Summary
ThoughSoulcaliburgames are few and far between these days, this series still played a huge role in creating the fighting game genre as we know it today. Back when theSoulcaliburseries was still finding its footing in the late 1990s, it was becoming known as one of the most fun and visually stunning fighting games out there, growing so popular thatit would even become a rival toTekkenfor many years to see which was the better 3D fighter of the two.
Aside from the large variety of characters and fascinating historical fantasy setting, theSoulcaliburgames have also become well-known for how they emphasize the use of weapons in their gameplay. Because every character comes equipped with a lethal weapon to take into battle, it means their attacks have a lot more range, while also just making the general gameplay very flashy and exciting to watch. With all this being said though, though there have been some excellent entries in the series, there have also been those which didn’t stick the landing, so it’s time to see which game stands tall as the best in the series.
8Soulcalibur Legends
Metascore: 52
There have been quite a fewSoulCaliburspin-off games over the years which have been released to varying levels of success. In the case ofSoulcalibur Legendsthough, while enjoyable enough in its gameplay, it felt a little limited in its overall content, making it hard to come back after a single playthrough. With only seven characters to choose from, the roster is much smaller than anything seen in the mainline games.
Some of the most beloved characters, such as Nightmare and Cervantes, are also only seen as non-playable bosses, which is a shame considering how much fun it would be to take them onto the battlefield. The core gameplayplays quite similarly toSekiroin how players must maneuver their way around the opponent and use clever parries and blocks to take them out for good, but not everyone was a fan of this slower pace, resulting in a pretty divisive game as a result.
Soulcalibur 5is a bit of a mixed bag. While the story and new characters ar nothing to write home about, the weapon-based fighting gameplay still feels tight and focused, with there being a bigger emphasis on aggression this time around. Even by today’s standards, the visuals in this game look incredible, and the variation of stages really helps to immerse the player into these beautiful areas once the battle begins.
The game also features quite a few unique modes to play around with, including the classic character creator which, while a bit limited in its offerings, is still a welcome addition. The biggest issue many had was the roster, which had replaced numerous iconic characters with brand-new ones who were nowhere near as interesting, but in terms of gameplay,Soulcalibur 5is still a ton of fun to play.
It’s clear that when developingSoulcalibur 6, Bandai Namco was aiming to make the game slower and more methodical in how it played, something a lot of fans welcomed after the relentless speed of the fifth game. This is achieved through several different ways, but one of the biggest is a new ability called Reversal Edge, a parry technique which, while tricky to pull off, can instantly turn the tides of an intense fight. Soul Charge has also been reworked to buff the character in several different ways at the cost of a single gauge, making it more viable and effective.
Soulcalibur 6’slarge roster of fighters was also a massive improvement over the last game and included someexciting guest characters, including 2B fromNier Automataand Geralt fromThe Witcher. Many felt the story still wasn’t hitting the heights that the series was known for, and the game didn’t receive much support after its release, but it still has many fans who adore it.
Broken Destinyis more or less identical toSoulcalibur 4, but due to being a handheld game, and there being a slightly different design philosophy when porting the game, there are still a few differences. Though there are fewer stages, the game still manages to look visually stunning, despite being made with the PSP in mind. It also introduces two new characters, one of which is the god of war himself, Kratos, whose chaotic fighting style makes him so much fun to play.
There have also been a few minor tweaks to the gameplay which are in place to give newcomers an easier time, such as how Critical Finishers are easier to perform and avoid, giving new players a fighting chance when things start getting hectic. Since it contains less content thanSoulcalibur 4, it’s often considered the worst of the two, though this shouldn’t suggest thatBroken Destinyis bad, as it’s still one of the best handheld fighting games out there today.
Even thoughSoulcalibur 4dialed down a few mechanics and systems from its predecessor, it made up for these shortcomings with itsmassive cast of characters, compelling story, and new additions to the gameplay. One new mechanic that shakes up the gameplay quite a bit is the Critical Finishers, which allow players to instantly KO their opponent if they manage to break down their guard. This encourages players not to sit back and to instead take the offense to their opponent, keeping matches fast-paced without becoming too over the top like withSoulcalibur 5.
If players got bored with the one-on-one duels, they could also partake in the Multi-Fighter Battles where they can freely switch between fighters in the middle of a battle, adding a whole new level of strategy to the gameplay. While a lot of fans look back most fondly on the original trilogy,Soulcalibur 4is still an excellent game in its own right which looks and feels just as good as it did back in 2008.
Soulcaliburblew people away when it was released in 1998, not only because of how amazing it looked, but also because it was moving the fighting game genre forward at a time when some felt it was getting a bit too stale. For example, unlike other 3D fighters which restricted the player’s movements,Soulcaliburgranted players much more freedom by giving each character an eight-way run.
This not only made fights more realistic and immersive, but it also made combat much more strategic, as players would need to be cautious about when and where they moved their character to avoid getting hit. “Forgiving buffering” was also an important aspect of the gameplay sinceit made it far easier to execute combos, making the game accessible and easy to pick up and play. Pair all of this with a varied cast of unique characters and some of the most iconic stages in the series, and it’s no wonder this classic fighter is still beloved even today.
It’s honestly staggering how much content there is to enjoy when booting upSoulcalibur 3. Alongside the new interactive Tales of Souls character story mode, the game also came with a brand-new character creator where players could design and customize their very own fighter who could then embark on their own adventure in the Chronicles of the Sword mode. Both single-player modes that are featured inSoulcalibur 3are quite lengthy and filled with memorable scenes and battles to take part in, and the Tales of Souls mode even featuresQTEs which can impact gameplay depending on whether they’re pressed in time.
Speaking of gameplay,Soulcalibur 3feels both tight and focused in how it plays, with every weapon packing a satisfying punch and each character coming with their own pros and cons. With there being 24 playable characters to choose from, there’s a lot to experiment with and a huge variety of fighting styles to test out, lending the game so much replay value as a result.
Often touted as one ofthe greatest fighting games ever made,Soulcalibur 2improved upon everything that made the original so special, while also making a few key alterations to create one of the most satisfying gameplay experiences ever seen in a fighting game. Not only is the general movement of each character a lot more fluid and easier to control, but the game also features a guard break to reward players for being aggressive, along with a flashy new clash system that plays when fighters strike one another at the same time.
That’s not all though, as each character now has extra weapons to unlock, including a legendary Ultimate Weapon, alongside a Joke Weapon, along with several costumes. This adds so much variety to the characters, who are already very different from one another in how they fight.Soulcalibur 2also features fantastic guest characters like Link and Spawn, along with introducing some of the series' most popular characters, such as Raphael. Despite being released back in 2002,Soulcalibur 2is still considered by many to be the greatest game in the series thanks to its stellar cast and addictive gameplay which just never seems to get old.
