, it was made available for the console.
Along with its soundtrack, this weapon-based title has been widely praised for being innovative yet traditional to the fighting genre of games. With Versus (one-on-one battle mode), Survival (take on a gauntlet of opponents until the player is unable to continue), Time Attack, Team Battle (a selection of combatants will take on an opposing group, a victor is announced when the last remaining member of a team is defeated) and Training modes, the console port also saw the addition of 'Edge Master', a single-player mode in which the player would guide one of the ten main characters in a story-like manner whilst obtaining a variety of weapons for use. Soulcalibur The logo of what would be the series' new moniker. Main article: The sequel to arrived in video arcades a year later, the plot being 2–3 years later than the first game's, as was its exclusive porting to the console. The title is derived from, a legendary weapon which opposes the evil of. This title would also retcon the Soul series as a whole, establishing its popularity in video gaming history as it garnered positive reviews from gaming fans and critics alike. Though retaining elements of its predecessor, Soulcalibur incorporated an extensive amount of new features, including the '8-Way Run'.
Eventually, the title name being prominently used in later sequels, spin-offs and other media. Soulcalibur (Manga Comic) Soulcalibur Manga ComicA manga was published in 1999 and was copyrighted by Namco.
The story was filled with adventure and comedy, but only a several characters that were available in the storyline appeared such as, Sophitia, Taki, Cervantes, Siegfried, Astaroth, Lizardman, Kilik, Maxi, Ivy, Edge Master, Xianghua, Mitsurugi, Voldo, Nightmare, Seong Mi-na, Hwang, and Inferno. The was available in 5 volumes. Soulcalibur II Logo of the third game in the series. Main article: Soulcalibur II further improved and expanded from, in both graphics and gameplay.
Soulcalibur II was released in arcade format 4 years after the previous outing of the series, subsequently being ported to all three active sixth-generation consoles. The game scored near-perfect reviews. This is the first game in the Soul series to feature cameos from characters in other media, such as from Nintendo's (The version of Link used was specifically from 'The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time (1998 Nintendo), playable on the 's roster. Specially featured on the 's roster is of Tekken fame, while was an exclusive addition for the version. Also, was a guest featuring on all 3 consoles. The HD version, which is for PlayStation 3 and Xbox 369 includes all guest fighters, except Link, due to his character rights belonged to Nintendo and this version does not appear on Wii U. Soulcalibur III A silouhette of is part of the logo.
Main article: Breaking tradition, Soulcalibur III was released only for in 2005, before an was seen and never been re-released on consoles (mostly PlayStation 2). It is also possible to identify the use of a different graphics engine used to develop the game. Soulcalibur III contained a new single-player mode called 'Tales of Souls', the true story mode in which the player could make course-altering decisions along the way.
Arenas were made more interactive, such as the breaking of rocks if one of the 42 selectable characters were to impact against them. Soulcalibur III is the first game in the series to feature a character creation system, and features a story mode called 'Chronicles of the Sword' which is a mode with some strategic aspects purely for created characters. Soulcalibur Legends Logo of the Spinoff game in the series for Nintendo. Main article: Soulcalibur Legends (ソウルキャリバー レジェンズ Sourukyaribā Rejenzu?) is an action-adventure game for the console. It is a non canon spin-off of 's successful Soul fighting game series.
It was released on November 20, 2007 in North America and was released in Japan on December 13, 2007. The game was eventually released in Europe and the UK on August 28, 2008. The game features competitive and cooperative multiplayer modes in addition to the single player story mode. It features from the Tales series. Soulcalibur IV Logo of the fifth game in the series,. Main article: Arriving in 2008 on the and, the fifth installment of the series is the second game not to see an arcade release prior to the home game, as well as the first to take bouts online.
Soulcalibur IV instates new gameplay mechanics into the series in the form of damage-absorbing armor (that can be shattered) and (both tied to the new Soul Gauge). Like, the fifth game also included cameos from different media. Initially, Star Wars Sith Lord is an exclusive playable character on the, while Jedi Master is selectable on the. The character that the specific console version does not appear can be unlocked as downloadable content via PlayStation Store or Xbox Live Marketplace. Both versions of the game also include character from the Star Wars: The Force Unleashed multimedia project. Due to The Apprentice’s inclusion the original live-action Star Wars characters are mostly based on the non-canon Legends timeline. Like, also includes a system with various customizable parts, some unlockable.
These characters can also be taken into online bouts, which in itself is a new addition to the series. However, unlike, the only available weapon disciplines are taken from the existing roster.
Soulcalibur: Broken Destiny Logo of the game. Main article: Soulcalibur: Broken Destiny is the game for the (Abbreviated as PSP). It uses many of the features used in such as the soul crush, armor destruction, critical finishers, and and also brings in some new features such as new lighting effects for stages so that they have different times of day, and the new Gauntlet Story mode. The game also includes many of the characters in, excluding the Star Wars guest characters and bonus characters, and introduces a new character to the series: and features, from the God of War series, as a guest character. Soulcalibur V Logo of the sixth game in the series,.
