Soulcalibur V Review

It may feel like no time at all since the last Soulcalibur, but it's actually been about three years. So now would be the perfect time for a new game in the series, right? Well, despite boasting a range of new characters, a full story campaign and a (sort of) new Critical Edge super move system, Soulcalibur V feels a lot like more of the same.

For those new to the series, Soulcalibur V is a weapons-based 3D fighting game that uses a rock-paper-scissors-style fighting system revolving around high and low vertical and horizontal attacks, as well as high and low blocks and the ability to easily sidestep opponents. Higher level play – as in any great fighting game – is almost a balletic dance of tactical positioning and attacks. For the rest of us, the moves are fluid and fast, and it's not hard to pick up the basics and have a good time.

In fact, to help make the game a little more friendly, Soulcalibur V sports a new and improved Critical Edge system. It gives newbies the ability to jump in and perform some very stylish and impressive looking attacks. Having appeared in the original Soul Edge (albeit in quite a different form), Critical Edge works much like the Ultra Combo system seen in Street Fighter IV. The goal is to build up your Critical Gauge during battles – preferably by dealing damage, but also by taking it – and use it to unleash some flashy super moves.

The Critical Gauge is also used to perform Guard Impacts; perfectly-timed blocks that open your opponent up to attack. While it can be a neat way to show off, they're not going to be essential for most levels of play, and the fact that they cost energy from the Critical Gauge for little real reward means that most players probably won't bother with them. It's certainly not as clever or user-friendly a mechanic as Street Fighter IV's Focus Attacks, and also means players can no longer parry attacks unless they're Guard Impacts. That said, Soulcalibur V still boasts a great fighting system overall.

Of course, players expect more from modern fighting games than just an excellent fighting engine; they also want a strong selection of modes to keep them busy. Sadly, Soulcalibur V isn't hugely compelling in this department, and the game's much-touted Story Mode is particularly laughable. After last year's Mortal Kombat release set the benchmark for fighting game story modes, fans of the Soulcalibur series were ready for a meaty, cut-scene-driven campaign set on an epic, historical backdrop. Instead, we get a campaign that is eighty per cent driven by storyboards with spoken dialogue over the top, and a nonsensical, fan fiction-quality plot.

The story is based almost entirely around the thick-headed and awkwardly-named new character Patroklos. There are a few battles where you'll get to play as his sister, as well as another new character named Z.W.E.I. and an Alpha version of Patroklos, who has an entirely different move set, but for the most part this is the Patroklos show.


Our hero is on a quest to rid his estranged sister Pyrrha of her 'malfestation' – a curse that befalls those that come into contact with the evil Soul Edge sword. Oh, and he's also out to wield Soul Calibur (yes, two words) in the name of love. Seriously. The dialogue is so repetitive, and the voice acting so overly dramatic, that you'd think Tommy Wiseau had been brought in as a drama consultant. The story fails to grip at even the most basic level, and if I ever hear the word 'malfested' again it will be too soon. If there was a Soulcalibur V drinking game and a shot was taken for every use of the word you'd be dead within an hour.

The story mode consists of twenty episodes, and it took me roughly an hour to reach episode eighteen. And then things got cheap, thanks to boss characters for two of the last three battles and a huge difficulty spike. The end of the game added a couple of frustrating hours of play time.

The main reason I found it infuriating is because - and bear with me - your success in these tough battles is dependent on how good you are at using Patroklos. Obvious, right, but for me, Soulcalibur is a fighting game where finding the character with the right rhythm for the individual is crucial. Unfortunately I found Patroklos (in both versions) to be extremely uninteresting to use.

Not only that, but the story mode, which was handled by Asura's Wrath developer CyberConnect2, makes no attempt to even teach the player how to use him. It just lets you figure it out against a parade of straightforward opponents before walloping you over the head at the end for not suddenly having absolute mastery over the character. And the story mode - it's worth pointing out - is the meat of Soulcalibur V's single-player experience. Why Project Soul outsourced it we have no idea.