The ability to stop time sounds like something straight out of JoJo’s Bizarre Adventure, and yet, returning character Zasalamel’s repertoire includes chronomancy tricks. By now, many players surely have spotted that the scythe-wielder has some new mechanics involving curses — floating orbs that stay on the opponent.
If you’re looking forward to once again using Zasalamel, you should check out this tutorial that lays out the basics of the character. Andyroo assists Hayate in going over Zasalamel’s changes; though this fighter’s attacks are somewhat slower and often punishable, he makes up for it with the ability to manipulate the opponent around the playing field. A lot of his moves pull the victim closer, setting up an opportunity to take advantage of his new abilities. Zasalamel has a new series of B+K moves that can apply curses onto the opponent whether they block or attack. He can stack this up to three times, then release the orbs with certain moves. When that happens, he briefly stops time. Depending on how many orbs were stacked, he can either continue a combo or retain a lot of frame advantage.
Check out the rest of the tutorial below to learn about some exciting Soul Charge moves that Zaslamel is hiding in his arsenal. To learn more about other SoulCalibur VI fighters, check out the Siegfried tutorial.
With the revival of the SoulCalibur scene, it was inevitable that its most-famous competitor would be in the spotlight again. Known for her top-notch Xianghua play, Marie-Laure “Kayane” Norindr grew up with the series, like many gamers in the fighting game community. The six-year lapse post the somewhat-disappointing SoulCalibur V only seems to revitalize the French TV show host, who wants to step back into the fray again, stronger than ever.
I took the opportunity to sit down with Kayane at Evo 2018, a fitting opportunity, given the relatively-large Bandai Namco presence, with their SoulCalibur VI stations. We go back in time a bit, we discuss her opinion of the newest title, and even talk about mentorship in the fighting game community.
Woocash: What was Evo 2018 like for you?
Kayane: This Evo was full of SoulCalibur VI. I had the tournament on Friday, Saturday was all about exhibitions. I had a “Play a Pro” exhibition. I also had a team tournament exhibition fighting BxA|PartyWolf’s team, my team won! Then I had a FT5 against him.
I definitely know that he is much stronger than me, I’m doing this to have more experience in the game. I think US now is only playing SCVI, while France, for example, we still need to get used to new mechanics like Reversal Edge. We don’t use that at all. It was a really good experience to come here and play and see what the level is. Now at Evo, I made it to 5th place, I wanted to better! When the game is released, I want to be able to train and get my character better than that.
Woocash: What are the big differences between the French and US scene?
Kayane: Actually, in the US, there are plenty of fighting games and majors where the [newest] game is a demo and anyone can play. In France, we don’t have any public events or tournaments that showed the game. We only had Bandai Namco France invite us for a day in the office; it was me, Hayate, Kiev, and Keysona playing. I only played the game at Evo Japan and in San Francisco. Not much, compared to what I wanted to, but still more experience than some French players.
One day is not really enough to share things and discover tech and get used to new mechanics. The US has much more experience, with events where Bandai Namco was showing the game; I think they are doing a fantastic job showing the game. Thanks to America, we can see how the game is balanced now and how the new mechanics will fit the SoulCalibur universe.
You haven’t felt true terror until you’ve seen this Nightmare replica by Arby’s.
Woocash: What are your honest impressions of the newest SoulCalibur game? You’re somebody the international community really looks up to; do you feel like Kayane “officially” endorses this as a worthy successor?
Kayane: First of all, you guys have to know, I am not in any contract with Bandai Namco, so what I say is always honest. I’ve played all SoulCalibur, from 1, and it’s my favorite fighting game ever. It’s precious to me. I’ve been waiting for six years for the new SoulCalibur.
I have to say, I think they are doing a fantastic job, because they respect all characters, the gameplay styles we love them for. The universe is like how we’ve always liked it. You know the feel when you play the old SC, I think we feel that in VI. To me, SCVI is more like II and IV. Especially for the speed, the movement that is very fast. Even if you play someone like Nightmare, you will feel he’s very fast! That’s how we felt when playing SCII. Speed has been the main difference when playing any other 3D game like Tekken, where movement is more “robotic.” And SC is so much easier. I also think they are paying a lot of attention to solo modes, like Story, and Customization.
For this game to be successful, it needs to reach the main public, not only the competitive players, but casual ones that not only play fighting games. I think it’s important for those casual players to have good matches even if they’re not competitive.
