Game Cover

Ever fought a witcher before? Guess not.

Platform played on: Xbox One (One X Enhanced)

# Review

This is my first time seriously playing a SoulCalibur game; I've always been a big fan of Tekken and SoulCalibur looked very similar so I thought I'd give it a shot.

SoulCalibur is an 8-directional fully 3D weapons-based fighting game; there are many mechanisms on top of each character's skillset, including weapon compatibility, Reversed Edges, and Soul Charges. The mechanisms take a while to get used to, but very long to fully master due to the exponential combinations of strategies which can be used. Like most fighting games, SoulCalibur is a game where experience and in-depth knowledge wins out.

My favourite dodge attack using Cervantes

The graphics are smooth and the loading time isn't too ridiculous for console (although I did play this on a Series X). The gameplay mechanics are more or less balanced, although most players tend to favour select few characters such as Astaroth and Kilik.

# Soul Chronicle

The story of SoulCalibur VI is both a reboot of and sequel to earlier SoulCalibur games; the story mainly takes place in the late 16th century, where mighty warriors fight for control of a powerful but evil weapon. I'm completely new to the series, so it was very interesting playing through the main story, as well as each of the characters' backstories. The cross-over character this time is Geralt of Rivia from The Witcher franchise; Geralt uses many of the same skills as from the from The Witcher video games and is even fully voiced by Doug Cockle, who also voices Geralt from the games.

# Arcade Mode

This is just your typical back to back fight mode, where one fights with a character against increasingly harder CPUs.

# Multiplayer

One can play social or ranked matches. It's pretty cool to be able to build and customize an original character to fight with online. Perhaps due to the lack of players (at least on Xbox), matchmaking for ranked mode is very broken; you'll constantly be pitted against your last opponent and the skill band for matches is way too large, pitting you against either terrible players or pros.

# Libra of Souls

This is a new mode added to SoulCalibur VI and is probably my favourite mode in this game. It plays out like an RPG, where your custom-created character can travel around the world and fight through the main plot of SoulCalibur; there are also various side-stories and side missions.

Libra of Souls

I like how, although largely inconsequential to the plot at large, your character can make decisions which affects his morality and slightly alters the story. I also like how your character's interactions with other characters is reflect in the other characters' personal backstories in Soul Chronicle. The mode can get a bit repetitive, but overall the pacing isn't too terrible.

# Conclusion

My first SoulCalibur game; I was pleasantly surprised.

# Overall rating: 7.7

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