Main article: Released in 2012, Soulcalibur V is set 17 years after the events of Soulcalibur IV and contains a mix of new and returning characters, thought it mostly consist new characters than returning characters. The game's plot revolves primarily around and, the children of. An improved Creation Mode with optional DLC is featured, in addition to the Story mode, online play, and various offline modes.
Some gameplay features from past installments have been altered (such as revamping the Soul Gauge from Soulcalibur IV into the ) while others are new additions, such as. This game features from Assassin’s Creed as a guest character. Soulcalibur: Lost Swords. Main article: The seventh installment of the series. It is a reboot, starting a new timeline. It was released for PlayStation 4, Xbox One, and PC on October 19, 2018. The game takes place during the original Soulcalibur era, starting in 1586, though there’s few storyline elements from Soul Edge (opening cutscene only) and the timeline between original Soulcalibur and the timeline where the second until fourth Soulcalibur events took place.
This game also features the returning elements from 3 previous recent main Soulcalibur games (up from III - V). It introduces the new characters who did not existed in original timeline, namely. This game follows similar routes as Bandai Namco’s other fighting game banner, Tekken 7, such as the yearly downloadable content season releases (characters, costume sets and new storylines alike), and guest character inclusions, such as from Andrzej Sapkowski’s The Witcher, who is mostly based on his video game counterpart as part of the base rosters, while some of the remaining guest characters, currently only Square-Enix’s newly popular video game Nier: Automata as one of the DLC characters. Basic Gameplay All the games in the Soul series retain some specific features while introducing or removing others from game to game. The basic button layout for the Soul series is two weapon attacks (horizontally and vertically aligned strikes), a kick button and a guard button for blocking.
Two features that have been kept in the series since its inception are the defense system and the condition of victory. In the first game, the Guard Impact system is a repelling technique that allows the player to 'check' an incoming strike and push it back and allowing for a free hit. A Guard Impact requires precise timing (having the player pressing forward plus guard at the instant an opponent strikes) but results in tactical advantage for the defender. The opposing player is also able to counter a Guard Impact with their own and can stalemate their opponent until someone misses the timing on the subsequent Guard Impact. As the series moved forward, the Guard Impact system was made deeper. In, Namco introduced multiple Guard Impact techniques (the original repelling technique was named 'Repelling' while two new techniques, 'Parrying' and 'Weapon Stripping' were introduced).
These different Guard Impact types have been kept for the subsequent installments. Ring Outs occur when one of the fighters is forcibly removed from the arena (or 'ring'), instantly ending the round and resulting in a round point for their opponent. The idea of Ring Outs in 3D fighting games was originally conceived by the Virtua Fighter series of fighting games and adopted by Namco for Soul Edge. A combatant cannot be knocked out of the ring without being eliminated by some effort from themself or by their opponent. Later games introduced new ring designs (Soulcalibur allowed rings to take different shapes instead of a basic square, introduced stages with walls that blocked off parts of the ring and made Ring Outs possible only in certain parts of the stage or removing that condition altogether, and introduced low walls that can be destroyed and create a Ring Out opportunity once it is gone). Soul Edge is unique in the series as it is the only game to feature the 'Weapon Meter'; a sword-shaped meter under the characters' vitality bars that determined how much damage a weapon could sustain. As a character blocked attacks; the meter would deplete until it emptied which resulted in a weapon break (the player would also have to pay half the Weapon Meter to perform a 'Critical Edge' combo).
Once the character's weapon was broken, they were forced to fight until the end of the round. The Weapon Meter was designed to promote consistent offense and not constant defense (other fighters have adopted similar means to deter over-defending; Street Fighter Alpha 3's Guard Meter is an example of such a device).
The Weapon Meter was abandoned following Soul Edge and instead replaced with Soulcalibur's trademark '8-Way Run' system. The 8-Way Run allowed players to walk in any direction at any time instead of using a specific command to sidestep. This kept the fights truly three-dimensional and made it easier to maneuver around attacks or away from ring edges (as well as launch specific 8-Way Run attacks). Each of the sequels to Soulcalibur have used the 8-Way Run movement system. Also introduces a concept similar to the Weapon Meter with the Soul Gauge. When a character blocks an attack, the Soul Gauge is depleted. If they attempt to block an attack with an empty Soul Gauge, their opponent will break the guard with a.
This leaves the defending character open for a which instantly ends the match.
SC6 Tira.jpg Weapon Used Ring Blade Name of Weapon Eiserne Drossel The character Tira is a returning DLC fighter in Soul Calibur 6 in this new rebooted timeline of the events of the first appearance of Soul Edge and Soul Calibur. She is known as the Bird of Death, and uses a peculiar Ring Blade known as Eiserne Drossel in a Dance of Death fighting style.
An Assassin, she uses her giant circular blade like a destructive hula-hoop that can be wildly unpredictable, and her agility gives her fast movement as well.