Even if I’m still 27, I feel like a mentor of the community, like a Big Sister. Still not a Big Mama!
Woocash: Speaking of single-player modes, fighting games nowadays have such robust Training Modes. What would you like to see in that mode, and let’s say in Online Mode?
Kayane: I think that in Training Mode, I’d like to see frame data, like it’s in Street Fighter V. I think it’s a great feature to see if [moves] are positive or negative. What they’re doing with Tekken 7 also is really good. I think they have many features for the competitive players, like for recording. You can set the computer react differently or wake-up in specific ways. I would like a computer that is smart enough to be able to train alone at home.
As for other modes, I’d like to see a good Customization Mode. I’d like to make Griffith and Guts from Berserk.
Kayane: I love The Witcher 3, I’ve had such a good time with that game. I even played one of the main songs on piano. He really fits the game. His stage, Kaer Morhen, is perfect. The character really feels like a SoulCalibur character. The movement is nice, they respected his Signs, he has a really nice music theme. Lots of Witcher fans will buy the game to play Geralt.
Woocash: What other characters would you like to see? We do have some returning ones like Zasalamel and Talim, who have been absent, for example.
Kayane: I have my ideas! I was a Viola player in SCV. I loved Viola, because she has a unique style with the orb. She was really fast, and that’s the character I like to play.
Woocash: Wasn’t she a little too strong?
Kayane: She was strong, but to face characters like Alpha Patrokolos and Algol, I had to play her, because my Leixia [Xianghua in SCV] was not strong enough to compete against them. But, for sure, if SCVI is balanced enough, I hope so, then I think any character would be able to win. I think in VI every character has a really gameplay and power, and I think they would balance Viola in another way. If not Viola, then Amy, who was quite popular too.
I would like Setsuka. I don’t play her at all, she’s a really complex character. But I really love her style, her kimono, hairstyle, music, all the story of this character is really dramatic. It’s all about her taking revenge against Mitsurugi, for killing her husband. I love this character very much, and she’s really fun to watch. If we don’t have Alpha Patrokolos because Sophitia is here, we need a Setsuka style. If she is here, it will be in DLC, because she won’t be in story. Mitsurugi didn’t kill her master until later!
Woocash: What is it about Xianghua that draws you?
Kayane: Actually, I was seven years old when I started playing SCI. It was the first fighting game I ever loved, it was so beautiful on the Dreamcast. It’s the kind of game that really made me dream and feel like I’m in another world. When you’re a child, I feel like you really need a model to aspire to. Since I didn’t have any singer or actress to really admire, I felt that in characters from video games.
Xianghua was the Asian, 16-years-old, so cute and kind, really cute, happy-go-lucky. I wanted to be just like her when I was seven years old. Those details made me think that I want to grow up to be exactly like her. I really love this character a lot, I wanted to learn all her moves and combos. I was really faithful to her.
Woocash: You have such a long history with SoulCalibur now, there are many players now that are big that you’ve met as children. You tweeted about some, like you met SonicFox a long time ago. I’m wondering if you’re starting to see yourself as a mentor to growing, younger players? Do you think there’s room in the FGC for personal mentoring?
Kayane: I met a lot of players, like Aris, when I was very young, 12 years old. Seeing how far he’s come now, I feel like wow, in 15 years, you can do amazing things. In my own way, I succeeded in walking into the video game industry in France as a TV host. I now can compete, and I have my own sponsor to compete in SCVI when it will be released.
I just feel like there are many players that have inspired me before, and now I’m getting old, ha ha. Almost 30 years old, I am 27. A lot of people tell me, “I grew up watching your matches in SCII!” and I’m like, “Oh god, how old are you now?” And they say, “18 years old!” “Whoa! So you were a baby when you were watching those.” Now, they are adults, but they still me as, I don’t know, maybe a fighting game model that they have seen when they were young.
But that’s also a good sign, because I also admired players when I was younger. Now I can travel and compete and even see them or play against them. I hope that someday people, who used to be children when they discovered me, will be champions later, like SonicFox. I played him when he was 12 years old, and we played the same character, Viola. I think I was 21 years old. He was not famous at the time, and we played at some bar. He was so strong! I was like, whoa, he’s 12, and he can compete against me in a mirror match? But I started competing so young too, so I know how it is, and I know that you can’t underestimate even children. Now I see how far he’s going in different games. He may compete in SoulCalibur, he’s one of the people that old me that he’s going to come back to VI. I’m really looking forward to that.
