Soul Calibur 5 – Review
Just by the number alone, you will know that Soul Calibur 5 is part of a franchise. Of course, you may already be a follower of this series for a long time. This latest main instalment is set 17 years after the events in Soul Calibur 4. Patrolus, the son of series classic character Sophitia, is the main protagonist of the game although the roster of fighters provides you enough variety in terms of personalities and skills.
Good News About Soul Calibur 5
The Soul Calibur franchise has been expected to fade away into anonymity thanks to some disappointing instalments. It is therefore good to know that Soul Calibur 5 has revived the franchise as well as the fans’ interest in it.
The whole revival is not just about the promotional gimmicks, either. There was a time when we heard a lot about Soul Calibur 5 because there were speculations that Ezio Auditore of Assassin’s Creed will be a guest character in the fifth main instalment of the series. This was proven to be true and the roster is supplemented by Ezio’s use of the dagger.
Guest developer CyberConnect 2 also does well by giving the series’ storyline a linear approach. The Story Mode takes up 20 chapters.
The game’s character customization is also excellent. With the Creation mode, the players can make use of a wide variety of patterns, stickers and colors that can make the characters further stand out. Additional DLC gear also further customizes the characters to your heart’s content. Sometimes, making use of this character customization tool can be the most relaxing part of the hyper fighting game.
Soul Calibur 5 is, after all, a challenging fighting game that puts you against the best and strongest characters of the franchise. If you want some more juice out of the title, you may also crank up the difficulty to 11.
While some fans may criticize the game for turning more like Street Fighter, the franchise is just making use of advanced gaming techniques that it will need to move forward. It also polishes what it already has, such as the “eight-way run system” and wide variety of moves. There are also a lot of new mechanics to keep things interesting, such as the Critical Edges.
Bad News About Soul Calibur 5
Hardcore fans may not be too pleased with some of the changes, maybe even end up complaining about how Soul Calibur 5 departs from the franchise’s own identity. Though the character customization tool may be considered awesome by some, others may still feel it lacking. Multiplayer mode seekers will also be disappointed that Soul Calibur 5 puts great importance on its single player.
The Bottom Line
Despite some of the game’s minor flaws, it is good to see the franchise come back more aggressively, taking risks to better the game and to get people excited about it once again. The fights are faster, more difficult and more explosive. This is exactly what you should look for in a fighting tournament of a game. Way to go Soul Calibur!
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