Soulcalibur 6: Unleashing the Ultimate Evolution of the Iconic Series
Soulcalibur 6 not only revived the series but also set a strong foundation for its future The upcoming Soulcalibur 7 can leverage the game's past successes and fully explore the potential of its exceptional character creation feature
Highlights
Soulcalibur 6 was a successful return to form for the franchise, overcoming fans' initial uncertainty about new mechanics and selling over two million copies.
Soulcalibur 6's success paves the way for Soulcalibur 7 to further improve upon its predecessor, taking advantage of a higher budget and expanding the beloved character creation system.
Soulcalibur 6 was released on October 19, 2018, nearly seven years after its predecessor. In comparison, Soulcalibur 5 came out just three-and-a-half years after Soulcalibur 4, and fans were eager to move past both games. Despite initial uncertainty about the new mechanics in Soulcalibur 6, the return to the era of Soulcalibur 1 and the inclusion of staple Soulcalibur fighters reassured fans and marked a return to form for the franchise. Soulcalibur 6 exceeded fans' expectations and was quickly hailed as a success by developer Bandai Namco.
The game sold over two million copies and even received a surprise second DLC season after being featured on the main stage of EVO 2019. Though not everyone's favorite entry, Soulcalibur 6 improved upon many of the positive aspects of Soulcalibur 5 while avoiding its weaker points. Since the conclusion of DLC season 2 in late 2020, the franchise has been relatively silent. However, it is anticipated that a new Soulcalibur game will build upon the foundation established by Soulcalibur 6 once Tekken 8 is released.
The Next Soulcalibur Will Be Built On Past Successes
Soulcalibur 7 has a head start due to the accomplishments of Soulcalibur 6. The 8-Way Run system for basic movement rivals the arcade glory days of Soulcalibur, and other mechanics are already expanding on the strengths of Soulcalibur 5. The core fighting gameplay is the reason why fans tolerated Soulcalibur 5, despite its lack of long-term single-player content and the dislike towards its newcomers and plot. Soulcalibur 6 improved on these aspects by introducing an alternate timeline, allowing for more familiar faces to return and offering potential new roles for old characters, like Cassandra taking the spotlight from Sophitia with her future self's guidance.
Following the success of Soulcalibur 6 and Tekken 7, Soulcalibur 7 should receive a boosted budget similar to Tekken 8. This would result in a comparable visual upgrade on modern hardware. Although nothing in Soulcalibur 6 is visually unimpressive, the limited number of stages and the need to accommodate every character in the Create-A-Soul system made it noticeably less impressive compared to the older Tekken 7. A modern Soulcalibur title would also benefit from releasing after Tekken 8's research into 3D rollback netcode, and from the rising standards of quality-of-life and general features in AAA fighting games.
Soulcalibur 7 Can Take Full Advantage of SC6's Character Creation
When it comes to quality features, Soulcalibur 6's single-player mode stands out. It offers a detailed main story that expands through DLC, an arcade mode, and an exciting addition called Libra of Soul. This mode pays homage to the RPG elements found in previous versions of Soulcalibur, some of which allowed players to create their own protagonist. To ensure the success of Soulcalibur 7, it should include a similar mode that surpasses the simplicity of Libra of Soul. Incorporating modes like Soulcalibur 3's RTS mode Chronicles of the Sword or Soulcalibur 2's dungeon crawler segments in Weapon Master would enhance the casual appeal for Soulcalibur 7.
Additionally, Soulcalibur 7 should continue to improve and expand its Create-A-Soul system. This feature has been a major selling point since Soulcalibur 3 and has even influenced other franchises like Tekken and Street Fighter. While it may not bring back exclusive bonus movesets like Devil Jin's, limited moveset customization should be considered. Furthermore, the extensive list of fantasy races featured in Soulcalibur 6 should become the new standard for Create-A-Soul going forward. With Soulcalibur 6 setting the bar high in 2018, Soulcalibur 7 should build upon its success and aim for even greater heights.
Soulcalibur 6 was released on October 19, 2018, for PC, PS4, and Xbox One.