Even if I’m still 27, I feel like a mentor of the community, like a Big Sister. Still not a Big Mama!
Woocash: Any final comments? SoulCalibur VI is probably finished by now, but do you have any balancing suggestions or feedback that you would like them to make before release?
Kayane: During the SCVI top 8 on Friday, we have seen that Ivy and Kilik are in the top. Ivy has two new moves that are really strong and define her gamplay: her low throw, and she has a circular move that goes out really far, it looks so strong. Kilik has very, very strong Soul Charge, where he turns into Necalli, ha ha. It lasts until the end of the round, but he loses life at least. In that, he has a free Critical Edge, and he can punish almost every move.
I think these moves are crazy, but we started to discover ways to beat them. I’m pretty sure that with Training Mode, we will find ways. Like with Ivy low throw, you can step, or block crouching. Her circular move, you have to be at the right distance [the move has a blind spot where it can whiff]. These kinds of things. LinkRKC played her well because at the time when you get close to her, he will use Soul Charge to push you back. Knowing that we didn’t have time to practice against this, I think we already have some solutions to beat that. It’s not like Hilde from SCIV where you don’t really have solutions given how crazy she is! I think that any crazy thing that we’ve seen in SCVI, we will find a way to beat that. You have to be patient and wait for Training Mode.
For now, I don’t want to say I want things to be changed. For now, we just see that there are crazy things about every character, like Yoshimitsu using Brave Edge moves, whereas Xianghua doesn’t. I want to see the final balance. Every character has some unique way to fight with the SCVI mechanics. I can’t wait to find out the entire Command List, because Xianghua is a really tricky character that has hidden moves.
Evo 2018 presented a unique opportunity to interact with fighting game developers in person. Among them was FGC mainstay Arc System Works, who are obviously well-known for their popular titles like BlazBlue: Cross Tag Battle and Dragon Ball FighterZ. Their Western-themed booth had more than just casual stations, however; attendees had the chance to play their most recently-announced project, Kill la Kill: The Game.
Based on the 2013 anime, the teasers from Arc System Works certainly caused much excitement, even in the FGC at large. At first, no one was sure whether it would be a competitive fighting game or more of an action title, and it’s rather the latter. Presented in 3D, protagonist Ryuku Matoi and her rival Satsuki Kiryuin were available in the demo. The gameplay feels a bit like the Naruto 3D fighting games, but a little more dynamic and responsive.
The combat feels divided between zoning and close-quarter encounters. At a distance, it feels satisfying to spam meaty projectiles as Satsuki. She could slash up to four times with her sword in a row, with the final hit pinning Ryuku against the wall. Alternatively, she could charge it for a stronger shot. The other player can counter this by rapidly dodging, in a sliding side-step kind of way, which looked especially cool when two players circled each other. I easily executed combos by pressing the Square button multiple times, often ending on cinematic close-ups and taunts (there seemed to be variation if you held a direction with the inputs). Once I gained enough meter, I could execute either short, long, or Break supers, the later aimed at breaking guard. There were no parries or “Instant Blocks.”
“Ketsui” is a unique system in the game. When under attack, pressing L1+R1 executed a Burst of sorts, getting me out of trouble and initating a rock-paper-scissors face off. It’s very cinematic, conveying a lot of drama and passion, like in the show. Each option stood for something like “Taunting” or “Mocking” and gave an advantage if you succeeded. It initiated some dialogue at the cost of a smooth pace, but this will get touched up a bit; also, it will be very exciting to see this happen between more characters, as for now there are only two.
I liked how seamless the fights felt; even though a match was divided into rounds, it used one 180-second timer, and the music swelled in intensity as it approached zero. The graphics resemble Guilty Gear Xrd REV 2‘s 3D anime aesthetic, and every match was filled with the gratuitous shots and cinematic passion that will surely be familiar to fans of the show.
Unfortunately, we were not allowed to shoot pictures or take video ourselves. However, I did take the opportunity to speak with Takeshi Yamanaka, a producer at Arc System Works’ fighting game department, to learn more about the game.
[The conversation was translated live by an Arc System Works employee. Edited for length and clarity.]
Woocash: How did the collaboration come about?
Takeshi Yamanaka, Producer in the ASW Fighting Game Development Department: I have been received requests from Studio Trigger, the makers of Kill la Kill, for a while. But at the time, we were short-handed, and we couldn’t do it. They kept offering, and initially we declined, saying we couldn’t handle it because of the workload. They were persistent and passionate about doing this, so we decided to do it in the end.
