![]() ![]() Soul Chronicle is just detailed enough to enrich. It’s more interesting to wonder why a horny monster like Voldo haunts a pyramid and battles a Chinese swordswoman in smart blue pants than it is to actually know why. The strength of the series has always been the impression made by its macrocosm. The Project Soul team behind Soulcalibur pulls a surprising amount of charm out of some attractive but still paintings and big, detailed drawings of its heroes. ![]() Focusing on each character in the roster, Chronicle spaces out fights between comic book-style vignettes. Just tell him you like him, dude.Īll of this unfolds in Soul Chronicle, one of two substantial story modes in Soulcalibur VI that greatly enhance that big world feel. Geralt is transported to Soulcalibur VI’s absurd version of earth by a sorceress, and once he gets there has a hell of a time getting home because of various zombified warriors and an inconvenient crush from samurai Mitsurugi. The droll star of The Witcher series feels right at home in Soulcalibur’s wild world, what with his two monster-killing swords, magic spells, and improbably rakish brand of stoicism. Geralt of Rivia fulfills the series’ tradition of adding a special guest to the crew - Yoshimitsu, the monster-masked mainstay returning in VI, was a loner from Tekken back in the original - and he’s the best one since Zelda’s Link popped up in II. Soulcalibur VI is the best realization of the game’s world in 15 years. Namco seems to have acknowledged its mistakes and none of the characters that debuted in those games return here. Soulcalibur IV and V both overly expanded the cast while failing to add worthwhile contenders. Newcomers like Grohl, with his dual-bladed sword, eyepatch, and sexy boy band quaff and wild magic beardo Azwel and his arsenal of phantom weapons, are unique but fit in well. Each freak, bruiser, fop, and shouting medieval caricature distinguishes themselves with bright colors and distinct rhythms. The roster is diverse without being too big. None of the excess weight that can drown a fighting game overwhelms Soulcalibur VI. Rather than needlessly complicating things, the speedy addition adds another welcome layer of strategy and drama to the fights. ![]() Kicking will cancel out a vertical hit, two horizontals will cancel each other out, etc. Tapping a shoulder button during a fight lets you wind up into a pyrotechnic slash that, if it connects, triggers a slow-motion rock, paper, scissor face off. ![]() The balance of horizontal blows, vertical hits, and kicks that make up the three primary attacks in Soulcalibur has been tweaked here with new flourishes like the Reversal Edge maneuver. Learning the loping, balletic strikes, parries, and throws that win you matches has a pleasing duality: you’re figuring out how each weapon moves as much as how lithe or strong a given fighter is. Weapons define the action as much as the exaggerated characters that wield them. Soulcalibur VI’s fighting is accessible, fluid, and gorgeous. Soulcalibur VI is the best realization of the concept in 15 years. It’s been a very long time since Namco has made a Soulcalibur that didn’t flounder as it attempted to modernize. Soulcalibur’s world is gobsmackingly silly but all the lurid art, booming orchestral music, and flowing fights work in concert. One time Darth Vader showed up and a teenager in a sharp vest spanked him with a pair of sticks. Melodramatic narration that would make Orson Welles say, “Okay, that’s a bit much!” accompanies every single face off, which take place in similarly dramatic settings such as lost palaces, high plains, and fierce seas. Thong-wearing homunculi and stateswomen cross continents just to slap a pirate with Elvis hair across the face so hard he drops his nunchucks. This is a place where everyone’s fighting over a sword with a giant eyeball in it that can end the world. The tale of swords and souls eternally retold takes place in a fantasy version of the 16th century that is startlingly consistent - in tone, in vision, in aesthetic - given how goddamn weird it is. For Soulcalibur, that heart has always been its setting. Fighting games that endure have a heart beyond pure mechanics a unifying purpose pumping their blood. ![]()
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