Soul Calibur VI is everything we love about the epic fighting game franchise; elaborate characters, fluid gameplay and awesome special moves, all combine for hours of fun.
Soul Calibur VI offers a variety of entertaining game modes beyond the usual arcade and versus options. Mission: Libra sees you create a character and set out on your own story.
You get plenty of variety for your character, with size and build affecting your stats. You can also pick whichever weapon type you prefer, essentially picking the moveset of the character that typically uses that weapon, such as Mitsurugi’s katana giving you cool samurai attacks, or Kilik’s rod turning you into a no-good cheater.
As the story develops, you can make choices on how your game plays out, adding a welcome level of depth to the experience. Your choices can make you either good or bad, with the story being affected by how your moral compass is pointing.
You can also unlock new weapons and change the one you’re using, letting you try out other fighting styles as the story progresses, so you can mix it up instead of getting bogged down in the same old combos. I’m looking at you, Maxi Mains.
As for the actual fighting, it’s superb. The combat is pulsating, polished and fast-paced. The grabs are quick, the basic attacks are swift, and the special moves are sensational. You won’t get bored watching Raphael rip through opponents with expert precision, or Xianghua gracefully slicing through an enemy like they’re made of wet paper.
Difficulty increases at an expected rate, making for challenging but fair gameplay with no nasty difficulty spikes, something that isn’t always easy in fighting games. Often they can end up too easy or too hard, but Soul Calibur VI has found an excellent balance. That being said, you can still commit the fighting game sin of spamming the same attack. But if you do this, you’re a terrible, terrible person.
Your favourite core franchise features make a return. The iconic phrase at the beginning rings out so satisfyingly, you can’t not be excited. The character menus, galleries, and even loading screens are all gorgeous.
The mythical elements are back and better than ever, with ostentatious arenas brought to life in stunningly vivid detail. Each location is so well designed, you run the risk of staring at the environment just long enough to let your opponent get the edge on you. Well, that’s my excuse anyway.
As for the characters, there’s a huge variety to choose from with each one having their own strengths and weaknesses. From the demonic Nightmare and his absurdly huge sword, to the angelic Sophia and her godly sword and shield.
Even Geralt from The Witcher series is up for a scrap. There really is a choice for everybody and you’ll definitely want to try them all. Except maybe Voldo. He’s still skin-crawlingly creepy.
Essentially, Soul Calibur VI does what it does just right. Everything about it is what you’d expect from a Soul Calibur game, and that’s exactly why this game is worth your time and money, but it’s also a sign that it lacks a lot of innovation.
The story cutscene style isn’t for everybody, but it’s not done badly at all. This is a fighting game after all, and Soul Calibur VI was never going to try and be God Of War, or any other single-player, story-driven AAA title.
Sadly, the game has arguably played it too safe in this regard. It’s understandable to an extent, but the lore of this series has the potential for true greatness if coupled with a groundbreaking style. Hopefully, we can see this one day, but VI hasn’t done it yet.
Overall, Soul Calibur VI is an excellent fighting game that will keep you endlessly entertained. It offers plenty for newcomers to the franchise, but seasoned fans will get a bit more out of this game thanks to its comprehensive story that goes all the way back through the series’ history.
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More of a concept than a journalist, Tom Percival was forged in the bowels of Salford University from which he emerged grasping a Masters in journalism.
Since then his rise has been described by himself as ‘meteoric’ rising to the esteemed rank of Social Editor at UNILAD as well as working at the BBC, Manchester Evening News, and ITV.
He credits his success to three core techniques, name repetition, personality mirroring, and never breaking off a handshake.