Woocash: Are you a big Kill la Kill fan?
Yamanaka: Yes, I watched the original series, I do love it. What this anime has that others don’t is a burning heat and passion that is portrayed, that’s what I love about Kill la Kill.
Woocash: What was the thought process in making it a 3D fighting game, as opposed to 2D?
Yamanaka: The first reason being, with this being a Kill la Kill title, our target audience is obviously Kill la Kill fans. So we wanted them to enjoy the game. If we had gone with a 2D, anime fighter style, we thought that the hurdle or entry level to that sort of game would be a little bit too high. We wanted to make sure our audience could enjoy it, so we wanted to make it more entry-friendly.
A second reason is that the setting of the battlefield is a very iconic, important part of it. We really wanted to recreate that atmosphere; in 2D, we didn’t feel confident that we could bring out that space, that “spatial impact” that the anime has. That arena, epic battle-feel only comes in 3D.
The third reason is that I feel like as you see all these cute girls, the 3D is definitely the way to go to see them in action, so we went with that.
Woocash: What are some ways the game conveys the feel of the anime? I noticed the music increases tempo as time goes on, there’s the zooming, etc. How does the game’s art lend to that?
Yamanaka: We obviously want to mimic that 2D style shading, bring that atmosphere of the original. In the process of trying to recreate the anime, the original character designer, Sushio, who is very, very particular about how the characters are portrayed, meets with the team every week. We show him what we developed, and he gives his feedback: he jots down many notes and has a lot of requests, and we make those changes very quickly.
Woocash: What can you tell us about the modes in the game? I’m sure there will be a big emphasis on Story Mode.
Yamanaka: It’s going to be kind of like Guilty Gear Xrd’s Story Mode, where it’s an animated tale. As far as the scenario, part of it is written by Kazuki Nakashima, who is the original author of the anime, and he’s also supervising the production of the Story Mode. And this is an original story.
Woocash: Any other modes you can talk about?
Yamanaka: Another mode that you might find interesting is the Digital Figure mode, which you might find familiar from Xrd, where you can set 3D models in a diorama.
Woocash: Can you talk about any characters?
Yamanaka: As the demo stands now, there are only two characters, but it’s not going to be just them. We will be adding more, and I can’t name any fans, but I hope that fans wait in anticipation. We want to keep the fans happy, especially the big ones.
Woocash: When can we expect a reveal or more information?
Yamanaka: We plan on releasing a demo build that will have more characters at Tokyo Game Show, which is in September. The release is planned for 2019.
Woocash: What are the plans for the Western market? Would the release be simultaneous?
Yamanaka: Yes, we’re making many preparations. Our goal is to have a simultaneous, world-wide release.
Woocash: Does ArcSys see this game entering the FGC, appearing at tournaments and such, or not so much?
Yamanaka: We definitely would like this game embraced by the fighting game community; it is a bit on the easier side, but we also would like the fans to enjoy the deep level of reading and interaction in the gameplay, so that even the hardcore fighting game community can enjoy it too. That is the challenge that we’re facing right now.
Woocash: In its current state, is the game complete mechanically?
Yamanaka: In terms of the basic level of gameplay, it’s sort of rock-paper-scissors. The basic low/high, punch/kick, that “circle of carnage” system still needs polishing, but it needs some polishing. As far as the Ketsui demonstrations system is concerned, we want to add a little more of a risk or excitement factor that gets the player going. We want to make it a bit more speedy and not break the tempo as much.
Woocash: Anything else you’d like to add?
Yamanaka: As soon as we announced Kill la Kill: The Game, we received a lot international feedback on YouTube and streams, commenting. We realized that Kill la Kill is kind of an old anime, it aired five years ago, but we still have a lot of fans out there. I think that the fans are really excited; this is what they were waiting for. In that regard, it’s put a pressure on us in a good way. We want to do our best to meet those expectations and maybe even exceed them.
As the mainstage Evo lineup selection seems to become more challenging with every year, in a market burgeoning with fighting games, some choices have to be made. It felt like a controversial decision to some members of the fighting game community to include such a recent title at this year’s Evolution Championship Series. Even within the BlazBlue/Arc System Works sphere, there was a worrying sentiment regarding the fading of the more traditional 1 vs. 1 BlazBlue: Central Fiction. And yet, the numbers top over 1,100 for BlazBlue: Cross Tag Battle — the highest in history for an ASW game that doesn’t have Dragon Ball in its name.
