Soulcalibur

Soulcalibur is a fighting game franchise developed by Bandai Namco Studios and published by Bandai Namco Entertainment.
There are a total of seven main installments and various media spin-offs, including music albums and a series of manga books in the Soulcalibur series. The first game in the series, Soul Edge, was released as an arcade game in 1995 and was later ported to consoles; the widespread success of its second main installment Soulcalibur in 1998 led to Soulcalibur becoming the name of the franchise, with all subsequent installments also using the name onwards. More recent games in the series have been released for consoles only and have evolved to include online playing modes.
The central motif of the series, set in a historical fantasy version of the late 16th and early 17th centuries, are mythical swords, the evil weapon called "Soul Edge" and the subsequent sword used to oppose this evil, "Soul Calibur". While it has developed during its various iterations, some of the characters and gameplay elements have remained consistent throughout the series.
Project Soul was the internal Namco development group responsible for the Soulcalibur franchise after the release of Soulcalibur II. Although the games are usually credited to Namco itself, the team established its name to draw attention to the group's combined accomplishments. The group was dissolved following the completion of Soulcalibur V. Development for the series has been dormant after support for Soulcalibur VI ended and its producer, Motohiro Okubo, departed Bandai Namco.

Games

All games in the series before Soulcalibur III were originally released as arcade games, and subsequently ported to home consoles. The ported versions are known for their extra features, including characters, weapons, costumes, art galleries, martial arts demonstrations and involved single-player modes, when compared to the original arcade versions. For example, Seung Han Myong is not featured in the arcade version of Soul Edge and in home versions there is a role-playing-type mode titled "Edge Master" where the player can unlock various items including weapons for the default characters.

Main series

''Soul Edge''

The first installment, titled Soul Edge, was released for arcade, and was later updated to Soul Edge Ver. II. This enhanced version was then ported to the PlayStation, where it was renamed Soul Blade outside Japan. Set in the late sixteenth century, the game follows nine warriors in a quest, each of whom has their own reasons for joining the quest but they all share a common goal: to obtain the legendary sword, called 'Soul Edge'. After appearing in arcade, the game was made available for PlayStation in 1996. Along with its soundtrack, it has been praised for being innovative yet traditional to the fighting genre of games.

''Soulcalibur''

The sequel to Soul Edge was released for arcade a year later, with a port for the Dreamcast in 1999. The plot is set 2-3 years after the first game. The title is derived from Soul Calibur, a legendary weapon which opposes the evil of Soul Edge. Though retaining elements of its predecessor, Soulcalibur incorporates an extensive number of new features, including the "8-Way Run". The title Soulcalibur became a trademark title to be used throughout the series since. In 2008, Namco Bandai released Soulcalibur on the Xbox Live Arcade for the Xbox 360. Although online leaderboards and achievements were supported in this version, there was no online playing mode or mission mode, as there was in the Dreamcast version.

''Soulcalibur II''

2002's Soulcalibur II further improves and expands on the Soulcalibur original, in both graphics and gameplay. Soulcalibur II was released in arcade format three years after the previous release in the series, and was subsequently ported to all three active sixth-generation consoles. This is the first game in the Soulcalibur series to feature characters from non-Namco media, such as Link from Nintendo's The Legend of Zelda, playable on the GameCube. Featured on the PlayStation 2 version's roster is Heihachi Mishima of Tekken, while Image Comics' character Spawn was an addition for the Xbox version.
A high definition-optimized enhanced port of the game, entitled Soulcalibur II HD Online, was released in November 2013, and features revamped HD visuals, online play, and trophy/achievement support. It is a digital release and is available through Microsoft's Xbox Live Arcade and Sony's PlayStation Network digital storefronts. Being based on the original PlayStation 2 and Xbox releases, both ports include the two guest characters who were originally exclusive to each platform.

