Soulcalibur VI: 6 Quick Facts You Should Know

Regular fans and readers of our content here at Cultured Vultures will already know that we’re really looking forward to Soulcalibur VI. And by we, I mean me. The sixth instalment of the long-running fighting game franchise, not including weird spin-offs, Soulcalibur VI utilises the full strength of current gen technology to look better than ever before.

At the moment, there’s quite a few details floating around about what the full game will include, so we’ve decided to compile some quick facts that you should know about for Soulcalibur VI. It’s partly for your benefit, but mostly it’s an excuse for me to write about Soulcalibur VI again. Please understand.

 

The Roster

Since we originally wrote this article way back in those halcyon days of May 2018, the roster consisted of around 11 characters, but the list of announced fighters has increased since then, currently standing at a respectable 17 characters, 21 if you include the Season Pass characters, one of which has recently been revealed.

Here’s the roster as it stands right now, and we’ll be updating things as we go:

– Mitsurugi
– Sophitia
– Nightmare
– Xianghua
– Kilik
– Groh
– Ivy
– Zasalamel
– Taki
– Geralt of Rivia
– Siegfried
– Yoshimitsu
– Maxi
– Talim
– Seong Mi-Na
– Astaroth
– Voldo
– Tira (DLC character)

UPDATE: BN have clarified Tira’s status as a DLC character:

📢 Allow us to bring some clarity: Tira will be included in the Season Pass as a bonus character whenever you purchase it, and she will also be available as a day-one standalone DLC. She is not a pre-order bonus! Our apologies for the confusion. pic.twitter.com/GuEjY3foXH

— SOULCALIBUR (@soulcalibur) August 22, 2018

 

The Story, And The Other Story

If you’re the type of person who cares about the story in a fighting game, then first things first, it’s good to meet a fellow person of culture. Anyway, Soulcalibur VI is somewhat of a soft reboot for the series, taking the series back to the beginning by retelling the events of the original Soulcalibur game, similar to the 2011 release of Mortal Kombat.

At E3 2018, we got a glimpse of the story mode in Soulcalibur VI, which teased a multi-timeline narrative involving all of the characters. We also get a glimpse at what looks like a new version of Inferno, because he totally wasn’t a pain in the ass to fight back in the day. Absolutely not.

Interestingly, during Gamescom 2018, Bandai Namco also revealed that Soulcalibur VI would get a second, separate story mode called Libra of Soul. In this mode, you create your own custom character using an in-depth customisation system and explore a world map in a way not to dissimilar to the Weapon Master modes of old. Consider us very excited for it, and not just because we get to create weird freaks.

 

The Old

As mentioned, this is a soft reboot for the series, and with reboots come a litany of new mechanics. We’ll talk about those later, but for the most part, Soulcalibur VI is very much the fighting game you remember. It’s still the same four button fighting game, with horizontal and vertical attacks, kicks and guard. More technical inputs like guard impacts are also back, helping to distinguish between the good players and the button mashers.

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As for the returning characters, their movesets are basically the same as you remember. Kilik is still a devil at playing keepaway with you, Xianghua’s juggle combos are still devastating and Nightmare can still delete half your lifebar with two powerful swings. If you’re worried that things will be completely different to how you remember Soulcalibur, cast those worries aside.

 

The Borrowed

SC VI also borrows one or two things from the previous game in the series, the aptly titled Soulcalibur V, as mechanics like meter management and Critical Edge special moves make a comeback here. In terms of presentation and style, Soulcalibur VI also feels similar to Bandai Namco stablemate Tekken 7. The Critical Edges and the slow motion on the new Reversal Edges give the fights a new cinematic quality.

 

The New

Now let’s talk about the new shit. Soul Charge has been given a bit of a rework. Though it still gives players a big buff, it has a more direct effect on the flow of combat, granting access to new moves and, in the case of Kilik, a weird demon edgelord form. It can also be used defensively, as it pushes opponents away and gives you an opening to counterattack.

Speaking of counterattacks, the big new addition to Soulcalibur VI is Reversal Edges. They’re sort of like a guard impact for beginners, used to block an opponent’s attack before launching your own. If the counterattack lands, you’re placed into a clash style mechanic that plays out like a more complicated version of rock-paper-scissors. It’s more like rock-paper-scissors-lizard-Spock-”screw you I’m Nightmare”.

We have more details about the game from our time with the game back in February, which we loved, and again more recently, which we loved even more. We also recorded some footage of Maxi, because Maxi is the greatest character in the whole series and I won’t hear a word otherwise.

 

The Release Date

Soulcalibur VI is penciled in for an October 19th release date on PS4, Xbox One and PC. Along with the standard version of the game, you’ve got the Deluxe Edition, which includes the Season Pass and a special metal case for the game that includes in-game audio clips that play when you open the thing. The Collector’s Edition includes all the goodies that the Deluxe Edition includes, along with a big statue of Sophitia. For more details, check out our write-up here. 

And there’s your list. Anything you want to know about Soulcalibur VI that we’ve missed out? Sound off in the comments below.