Post the game’s May release, BlazBlue: Cross Tag Battle‘s path has been a little strenuous. Initial announcements teased 20 base characters, the DLC cast doubling that number to 40, which felt like starting off on a wrong foot. Furthermore, ASW played it coy with the RWBY girls, not letting us know from the start that Blake and Yang would be free, forever. Lastly, it turned out that only 31 out of 40 fighters will be available to play at Evo 2018.
Considering how complex (and sometimes buggy) the 2 vs. 2 game can get, it’s unsurprising that the company drew a line at a certain point. The skill difference between players can be so huge, matches can range anywhere from 30 seconds (where both characters fall into an enemy combo and die quickly) or close to running its 180-second timer, due to regenerating health and good defense. If time permits, the latter matches of the tournament might play out in a 3/5 round format, which seems to be preferred by the community. Who knows — maybe this Evo will confirm which format the game should follow.
Indeed, this is a big test for Arc System Works’ newest venture. Even if it’s not shown as a Sunday finals game, there’s a huge audience for this title. ASW’s games aren’t always that well balanced in their first “season,” and the top-tier characters have been rather universally agreed upon; many tier-lists emerged, including ones from American player PG|SKD and Japan’s top player Kubo.
Many anime and Central Fiction players jumped into BBTAG. Kubo is considered the best player, but other than him, we’ll also see Abegen, GGP|Kazunoko, CAG|Fenritti, Ho-chan, and Dora, among others. They’ll surely clash with PG|SKD, the herald of BlazBlue; but other than him, we might see high placements from UYU|BeautifulDude, Method|Flux, Eshi, PAG|Fame96, KidViper, Echo Fox|Punk, CLE|NecroUndine, and many, many others. Personally, I’d love to see Uri make it far, as he posts seriously crazy combos on Twitter. Though many other people also get creative — surely we’ll get to see some hype, technical showcases. Maybe a lesser-known netplay warrior will make it to the top?
Seeing 1,181 players from many countries compete in BBTAG for the first time surely will give ASW plenty of data for their inevitable balance patch (unless they already have one in the works). It’s also probable to expect some new character announcements — which, unfortunately, have been spoiled by datamining. Though it’s sad to have them spoiled, at the same time, the nine additional characters seem like just the right choices to round out the fairly diverse cast. Time and time again, series producer Toshimichi Mori reiterates that the growth of BBTAG is highly dependent on support from the fans.
With such a high number of entrants, it should be obvious to ArcSys that there is indeed a big interest in the game. I can’t wait to see what kind of teams, strategies, and techniques will rise to the top (hopefully it won’t be only Ruby/Hyde pairs). With more characters coming, the game will only get deeper and more interesting.
Fates will cross, and no one can escape from them.
Guilty Gear Xrd REV 2 remains a main stage game, pulling 629 entrants — according to Mr. Wizard’s tweet. It’s obvious that the interest in the game is high (notably, it’s higher than ever before, during the XX series). Last year, REV 2 pulled an even more impressive 825 fighters, so there is a notable drop.
There could be a couple of reasons for that. For one, the interest in REV 2 was much higher last year, as the game was fresh. Released on May 26th, it had incubated in the community long enough to have some training period and yet remain fresh and relatively undiscovered. Having a demo period earlier also helped a lot. Two new characters, Baiken and Answer, breathed some life into the game (even though they turned out rather underwhelming from a strictly competitive standpoint) alongside some balance changes — Raven, for instance, changed significantly, and his excitement meter started to make more sense. Omito’s Johnny emerged as the top player, showcasing dominance with the rest of the Japanese players, who filled out the top 8 at Evo 2017.
How much changed about the game since then? There has been a pretty significant balance patch 2.1, which altered some characters fairly drastically (like Baiken and Millia), gave some new tools to Johnny, and made other changes across the board. It was a pretty big tune-up patch, but it doesn’t feel like the game “changed,” but it was certainly refined. Yet characters like Answer, Baiken, and Ramlethal remain relatively weak, while Millia and Johnny stay dominant.
Omito returns, and it’s not really a risky prediction to say that he’ll make top 8. Machabo’s performance last year was a little underwhelming (17th), but maybe his very solid Ky will take him to the top? Ky also seems like a strong character — and speaking of the thunder-wielder, it would be great to see rising American star Hamad take it up with the Japanese. He was very close to getting to the Grand Finals at Combo Breaker this year.