''Soulcalibur III''

Breaking with tradition, the PlayStation 2 version of Soulcalibur III came out in 2005 before an Arcade Edition was released in 2006. It uses a different graphics engine. Soulcalibur III contains a new single-player mode called "Tales of Souls", a story mode in which the player can make course-altering decisions. Arenas are more interactive, for example with rocks breaking if a character were to impact against them. Soulcalibur III is the first game in the series to feature a character creation system, and features a story mode called "Chronicles of the Sword" which is a mode with some strategic aspects for created characters.
The game received a new release for the Playstation 4 and Playstation 5 in December 2025, available only through Sony's PlayStation Network digital store.

''Soulcalibur IV''

Released in 2008 for the PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360, the fourth installment of the series is the second game with no arcade release prior to the release of the home game, as well as being the first to take bouts online and the last game to be set in 1590. Soulcalibur IV introduces new gameplay mechanics into the series in the form of damage-absorbing armor and Critical Finishes. Like Soulcalibur II, the fourth game also includes cameos from different media. The Star Wars character Darth Vader is a playable character on the PlayStation 3 version, while Yoda is for the Xbox 360 version. Each character was also available for download on the consoles in which they do not appear. Both versions of the game include the Apprentice character from Star Wars: The Force Unleashed. Like Soulcalibur III, the game includes a character creation system with various customizable parts, some of which have to be unlocked. These characters can be taken into online bouts, which in itself is a new addition to the series. However, unlike Soulcalibur III, the only available weapon disciplines are taken from the existing roster and there are no unique disciplines for created characters.

''Soulcalibur V''

Released in 2012 for the PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360, Soulcalibur V is the sixth installment of the series and the second game to take bouts online. With the story taking place 17 years after the events of Soulcalibur IV, many of the characters appearing in previous games were replaced or absent. It also features guest character Ezio Auditore da Firenze from the Assassin's Creed series as well as the fighting style of Devil Jin from the Tekken series. The game introduced a new power gauge, which fills throughout the match and allows players to trigger special attacks called Critical Edge or Brave Edge, similar to other fighting game series.

''Soulcalibur VI''

Soulcalibur VI was released in 2018 for the Playstation 4, Xbox One and PC. Although it is the seventh installment of the series, it acts as a reboot, taking the series back to a reimagined timeline after Soul Edge. It introduced a new cinematic defensive technique in Reversal Edge, as well as a "Lethal Hit" system which allows select moves to deal additional damage when specific conditions are met, increasing variety between the playable characters. Brave Edge mechanics introduced in Soulcalibur V were largely removed in favour of a reimagined Soul Charge, which allows fighters to access more powerful moves for a brief amount of time after its activation. Guest characters include Geralt of Rivia from The Witcher series as well as 2B from Nier: Automata.

Spin-offs

''Soulcalibur Legends''

Released in 2007 for the Wii, Soulcalibur Legends is the series' first spin-off title. Departing from the usual fighting game genre, it is an action-adventure game with elements of hack and slash, in which the player controls one out of the game's seven playable characters through a level infested with enemies and defeats the boss in the end. It features competitive and cooperative gameplay in addition to the single-player mode. Soulcalibur Legends, although set between the events of Soul Edge and Soulcalibur, is non-canon to the series.

''Soulcalibur: Broken Destiny''

Released in 2009 for the Sony PSP, Soulcalibur: Broken Destiny is the first portable installment of the Soulcalibur series. It uses many of the features used in Soulcalibur IV, such as the soul crush, armor destruction, critical finishers, and Character Creation, and also brings in some new features such as new lighting effects for stages that correspond to different times of day, and the new Gauntlet Story mode. The game's features are similar to Soulcalibur IV, including its customization features, but it introduced a new character named Dampierre, a conman who wears twin blades on his wrists. In addition, Kratos from the God of War franchise appears as a guest character. Broken Destiny received very positive reviews.

''Soulcalibur: Lost Swords''

Released in 2014, Soulcalibur: Lost Swords is a free-to-play video game distributed through the PlayStation Network. It is a strictly single-player game based on Soulcalibur V in which the goal is for the player to collect loot, including raw materials and weapons, through battles in the new Quest Mode.