Soul Calibur V / Chronicles of the Sword

The year was 1999. My parents had bought me a Sony Playstation the previous Christmas and Tekken 3, amongst other games; had come with it. I loved Tekken 3, and I’m still addicted to the series today; eagerly awaiting the impending release of Tekken Tag Tournament 2. But during the first year that I owned my Playstation, I was oblivious to all the other titles that Namco had released.

Then one day, my friend brought round a game for me to play: Soul Blade. This game was the first in another series of fighting games that Namco had produced, alongside Tekken. We inserted the game into the console, and started to play. I mentioned that I’m still a fan of the Tekken series today, well I’m still a fan of the Soul series too, and it’s all thanks to the impression that Soul Blade made on me.

So recently, I purchased Soulcalibur V and dived straight in to the new mode of gameplay; Story Mode. It doesn’t sound like a new mode at all, but the difference is that you’re forced to take control of a new character called Patroklos, and guide him through a series of battles divided into twenty episodes.

Unfortunately for me, Patroklos wields a sword and shield; similar to the characters Sophitia and Cassandra. Now I know that this type of move set will suit some people, but it’s just not for me. Besides, if the game designers are going to force you to play as just one character through this story mode; then they should give you the option of selecting a move set. At the very least, the player should be able to earn different weapons and move sets as they progress through the story.

Now, what makes this mode even less appealing is that instead of cut scenes, you’re forced to watch still images in sepia tone. There are a few cut scenes, but they’re few and far between. The lack of effort that was put into the main innovative feature of the game is quite astounding. The innovation of a new mode has been a staple since the very first game in the series. Many fans of the series loved the Edge Master Mode of Soul Blade (named Weapon Master Mode in Soulcalibur II); but the mode I always enjoyed best was Chronicles of the Sword from Soulcalibur III.

Not only did Soulcalibur III introduce the option to create a character, but Chronicles of the Sword actually gave your created characters a purpose in the game. Your character would begin as a rookie cadet for the Grandall Empire and work up to commander of the Arthias rebels through 20 Chronicles. This mode still offered players the chance to fight 1 on 1, but also brought in an element of turn based strategy. Unfortunately, this mode was plagued by a glitch that reportedly wiped the save game from your memory card; though I never experienced this myself.

But in any case, such a mode of gameplay was never included in a Soul game again, and neither was the popular Weapon Master Mode. Soul Calibur IV offered the Tower of Lost Souls mode, but what it boiled down to is just a survival mode with a fancy title.

There are some good elements in Soulcalibur V; the controls are as good as ever and so is the music. But they are both a continuation of what was already good about the series, and where this game falls down is just a lack of innovation this time around. I’ll always hold out for another game like Soulcalibur III, which felt innovative and fresh. The soundtrack and controls were as good then as they are today; but it came with the exciting additions of Chronicles of the Sword and Create a Soul modes. It seems as if my search for a worthy successor to Soulcalibur III will go forever on, just as Siegfried is forced to endure the never-ending quest; to rid the world of the cursed blade, Soul Edge.