We have many non-Japanese hopefuls entering the tournament, just like last year. The mainstays are KidViper (Johnny), PG|MarlinPie (Zato=1), Hotashi (Elphelt), LostSoul (Elphelt), ElvenShadow (Faust). There are many more exemplary players we could list, who have been winning several tournaments, but we’ll really have to see who will emerge in the top 8, 16, and 32. Breaking through the infamous Japanese players is always a huge achievement. Though they are infamous for their skill, nowadays, I feel that gap has been decreasing; but there’s a difference in habits and customs. Western and Eastern players practice in divergent conditions; anything from cabinet vs. console latency, arcade and locale settings, to different timings on patches and releases account to smaller or bigger influences on the community.
Arc System Works have expressed that they would like to see more American players in top Evo 2018 spots; Toshimichi Mori has said that “…all the ASW games really favored Japanese players, in the sense that an arcade release had a huge impact on them understanding the game, breaking it down sooner than everyone else around the world.” The company has expressed awareness of this gap; both REV 2 and BlazBlue: Cross Tag Battle have made long strides toward this. The arcade scene is still a dear spot for Arc System Works, as well as a big money maker. At least we can be assured that the next chapter in the Xrd saga won’t leave Westerns behind for a significant period.
Which moves us to the big question: what is next for the series? As fans continuously ask for their favorite Accent Core +R characters to return, we have to realize, that’s not so simple. Specifically for REV 2, Ishiwatari was given a budget for two characters, designated for one new (Answer) and one returning character (Baiken). However, this isn’t necessarily a pattern that’s supposed to continue, as Ishiwatari stated in a more recent interview with Shoryuken. It’s not about what Ishiwatari wants to do; it’s about budgeting. As much as some less-sane people want to see Holy Order-Sol come back, they might have to take a seat for an indefinite period of time.
Story-wise, the saga is reaching a culminating point. With the actual identity of That Man has been revealed — the mysterious arch-villain and Sol’s true rival (sorry, Ky) — we should very well see him as an original character. Everything in Xrd has teased an upcoming major battle, a final confrontation of sorts. In addition, some longtime favorites have also been teased, less or more overtly. The obvious picks are Zappa (I dread this one) and Robo-Ky, the humorous droid-version of the stout king. Anji Mito has shown up in Baiken’s arcade mode. In terms of popularity, Bridget remains the most-favored character in Japan.
While fans clamor for the return of their favorites, the system mechanics might also significantly change up. In that same interview, Ishiwatari says that he wants to circle back to the core of Guilty Gear and maybe shave off some things. “Simplify” is a dreaded word in a game known for its layers of complexity, but more accessibility would invite an even bigger audience to this game. Though it would require more balancing, I wouldn’t mind if ArcSys removed Blitz Shield. Also, not everyone is a fan of Danger Time. It’s hard to tell what Ishiwatari is thinking about exactly, as he isn’t a balance specialist; however, he would like to see the series figure on the Nintendo Switch.
I do think it’s time for the next chapter, as the “REV” era has dragged on for a bit (with REV 2 being an addendum to -REVELATOR-). With the recent focus on the BlazBlue series, it’s Guilty Gear that needs some hype overdrive. For REV 2, this will almost certainly be the final test of strength among the world’s best players to see who emerges as the best player — that is, until the next version comes around.
Though it’s not quite complete, I think most people expected SoulCalibur VI to make its way to Evo 2018 in some way, whether at Bandai Namco booth or a side tournament. With the announced SCVI Evo 2018 tournament, attendees now have an opportunity to try out the game in a competitive setting — some, for the first time.
It still remains to be seen how the game will perform in a tournament, or even as an esports title. The SoulCalibur series occupies a spot close to its Tekken brother in the 3D fighting game subtype; but as Tekken has shaped up to be a more complex title, SoulCalibur is the more “casual” fighter with a broader appeal. While it has had success as a competitive title, a long gap in development support has given little forecast for its impact.
SoulCalibur VI is nothing short of a reboot for the series. Rebuilt in the Unreal Engine and soon appearing on Steam’s digital shelves for the first time, The Stage of History never looked better. A weapons-based, 3D-modeled fighter has a lot more visual clarity than say, BlazBlue: Cross Tag Battle, already making it a lot more “watchable,” and with gorgeous stages to match. Bandai Namco producer, Motohiro Okubo, has been the face of the game in many interviews; he often brought up the small development touches that make the game more “esports-geared.” That’s mostly seen in the notable slowdowns during certain techniques like Guard Impact (I really think it unnecessarily slows down the tempo with that one, by the way…) and Reversal Edge.
