by Jin Lovelace, HSM team writer & filmmaker

I like the Soulcalibur series.

Namco Bandai’s development team, Project Soul, has had no small hand in helping fighting games evolve into the phenomenon they are today, particularly when the genre entered the 3D era where we could accept androgynous designs from games like Battle Arena: Toshinden, Fighting Vipers, and even the 3D versions of Street Fighter Ex series.

We could go into how free-to-play models in fighting games can be a hit or miss to a target audience. I can understand, in a way, how Capcom didn’t jump on this bandwagon with their beloved SF games because they already have a larger following. But instead, I’d rather talk about the free-to-play feature that is the rave in some of the games available in the industry right now.

As I understand it: the F2P business model is there to give players a free trial of the game, and if they like it they can purchase either the full version of it or they can start taking advantage of the available features in the game through micro-transactions. DC Universe Online, a F2P MMO action RPG, was one of the first to implement this formula and introduce a dynamic way of acclimating players into the game by refining the gameplay mechanics and its system direction, while updating existing elements in the game for better accessibility to new and veteran players alike.

June 11, 2013 saw the franchise going the free-to-play route under the guise “Tekken Revolution” and was met with positive success. It was streamlined for new players while retaining the series’ signature direction that vets identified with. It was the first in the series — and, perhaps, the first fighting gamein general to implement this model.

Tekken Revolution, a PSN exclusive F2P fighting game

Under Namco’s belt lies yet another popular fighter to follow suit that of Tekken: Soulcalibur. Without a doubt, the game has received much praise for being the 3D weapons-based fighting game with a unique polish, gameplay, and a smooth system direction really made a great mark to the genre since SNK’s own game of its caliber, Samurai Shodown. 

However, after the fifth installment in the series saw a decrease in sales, there was a real question as to the perception of declining quality. While many laud the game’s new features and a tailored combat system, the story was extremely lacking, along with the absence of the iconic characters, replacing them with lackluster characters who had little to no identity. But even so, the game performed pretty well to the casual crowd — just not so much in the tournament scene.

So how does Soulcalibur’s F2P model, Lost Swords, stack with the competition? What is it doing to compel newcomers and veterans into plunking down their cash into this game?

Well, if you’re a hardcore fan of the series that has to have a SC title in their collection, this may be for you.

The positive points: Lost Swords features elements found in Soul Calibur IV: Soul Crush, which when performed will force item and weapon drops from your opponents just by a push of a button, along with Armor Destruction. There are also two new features introduced to the game; Weapon Arts, which imbues each character with unique attacks you can equip, and Support Character feature that allows you to temporarily borrow another player’s character online.

Negatives: several mechanics are no longer present in the game, such as the ability to counter hits, and Just Guard. Guard Impact, while retaining its properties in SCV, omits the usage of any meter to use. Instead, think SCIV.

The game also features a Quest mode with RPG elements that you’ll find familiar with every other Soulcalibur game from the past. If you’ve played them all, you’ll find yourself grinding in this game for items and weapons you can equip for your three optional characters from the start: Mitisurugi, Siegfried, and Sophitia, though there are more to be announced in the future.

…What is the point?

Granted, the game is based off of Soulcalibur V, where the story mode was beyond horrendous and defies logic on how they even went that route. There were lacking staples (aside from the iconic characters) that truly made Soulcalibur unique. The Ring Out feature has always been a mainstay to the SC series, as it added strategy to whichever characters you’ve chosen and made you utilize tools available to work around ways to either cast them out of the ring, or to counter said strategy. I’m down for new gameplay elements, but when you take away something that identifies with the core infrastructure, you’re already running the risk of impending doom to the franchise.

Secondly, Tekken Revolution worked well because it simulated an arcade experience. The online portion of the game gave this feel to many of the players new to the series, as well as old. Lost Swords yet pulls a Debbie Downer by making the entire game a single player experience. That’s right, folks! You’re wondering abroad the terrain collecting items, weapons, and performing mundane tasks that offers little to no innovation to push anything new or to entice new players into the game. What it does offer is an excuse for what it lacked in SCV’s core gameplay. The feedback from fans about nearly half the cast from the roster missing was overwhelming, so instead of porting them via DLC (or making them unlockables), instead we’re treated to an experiment that doesn’t execute properly as a single-player fighter; an element that shouldn’t came to fruition in the first place.

What also gets to me is the slew of optional gear accrued in this game; it’s virtually the same ones obtained in the past two Soulcalibur games. Same flawed designs with belts that don’t conform to the character models whatsoever and now with a price tag. For me, this is one huge blow as a gamer, if not just a direct insult. A fighting game that is only a single player experience with RPG elements, and I would have to pay for identical items for my characters while spend more money for playtime upkeep? That’s saying I should pay $5.99 for every 4 hours I’m on PlayStation Home; that’s a cold day in Hell when that happens.

In fact, why should I spend any of my cash for a playtime upkeep in this game? Seriously, Lost Swords should have been a major DLC update, with newly created gear, returning characters, more stages, a Quest mode, and completed with bug fixes and difficulty atonement. There are elements in SCV that needed maintenance, and instead, we receive…this.

Granted, you can acquire trophies in this game, but Lost Swords doesn’t hold onto its merit as anything worthy to set afoot to the store. Don’t download this waste of time. I hate to put it that bluntly, but I disagree on this practice completely. Nothing distinguishes itself to reintroduce the series to any new players, lack of any substantiating online features, and the removal of renowned signature features makes this F2P option a waste of memory space on my PS3.

Unless you want the trophies, there are better options out there. Soulcalibur: Lost Swords is a lost cause.

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