The Continuing Saga of Soul Calibur

A new chapter in the tale of souls and swords begins in Soul Calibur V.

The next game in the popular fighting game saga will see the return of many beloved characters such as Voldo, Cervantes and Ivy.

At the same time, it also will mean the departure of several of the series’ most beloved characters. Namely, Xianghua, Taki, Sophitia, Cassandra, Setsuka, Amy, Talim and Zasalamel.

Saddening as it may be to see these characters go, new fighters have risen up to replace them, most notably Ezio Auditore da Firenze who starred in Assassin’s Creed II and its two sequels.

Among other newcomers are the mysterious warrior known as Z.W.E.I.  and his companion, the fortuneteller Viola. Z.W.E.I. uses a arming sword in combat and can summon a wolf-like being to aid him in battle. Viola uses an armored claw in addition to an floating orb that serves as her primary weapon.

Newcomers Patroklos Alexander and Pyrrha Alexandra are the focus of the game’s story-line as they are Sophitia’s two children. They take her place as well as that of her sister Cassandra on the new roster. Patroklos is a driven and righteous young man who seeks to become the next wielder of Soul Calibur.

At the same time, his sister is being carefully groomed by Tira, Soul Edge’s servant, to be its next host. All the while the stage is set for another epic confrontation between Soul Calibur and Soul Edge and warriors gather from all the corners of the world to claim and or destroy them.

Story aside, I must say that as long as the new fighters are interesting and add unique character to the game then I don’t mind the departure of some characters.

Along with new fighters there are of course new mechanics that have been worked into Soul Calibur V. The most significant of which is the addition of a special gauge called the Critical Gauge. The Critical Gauge fills when making and blocking attacks and is used to power the other mechanics that have been added to the game: Critical Edge, Brave Edge and Guard Impacts.

Guard Impacts used to be executable whenever the player wanted, provided the proper button input was made. Now, Guard Impacts require a small portion of your Critical Gauge and must be employed carefully. Critical Edge and Brave Edges are special attacks that require a full gauge to use and can be anything from a flashy attack to a special grab that deals considerable damage if it lands.

Just Guard is a new way to execute a Guard-Impact-like maneuver and break an opponent’s combo. It involves blocking an opponents attack just as the attack is made.  With the attack negated, you can strike back immediately and without risk to punish your opponent.

Finally, the new Quick Step feature has been added to help compensate for the now limited use of Guard Impact. It is a simple, fast sidestep technique that allows you to dodge an opponent’s vertical strikes and counterattack.

I am really looking forward to trying out Soul Calibur V and seeing how the new mechanics fit in. I especially am excited about the massively expanded Character Creation mode.

What do you think of the new changes? Do you hate them? Or do you think they make the game better?

Feel free to sound off in the comments below!

P.S. Don’t forget to mention your favorite fighter! (Mine is Ivy)