Reversal Edge is a cinematic showcase, staging a showdown between two fighters, pausing the frenetic action for a moment as players try to outwit (or straight up guess) each other’s next move. Okubo pushes this as an equalizer for the more casual players, since the technique parries attacks of any level and initiates a guessing game. SRK Assistant Editor Crow_Spaceboy isn’t a big fan of the mechanic — and from the perspective of a competitive player, he may be on point. I do wonder though if Bandai Namco can tune up the mechanic a little more; after all, despite the randomness of this mechanic, the one who used it gets slight advantages: like more meter, and a guaranteed win on the second clash. However, a blog post from Okubo teases there might be a bit more to the mechanic than we know, so it’s possible it will get re-tuned somewhat. Still, it doesn’t seem likely that Reversal Edge will significantly change.
By now, there’s a hefty amount of footage to sift through if you happen to be going to Evo. The 8WayRun forum posters have been busy compiling impressions, move lists, and combos from their brief experiences with the game. Several players have had a chance to play the game at multiple events, sticking with one character, and showing more mastery than those who jumped in. Not to mention, the game still doesn’t have a Command List available, so there still could be moves out there that we are missing. I would particularly highlight ESL Arena gameplay and the CEO 2018 exhibition. The latter especially had great Ivy, Siegfried, and Taki performances. Those players used fairly optimized combos, bringing us closer to the way those characters will be played once the rest of us have had time to grind them out in Training Mode. Even if you haven’t played the game, you can study up quite a bit about your character to be more prepared. I played a Combo Breaker SCVI build that didn’t have Yoshimitsu, but I’m still planning on using him!
Among the 192 entrants who made it into the Evo 2018SoulCalibur VI side tournament, there aren’t too many famous names (free entry surely enticed many people, and the number is capped). I would point out a couple of names like Fame96, UYU|BeautifulDude, BxA|PartyWolf, and Kayane, of course. I’m not certain how many members from the French scene will make it, but Hayate — who has been making many great overview videos of the game — is not competing.
Hopefully, the Evo 2018 build will showcase the most recently-announced characters, Talim and Voldo. Bandai Namco is playing it fairly safe, trying to please as many fans as possible by returning series’ staples, with Grøh and Geralt the only new characters so far (and both are also rather safe choices). In fact, the only “wild” thing in its character roster is that Bandai Namco unabashedly persevered with Ivy’s outfit despite a change in climate for generally less-sexualized costumes (with a notable shift in the design for the next Dead or Alive game). As you may remember, ESPN wasn’t a big fan of R. Mika’s costume during Evo 2016’s Street Fighter V Grand Finals!
However, SoulCalibur VI doesn’t need to aim for ESPN. The game’s hallmark was always its single-player content, setting a standard to follow for other titles. I think, thanks to that, this series will always be special in the hearts of its fans at large, not just those who actually identify as part of the FGC. Whether the game will get its own circuit or not is in the hands of the competitive scene, streams, and tournament organizers; those influencers have power in shaping Bandai Namco’s esports strategy, if there will be any (and sales numbers do as well, of course). The company traditionally hasn’t supported this series much post-launch.
Still waiting on a Mitsurugi to do this sequence from one of the SoulCalibur 6 trailers pic.twitter.com/Tso2WBQNVR
This will be the biggest testing ground for the game, and there are only three months left before the title’s October 19th release. We might see some more reveals at Gamescom, which is later in August, but I have a feeling Bandai Namco is holding out some hype to show post the Tekken 7 Sunday finals. Will we see Cervantes at last, or maybe Character Creation mode?
Time is ticking by, and soon, all content will have to be revealed.
There’s a lot of creative strategies and setups in BlazBlue: Cross Tag Battle to inflict maximum pain on the opposing team. But one that seems fairly prevalent is the simultaneous usage of a Dragon Punch with an assist. This becomes a strong offensive wall that’s difficult to defend against. For one, DPs in the game are air-unblockable, leading to (at least prorated somewhat) combos. Secondly, the team that uses this technique may often retain an advantage and keep pressuring.
