Besides arriving in a
saturated market filled with Capcom’s recent titles, Soul Calibur is also
competing with itself. It’s taken a bit of a break over the past few years
and Namco has taken some time to recalibrate its balance and approach.
Players who enjoyed previous games will find the fifth installment features
a mix of the new and familiar. On the surface, not much has changed. The
extensive character roster includes a number of returning favorites such as
Mitsurigi, Kalik, Voldo and Cervantes along with a new generation of
fighters. Unlike many other fighting games, Soul Calibur V also includes
some cool character cameos from other series, though you won’t find the
gimmicky ones seen in the last few titles. The biggest guest star this time
is Ezio from Assassin’s Creed, who is quite powerful, but doesn’t unbalance
the game. While he brings a slightly different feel to the series, Ezio fits
the timeline relatively nicely, so there aren’t odd moments like a battle on
the Death Star this time around. He’s a nice change of pace from the other
characters. While the developers have worked hard to bring some new life to
the series, it still a traditional cast for the most part. Even the new
characters have a ring of familiarity to them, since many of them are
descended from the original cast. This makes the game feel immediately
familiar, and its backstory where fighters battle to attain the legendary
Soul Edge sword hasn’t changed all that much. The most innovative aspect of
the game comes in its new character creation mode, which carries over from
the last game. This allows you to create your own character’s look, clothing
and weapons in an easy to navigate menu, save them and use them in battle.
There’s loads of options, including your character’s voice, facial
expression, and most importantly, their fighting style. While the initial
options you have are limited somewhat, you can unlock additional items to
use during the game. You can
mix and match between the standards set by existing characters, or create
your own unique fighting style. This sense of personalization really opens
up the game, and gives you the freedom to really make the game your own.
These customization options don’t change the standard modes too much, but
definitely add a personality to the online matches, where you can gain a
competitive edge.
Once you’ve set up your character and gotten used to the basic gameplay
mechanics, you’ll find that there are plenty of modes and options to
explore. Soul Calibur V’s gameplay modes are likewise delineated on
traditional ground with an arcade mode where you battle a series of
opponents until you reach an end-stage boss delivering the action you’ve
come to expect from the series. This mode is timed and completing it quickly
allows you to post your best time in the online leaderboards. There’s the
traditional story mode where you can follow a fighter through a series of
battles and watch their battles unfold. This is a deeper mode than other
sections, and there’s a little more skill required since some of the
opponents you face aren’t the usual foes you see in battle. This keeps you
off-balance and the element of surprise can make things more challenging.
You can also enter the Hall of Souls mode where you have to complete a
series of missions in order to unlock additional extra items. SCV also
includes an extensive training mode where you can practice your moves and
skills. It’s online modes extend the gameplay even further, allowing you to
challenge opponents online to single battles, compete in tournaments, and
compare you rankings to other players in the game’s various fighting modes.
This all leads to a deep and satisfying experience in terms of game modes,
and the action itself remains quite satisfying.
This installment has undergone a few tweaks in the control department some
of these changes help the balance. After you start playing through a few
rounds, you’ll find that SCV hasn’t messed up the successful formula too
much. Its still one of the more accessible fighting games, though it offers
some depth if you look hard enough for it. Each character brings a unique
weapon to battle, and these can be used to inflict plenty of damage on your
opponents. Some of these are more effective than others, but they can all be
blocked and attacks countered, so you need to be careful. As in previous SC
games, the battles are mostly exercises in momentum, since once an opponent
gains the upper hand with relentless attacks, it’s very difficult to stop
them from defeating you. The game has balanced a little bit better this time
around, but there are still plenty of super attacks. Rounds usually end with
either what feels like an easy triumph or a frustrating defeat that feels
cheap. Another annoying aspect of the previous games that carries over are
the ring-outs, which still occur far too often and make the game feel a
little annoying sometimes. The fighting system is well thought-out with a
straightforward command structure that allows you to perform complex attacks
easily. The charge meters work as they should. Contact with opponents
usually inflicts plenty of satisfying damage, and the opponent AI in most
modes is somewhat predictable, making the game a cakewalk once you learn its
strategies. However, this doesn’t mean that SCV isn’t fun, it’s just not as
long-lasting as it could be.
From a production standpoint, the game looks as
sleek and polished as you’d expect from the series. The characters look
magnificent with their fluid animation and movement, each bringing a unique
personality to the battle. Each round is accompanied by its bombastic
announcer, which brings an over the top approach to each battle. The
backgrounds are also quite impressive, and the vibrant medieval world come
to life in vivid fashion thanks to extensive light-sourcing and detailed
texture maps. The game’s background music remains is also cinematic, with
familiar themes and songs that create an epic feel to the battles that makes
them feel more important. The game’s visual style is further enhanced by the
glowing trails you leave behind as you fight, which is still a cool effect
after all these years. You’re definitely going to get plenty of eye-candy
from this game, but its substance isn’t as deep as you’d like it to be.
While Namco has clearly tried to add some new elements to the game and
rebalanced the fighting system, it’s still very much a glossy fighter that
emphasizes stylish moves and combos. As you progress deeper into the various
modes, some nuances begin to emerge and you can more effectively block
attacks and supers become easier to counter. Its accessible fighting system
has always been a key part of Soul Calibur’s appeal, so while the game is a
little unbalanced in terms of individual battles, it’s still enjoyable.
SCV’s gameplay mechanics haven’t changed that much with this installment.
However, the addition of extensive online modes, a plethora of customization
features, excellent production values, and appealing cast go a long way
towards combating those deficiencies. In the end, it’s an entertaining
fighting game that delivers a satisfying portion of the hack and slash
weapons based combat you’ve come to expect from the series.
-
Michael Palisano
