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Soulcalibur VI

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Soulcalibur VI
Cover art featuring Mitsurugi and Geralt of Rivia
Developer(s)Bandai Namco Studios
Dimps
Publisher(s)Bandai Namco Entertainment
Director(s)Yoshinori Takahashi
Producer(s)Michinori Ozawa
Motohiro Okubo
Designer(s)Tomofumi Oosaka
Takashi Yoshida
Programmer(s)Masanori Ota
Artist(s)Takuji Kawano
Hiroaki Hashimoto
Writer(s)Sohei Kamada
Composer(s)Junichi Nakatsuru
SeriesSoulcalibur
EngineUnreal Engine 4
Platform(s)PlayStation 4
Windows
Xbox One
ReleaseOctober 19, 2018
Genre(s)Fighting
Mode(s)Single-player, multiplayer

Soulcalibur VI is a 2018 fighting video game developed by Bandai Namco Studios and Dimps, and published by Bandai Namco Entertainment. As the seventh main installment and reboot of the Soulcalibur series, it was released for the PlayStation 4, Windows, and Xbox One on October 19, 2018. The game revisits events from the first installment, set in the 16th century, with the aim of "uncovering hidden truths." Players engage in combat as they select from a diverse roster of characters, including both returning favorites and new additions.

Soulcalibur VI retains classic mechanics like the 8-Way Run and Guard Impact while introducing innovative gameplay features such as Reversal Edge and a revamped Soul Charge system. The narrative unfolds through two main modes: Soul Chronicle and Libra of Soul. Soul Chronicle presents a linear story focused on the main characters and the threat of Nightmare, featuring individual character storylines that provide depth to the overarching plot. In contrast, Libra of Soul allows players to create a custom character, known as the Conduit, who navigates a journey to close astral fissures and confront the rogue scientist Azwel, ultimately shaping the fate of the world through player choices.

Gameplay

Following the tradition of previous installments in the Soulcalibur series, Soulcalibur VI's gameplay involves two weapon-wielding combatants battling against one another using a 3D system. The game retains many familiar gameplay elements, including the 8-Way Run, Guard Impact, and character creation, while enhancing the traditional formula with the introduction of new mechanics such as Reversal Edge and the newly revamped Soul Charge.[1] The Reversal Edge allows players to defend against an incoming attack and quickly counterattack, accompanied by a slow-motion effect that enables more defensive options for players.

Characters

See also: Characters of the Soulcalibur series

Soulcalibur VI features a base roster of 21 playable characters. Additional characters are made available through downloadable content (DLC) following the game's launch, bringing the total number of characters to 29. Additionally, there are 100 slots for custom characters.[2] New characters introduced in Soulcalibur VI are indicated in italics.

DLC

Notes

^a Guest character; DLC guests are not part of the game's storyline
^b Unlockable, but unplayable online
^1 2 Number denotes the season in which the character was added as DLC

Plot

Soulcalibur VI serves as both a sequel and 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 in order to "uncover hidden truths."[27][28] It occurs after the events of Soulcalibur V (which take place during the Soul Chronicles of Cassandra, Amy, and Zasalamel's stories), where Cassandra from the original timeline warns her past self about the grim future facing the Alexandra family. Amy's original future self is revealed to be Viola, and Zasalamel receives a vision from his future self that leads him to abandon his quest for death, choosing instead to guide humanity toward a brighter future.

The plot of Soulcalibur VI begins with a remake of the second Soul game entry, occurring from 1583 to 1589, well before the events of the 1590 trilogy games. The story is divided into two distinct modes. The Soul Chronicle mode is the main narrative, focusing on the primary characters and the immediate threat posed by Nightmare. In this mode, the story unfolds similarly to a visual novel, featuring illustrated, voiced cutscenes that convey the plot and are interspersed with matches that represent significant battles within the story. The main narrative centers around Kilik as he sets out to confront the Soul Edge and Nightmare, primarily taking place in Europe. Additionally, each character is provided with an individual storyline that details their backstories or serves as side narratives to the main plot; one character’s story chapter occurs after the primary narrative, a year prior to the events of the original trilogy.

The second story mode, titled Libra of Soul, takes place shortly after the Evil Seed event of 1583, during which Siegfried acquires the Soul Edge and becomes Nightmare. In this mode, the player creates a custom character who serves as the protagonist. Predominantly set in Asia, the player embarks on a journey to prevent Azwel from recreating the Evil Seed while grappling with their own malfestation. This mode runs concurrently with the main narrative in the Soul Chronicle, and at times, the player character will encounter other characters from the main story.

Libra of Soul

Note: Due to the number of in-game side missions, this summary is based solely on the linear story

In 1584, about a year after the Evil Seed ravaged the world, the hero, referred to as the Conduit, awakens from a violent nightmare involving Soul Edge and a mysterious realm. Zasalamel appears before them and explains that the energy of the Evil Seed has linked their soul to the realm known as Astral Chaos. Unless they absorb energy from the astral fissures that have been appearing recently, their soul will be shredded from the pressure, resulting in death. Zasalamel then trains the Conduit to absorb the energy from the fissures and gives them a special scale called the Libra of Soul.