KhaosMuffins made an informative video regarding this technique. He shows how Yu and Waldstein can work together and keep the opponent in blockstun. Depending on the timing of the pushblock, you can mess up their strategy; the video shows several different applications. If you have the meter, you can punish them with a Distortion Drive. KhaosMuffins changes things up by showing what happens when Yang and Es work together, as Yang’s DP has a lot less recovery. It’s also different when punishing projectile-based assists, like Tager’s or Jin’s.
The situations vary greatly depending on timing, but there usually is some kind of opening, which varies by which characters you’re using. Examine the possibilities with the video below:
Arc System Works likes to facilitate conversation, and their latest effort shows Toshimichi Mori answering fan-submitted queries. The selected Twitter questions cover a variety of topics, with many asking about possible future projects that the company might tackle.
There’s a lot of questions about turning various anime franchises into fighting games, but he’s also asked about BlazBlue: Cross Tag Battle, the most recent fighting game release from the company. For now, there are no plans for a “second wave” of DLC for the game. Mori would like to solidify plans to introduce more RWBY characters (he likes Adam, while many staff members like Penny), but he says more fan support is needed. He does recognize that Central Fiction is its own, mainline game and that the support for it might not be over yet.
Make sure to turn on the Closed Captions function on YouTube for the following clips.
The second part drives at some other games Arc System Works has worked on. After working on Dragon Ball FighterZ, Mori isn’t sure yet what the next anime game could be. Someone specifically asks about turning Disgaea into a fighting game, and Mori gives a mysterious “I see, cool”.
When asked about the future BlazBlue: Central Fiction‘s Kokonoe and Sector 7 (the organization she’s part of), he points to Dark War, a mobile game that’s currently only in Japan, but Mori would “love it” if it was released internationally. Finally, when asked about the possibility of Persona 5 Arena, Mori says that he can’t say anything, and that the fans should ask Atlus instead.
It’s time for some nunchuck action. SoulCalibur VI‘s premiere martial artist is back, furiously swinging his weapons while seamlessly switching stances (or just mashing and wrecking anyway). At first glance, his gameplay seems to be perfectly preserved in comparison to his past versions, but there’s more to it.
Hayate brought veteran Maxi player Saitoh in as a consultant. As usual, they begin by addressing the character’s changes. Maxi doesn’t have a Pure Soul Loop 3, which used to transition between his Left and Right Outer stances. While he is missing a few things, most of his mechanics remained intact — like the Wavering Lights stance and his staple attacks, 44AB, 236B, and 33B~A.
Maxi gained a new Break Attack, A+B, which will certainly help get through Guard Impacts. He has good tracking moves that let him approach fast, like Right Cross AA, which combos on counter hit. His mechanics are also enhanced in general; stance switching is now rewarded by increased damage and an auto-GI window. Compared to his earlier incarnations, flowing from stance to stance shouldn’t be as risky at highly competitive gameplay.
Just how creative you can get in BlazBlue: Cross Tag Battle? While we’ve already seen plenty of cool tech for just about everyone in the cast, the community doesn’t run out of ideas. Check out a couple of excellent combo videos sent in by our readers, as well as a couple of hilarious bugs.
Doopliss sent us a truly impressive combo video titled “Truly Crossing The Line,” which features multiple characters. It features a lot of really creative combos, like a sequence where Tager is stuck in a Gravity Seed and comboed by Ruby, a 20,000 damage combo by Chie, and some impressive teamwork by Jubei and Yang. Note a really sweet usage of Makoto’s assist at 2:50 to push the opponent closer to Tager after his Gadget Finger, followed by a glitch that allows switching to Makoto. There’s also a thrilling setup between Carmine and Weiss that lets the RWBY character set up her seals. It’s really a great collection that shows off how creative you can get in the game.
That’s not everything, though. Y. Xiao made a great video that focuses exclusively on the RWBY characters included in the game (so far?). The combos are really good, but also, the sequences seamlessly flow from Ruby to Weiss, then Blake to Yang.
Darius Bright focused on a pretty unpopular pairing, Yukiko and Kanji. His exploration of this Persona 4-focused team brings something interesting to the table, as the two seem to have very good synergy. Granted, they are in the need of buffs, but it’s cool to see the two work together; for instance, Yukiko has enough time to Flame Boost while Kanji holds down the opponent.
Speaking of breaking the game’s boundaries and our favorite training dummy, there’s apparently a glitch with Yukiko where you can set up as many Agis on the screen as you want. Is this the buff she needs? (Watch your sound levels when viewing the clip below).
