Ages Come And Pass

SoulCalibur VI.

- Salehuddin Husin

It’s been nearly two decades since my days of playing the Soul series on PS1 and at the arcade, but SoulCalibur VI swiftly brought those fond memories back to mind. It feels apt, as this is pretty much a remake of the original in everything but name.

Returning characters retain most of their original moves (though a couple have been remapped to different button inputs), and animations look just like they did in the original. It’s awesome.

I would have been happy with just that, but it’s the two new gameplay moves that help make this release feel a whole lot more modern: Reversal Edge and Critical Edge.

A Reversal Edge is a two-in-one move that combines a Guard Impact counter with a vertical attack. If it hits, the camera zooms in and you’ll get to pick a button to press. Each attack has a scissors-paper stone attribute, in that they all have something they’re strong or weak against. It may sound overpowered but these attacks can be easily dodged, disrupted with special Break Attacks, or simply blocked. The Reversal Edge is meant to be a strategic move to gain breathing room, not a hammer-to-win button.