After closing several fissures with the help of Maxi and Mitsurugi, the Conduit is approached by Grøh, Dion, and Natalie, members of the mysterious Aval Organization tasked with hunting down the rogue Aval scientist Azwel and his cult-like followers, the Qualifiers. Knowing only that Azwel has taken an interest in the astral fissures and the circumstances surrounding the Evil Seed, Grøh conscripts the Conduit into their group, as they are the only one capable of closing the fissures. However, Azwel manages to gain the energy from the fissures and reveals his intention to create a similar Evil Seed event he calls the "Ultimate Seed" in order to protect humanity from its own self-destructive tendencies. Grøh, partially corrupted by Soul Edge's evil due to Azwel's meddling, succumbs to the darkness and tackles Azwel off a cliff, but to no avail.

Uncertain of Azwel's plans, the Conduit seeks out Zasalamel for guidance. Zasalamel informs the Conduit that, although their absorption of the fissures has made them stronger and mitigated Astral Chaos's hazardous effects, only Soul Edge and Soul Calibur possess the power to stop Azwel. However, both blades have been sealed away inside Astral Chaos, and the Conduit must draw upon their power through combat with individuals connected to the weapons (Kilik, Xianghua, and Siegfried for Soul Calibur, and Taki, Sophitia, and Cervantes de Leon for Soul Edge). Once they gather enough strength, the Conduit confronts Azwel, and despite Azwel's attempts to use them as the final piece of the Ultimate Seed, the Conduit kills him.

However, before they can rest, the Conduit is contacted by the Aval Organization and informed that Grøh survived his encounter with Azwel but must be eliminated due to his malfestation. After tracking him to Scandinavia, the Conduit once again draws upon the Soul swords to confront him.

The ending of Libra of Souls is influenced by the player's alignment throughout the game. If aligned with darkness, the Conduit draws on Soul Edge and strikes down Grøh before burying him. If aligned with light, the Conduit draws on Soul Calibur and purges Grøh of his malfestation. Grøh then continues his work with the Aval Organization from a distance.

Development and release

Soulcalibur VI demo at E3 2018

Soulcalibur VI was announced during The Game Awards 2017.[29] Development on the game began over three years prior.[30] Producer Motohiro Okubo described the game as a celebration of the franchise's 20th anniversary.[31][32] Bandai Namco placed a greater emphasis on story elements compared to previous games in the series.[33][34] The game utilizes Unreal Engine 4, the same engine used in Bandai Namco's previous fighting game, Tekken 7. According to Okubo, the title's code name was "Luxor" to reflect the team's intention of creating a brighter experience akin to the original Soulcalibur. Additional mechanics were introduced to assist players with the game's learning curve.[32]

The game was released for PlayStation 4, Windows, and Xbox One on October 19, 2018.[35] Its Collector's Edition included an art book, a soundtrack, a Sophitia statue, and a metal case.[36] A series of season passes for the game each included four additional characters and further items for character customization.[37]

Reception

Soulcalibur VI received generally positive reviews. Both Game Informer and EGM praised the story modes.[43][42] VideoGamer.com lauded the environments,[47] while Destructoid highlighted the music and the character roster.[41] Game Revolution reviewer Jason Faulkner stated it was "one of the most enjoyable fighting games I’ve ever played."[44] IGN summarized it, saying, "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."[46] 4Players praised the netcode,[48] while HobbyConsolas commended the character creation.[49] GameSpot's Tamoor Hussain remarked that the game was "both intuitive and deep."[45][51] Dead or Alive 6 director and producer Yohei Shimbori expressed confusion over why his series faced criticism for its fan service content, while Soulcalibur VI "can do it and doesn't get a beating over it."[52]

Sales

The game reached number 5 in the UK sales chart.[53] In Japan, it sold 24,049 copies within its first week on sale, reaching number 3.[54] It reached number 8 in Australia and number 7 in New Zealand.[55] In the US, it was the 8th most downloaded game of October on the PlayStation Store. Sales were reported to have increased compared to Soulcalibur V and were also compared to Soulcalibur III, Soulcalibur, and Soul Blade, but still lower than Soulcalibur II and Soulcalibur IV.[56] In 2019, Namco reported the launch as "successful."[57] As of July 2021, the game has sold over two million copies worldwide.[58]

Accolades

Year Award Category Result
2018 Game Critics Awards Best Fighting Game Nominated[59]
The Game Awards 2018 Nominated[60]
Gamers' Choice Awards Fan Favorite Fighting Game Nominated[61]
Titanium Awards Best Fighting Game Nominated[62]
2019 New York Game Awards Raging Bull Award for Best Fighting Game Nominated[63]
22nd Annual D.I.C.E. Awards Fighting Game of the Year Nominated[64]
NAVGTR Awards Franchise, Fighting Game Nominated[65]
SXSW Gaming Awards Most Promising New eSports Game Nominated[66]

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