This weekend at Comic-Con I had the honor of speaking withSoul Calibur Vproducer Hisaharu Tago to learn more about what’s in store for the fabled fighting franchise.
In our Indian style sit down, in the confines of one of the halls at the San Diego Conventions center, Tago-san opened up a little more about some of the new features for this 2012 release. While he was still very coy about some of the bigger surprises that are in the works, it’s apparent that they are really listening to the fan feedback fromSoul Calibur IVto ensure thatSoul Calibur Vis the best in the series.
Destructoid:Soul Calibur Vlooks even faster and flashier than previous games. What has been the inspiration for the decision for these new gameplay enhancements?
Soul Calibur IVwas released three years ago. SinceSoul Calibur IVand until now, so many fighting games were released and they improved their fighting systems. They have improved in terms of speed, combos and extra attacks, graphically and technically.
Since the game is set 17 years after the events ofSoul Calibur IVare we going to see a lot of new fighters?
The ratio for returning and new characters will be about 50/50.
Will the returning characters look older or maybe be slower than they used to be?
This change doesn’t lead to the old characters moving slower. The characters will be matured and their experiences will have changed their fighting styles. I didn’t want to see Mitsurugi fighting like a grandpa, swinging his sword saying “oh it’s so heavy.”
The footage from the E3 trailer showed what appeared to be a stage fromSoul Calibur IV.Was this just a placeholder? Will we see all new locations inSoul Calibur V?
You can find more brand new stages forSoul Calibur V, that maybe you thought were inSoul Calibur IIIorIV. Some of the brand new stages have no ring outs. It is a big change forSoul Calibur V.
Some stages before have had walls to prevent ring outs. Will we see even more juggling combos?
These new no ring out stages will be similar toTekkenwhere there are no walls, an infinite stage.
Will there be an arcade version along with the console editions?
Soul Calibur Vwill be released first for Xbox 360 and Playstation 3. I can’t say anything at the time about the development of an arcade version now. The company doesn’t want to have an arcade version ofSoul Calibur V, but personally I would love to develop an arcade version.
Will gameplay mechanics such as armor and weapon breaking return inSoul Calibur V?
Since production has started the team has been working on reviewing every feature that has been inSoul Caliburto pick out and improve every feature. For example “ring outs” in some stages have been removed. Please stay tuned for new information about armor breaks and weapon breaks. Every feature could be more interesting.
The series has been great for both serious and casual players, butSoul Calibur IV‘s Critical Finish attacks were near impossible for me to pull off. Are you trying to makeSoul Calibur Veven more accessible for newer players?
Some new gameplay systems were announced at E3. There is no more Critical Finish inSoul Calibur V, instead there is Critical Edge. Critical Edge is relatively easy and simple to execute.
That’s great to hear! While Critical Finish attacks were beautiful I rarely ever got to see them.
Critical Edge will have the same king of camera work and beautiful visuals.
The series has been known to have some special guest characters.Soul Calibur IVhad Darth Vader and Yoda. Should we expect more characters like that withSoul Calibur V?
At this moment we can say yes about these types of characters. There is guest characters inSoul Calibur V, but we can’t say who they are, so stay tuned. I promise to make you surprised.
Can we expect the same great extra modes inSoul Calibur Vthat the series has become to be known for?
In theSoul Caliburseries, everySoul Caliburgame can gives not only a competitive mode, but some extra modes.Soul Calibur Vmust have some extra modes.
What weapon would you most like to bring toSoul Calibur Vthat has not been previously featured in the series?
New character information will be coming. So at the moment I cannot say a specific answer. TheSoul Caliburseries has always been characterized as a weapons based fighting game. There are so many weapons in the game, but the team has broadened the definition of weapon inSoul Calibur V.So some new characters will have you thinking “so this is a weapon.”
