SoulCalibur VI

Round one: the first night

SoulCalibur is about weapons: swords, staves, whips and more, each fighter with a distinct reach and rhythm. Eight-way movement lets you step around attacks. There is no simplified control mode, but Reversal Edge, a parry on one button, gives newcomers a simple defensive option.

The single-player is big. Soul Chronicle tells the main story, and Libra of Soul is a create-a-character adventure with its own map, missions and an earned currency for fixed-price gear. The Character Creation mode is famous, and with good reason.

The character creator alone has kept players busy for years.

Round two: online

This is the weak round. SoulCalibur VI uses delay-based netcode, never updated to rollback, and has no crossplay. Matches against players nearby are fine; matches across Europe can feel sluggish. The online player base is small.

If online is your main reason to buy a fighting game, pick Tekken 8 instead.

Round three: depth

Guard Impacts, Reversal Edge, Soul Charge and Lethal Hits make for a rich system, and the eight-way run rewards smart movement. The cast of 29 includes guests Geralt from The Witcher and 2B from NieR: Automata. Ivy Valentine, the London noblewoman with a sword that becomes a whip, is one of the series' most famous fighters.

With support finished, the balance is settled.

Round four: the bill

The usual Steam UK price is £49.99, which nobody should pay now. On 4 November it was £4.99, with Season Pass 1 at £7.49 and Season Pass 2 at £11.59. Today, the full cast costs about £24; at usual prices it is about £104.

Buy it on sale or not at all. It goes on sale often.

Support ended in December 2020, so the cast is complete. Season Pass 1 holds Tira, 2B, Amy and Cassandra with a creation set; Season Pass 2 holds Hilde, Haohmaru, Setsuka and Hwang with four more creation sets. Every fighter is also sold alone.

Who to pick first

Before your first ranked match

1. Use the eight-way run: stepping around vertical attacks is the first skill to learn.
2. Try Reversal Edge when you are under pressure, but not every time; good players learn to beat it.
3. Spend an evening in the Character Creation mode. It is half the fun.

Is it for you?