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Soul Edge

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Soul Edge (Soul Blade in Europe, North America and Australia) is the first installment in the Soul series of fighting games. It was initially released in the arcades in 1995. It was ported to the Sony PlayStation in 1996 where it is usually referred to as Soul Edge Version 2. This version was released in North America under the Soul Blade title. Soul Edge has been largely overshadowed by its sequel, Soul Calibur, which has been the moniker of the series since 1999.

Soul Edge is the name of the demonic sword, which the story revolves around.

It was the second 3D fighter to feature characters that fought with weapons, although putting weapons in fighters was not a new concept (Samurai Shodown is an example of a 2D fighter with weapons). Apart from the aesthetic benefits, giving the characters weapons allows for a greater diversity between them, meaning there is someone for every play style. One excellent concept of weapon-based combat implemented by Namco is the major factor that range has in gameplay. The slower, longer ranged characters try to deliver their heavy blows from a distance whereas the quicker, faster characters try to get in as close as possible and deliver quick-hitting attacks. All characters have moves that work at varying ranges though, so longer ranged characters can also hit surprisingly quickly and lesser ranged characters will get in the opponent's face within the blink of an eye if the enemy is careless.

Contents

The Soul series

All games in the series before Soul Calibur III were originally arcade games, subsequently being ported to home consoles as follows :

The ported versions are known for their extra features, including new characters, weapons, new costumes, art galleries, martial arts demonstrations and involved single-player modes, when compared to the original arcade versions. For example, Seung Han Myong was not featured in the arcade version of Soul Edge, and in home versions there was an RPG single player type mode titled "Edge Master" where the player could unlock various items including weapons for the default characters.

Movie

Prologue

Soul Edge's story is set in the 16th century, and tells the tale of warriors searching for the ultimate sword, "Soul Edge". Given many names throughout the story, such as "The Sword of Salvation", "The Sword of Heroes" and "The Ultimate Sword" among others. Many strong warriors searched for years, but very few actually found it. The sword, now in the form of a twin pair of long swords, appeared mysteriously in an auction. They were taken by the dreaded Captain Cervantes. Nothing was known of his fate after that...

Now, ten warriors from around the world search for the sword for different reasons. Some for power, others for revenge; some believing it's a benevolent sword, searching for its support; while others knowing of its evil nature, seeking its destruction. Nothing is known for certain about the sword, except for one thing: it brings misfortune to those seeking it.

The original cast of characters

Soul Edge introduced many characters still familiar to players today, especially the series' main character--who serves as both a protagonist and an antagonist throughout the series' history--Siegfried; as well as its token samurai and ninja, Mitsurugi and Taki, respectively. The original roster of eight characters available in the Arcade of the first game in the series are as follows: There are also 2 characters who must be first unlocked to be playable: One of the series' main attractions was that it was one of the first fighting games to feature detailed accounts of the individual fighters' motivations and common relations in their quest to achieve a common goal for varying purposes. Many players appreciate Namco's ability to introduce new characters to the series with interconnected storylines such that every character is linked to another somehow, with connections growing larger as the series progresses and the characters accomplish new tasks in the events of the story.

Soul Edge Version II / Soul Blade

A year later, Namco released a fixed version of the arcade labeled "Soul Edge: Version II", upon the complaints of players who found the difficulty quite high, and the last boss "unbeatable". Among the changes made the system was updated with the addition of Air Combos and the difficulty was lowered. Also, all the characters received upgraded movelists (Hwang being the biggest since in Version I he was merely a Mitsurugi clone). On December 20th, version II was ported to the Sony PlayStation for the Japanese market as well; a port labeled Soul Blade came out in 1997 in the USA and Europe. The home version kept the original roster of 8 and added both Cervantes and Hwang as characters available at start. 2 other secret characters were included:

And along with them, 3 "alternative" outfits for Siegfried and Sophitia:

Making a total of 15 selectable characters (though 3 of the secret ones were 'copycats').

Features

Gameplay

Soul Edge was created prior to the introduction of the 8-Way Run, which allowed the player to move their avatar in a complete range on the Y-axis. The characters can sidestep on either side by double-tapping up or down. The jump manuever (which in Soul Calibur is more like a hop) moves the player higher into the air, even allowing it to pass above the opponent. One of the most notable gameplay aspects is the Weapon Gauge. This bar was found under the character's lifebar and was comparable to the equipped weapons' resistance. Each time the player blocked an attack, the bar would deplete, and if its totally empty, the character would lose his/her weapon, forced to end the match unarmed. Though this is an original idea, unfortunately the unarmed movelists are equal for every character. Another thing missing from Soul Calibur's engine is when two character strike at the same time, "locking" their weapons. In those situations, those who pressed the right button would have the advantage. This aspect behaves similarly to rock-paper-scissors.

Character moves retain a feel of Namco's Tekken series. Each characters has in his or her arsenal one or two unblockable attacks, balanced however because of its slow execution. Also each character is capable of doing one or two Critical Edge attacks, which consisted of a long series of linked hits, which usually end in a strong high attack. These moves require the input of a special combination of two parts (they're activated by pressing "A+B+K" together, and if it connects, the player has the chance of extending the combo with a character-only sequence, who must be input during the attack). This attack depletes 1/3 of the Weapon Gauge when used.

To achieve a ring out (which is a forceable manuever that ejects the oponent from the arena and gains a automatic victory for round), the player must be knocked out by an enemy; the player cannot deliberately or accidentally ring out his/her own avatar.

Trivia

Box art

Taglines (spoken by the narrator in the game)

"Transcending history and the world, a tale of souls and swords, eternally retold." (title screen)

"The heroes finally meet under the star of destiny." (gameplay demonstration)

"Welcome to the stage of history." (character selection screen - this tagline has been used in slightly varied form in each game in the series' select screen.)

"The legend will never die." (game over screen)

External links


Soul series by Namco
Main Games
Soul Edge | Soul Edge: Version 2 (Soul Blade) | Soul Calibur | Soul Calibur II |
Soul Calibur III | Soul Calibur III: Version 2 ()

Main Characters
Amy | Astaroth | Cassandra | Cervantes | Charade | Edge Master | Hwang | Ivy | Kilik |
Li Long | Lizardman | Maxi | Mitsurugi | Necrid | Nightmare | Olcadan | Raphael | Rock |
Seong Han-myeong | Seong Mi-na | Setsuka | Siegfried | Sophitia | Taki | Talim | Tira |
Voldo | Xianghua | Yoshimitsu | Yun-seong | Zasalamel |

Minor Characters
Other Characters | Bonus Characters

Boss Characters
Abyss | Inferno | Night Terror

Soundtracks
Soul Edge Original OST - Soul Edge KSS OST - Soul Calibur Original Soundtrack

Miscellaneous
Soul Weapons

 

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