PSX SCVI Gameplay Preview Analysis

PSX has revealed the first gameplay of SCVI in motion. I broke down the most notable changes on my twitch stream and I will link the archive below. I will list the changes me and my stream caught. Feel free to post what you have seen below! Here is the raw footage without me talking over it.

YouTube

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10:03

SOULCALIBUR VI - Gameplay Preview | PS4

Spoiler: My live analysis

https://www.twitch.tv/videos/208138433

Known system mechanics and character changes:

• Reversal Edge and Guard Impact will cause the user to take guard damage when they fail to connect it.

• Reversal Edge post hit causes a guessing game where verticals beat horizontals, horizontals beat sidestep, and sidestep beats verticals. You can potentially receive a ringout when it connects. It also automatically parries strings, but some moves have fast enough recovery to where you can block the automatic attack.

• Soul Charge (the mechanic similar to V-trigger) causes the opponent to receive chip damage. It costs 1 bar of meter and is set on a timer that's similar to max mode from KoF. Large push back on activation.

• Lethal Hits are hits that cause the character's clothing to break. When you hit them, the move properties change into combo starters. You can see Mitsurugi's 1A as well as Sophitia's 22B do this in the footage.

• Guts is still in the game as well as meter. You still gain a bar of meter for losing two rounds.

• Movement can be cancelled like in games pre-SCV. Run counter for backwards movement has been removed, but remains for side movement. (Hey guys, it looks like the mechanic might be that backdash can be run countered. It seems that verticals cant run counter in general. Only horizontals and tracking kicks.)

• Throws still can catch side movement.

• Mitsurugi has gained a running tackle that resembles an Arthur move from SC3. He has a new low mid option. 1aB has a new animation and 4KB causes severe knock back on hit. MST KB is NCC and his MST B+K causes an attack throw on normal hit. MST B string has a new follow up that resembles his 4B without the backdash.

That's all of the new information I could find in the video. Let me know if you find other things!

Changes found by 8wayrun:

• No damage on throw escape. They can also build meter.

• Meterless Guard Impact.

• Sophitia 1AA doesn't trip on first hit.
  
  
• Mitsurugi 1A doesn't trip on normal hit. Relic is in the game again.

 

That's a strange metric to judge opinions from. Didn't know you had to know the complete ins and outs of a meta to know it's something you're not feeling and not going to like. That's a silly way of thinking because you're only concerned about high level play which not everyone is going to be able to get to. You're also disregarding general fighting game knowledge. People who play multiple games to a high degree of competency typically have a good idea of how they work and what does and doesn't work overall.

How is it a strange metric to judge from in the context we're speaking of? When Aris criticizes Calibur or any fighting game really he's doing it from a competitive aspect. High level play is what you base an opinion on when talking about gameplay in that context. Feeling you won't like something is irrelevant and basing it on such a gut reaction becomes harmful to a community as small as the Calibur one when the guy doing it has as huge and impressionable following as he does.

 

I respect the opinions of Aris but I disagree with his and a lot of other veterans regarding sc5. I have been a huge fan since SC1 and somewhat competitive since sc2. Life happened and I didn't attend very many tournaments after sc3 but I made a few. I guess I stand with the minority when I say that sc5 has been hands down my favorite. If we could just put aside our bias for sc2 for just a moment I might not be the only one who feels that way. I loved sc2 just as much as everyone else but I also was able to remove my blinders especially after going back to sc2 after the hd remake was released. Let's be honest the only good thing that I felt stood the test of time was the speed of the game. To me, playing the game again after sc5 really pointed out the improvements made over the years. Sc5 is just so smooth when compared to any of the others. Maybe not as fast as 2 but a good balance none the less. Also very responsive. Even going back to 4 the gameplay and overall feel seems clunky compared to sc5. Not sure what the big deal is about having to use meter for GI. I mean shit I remember a time when really solid players could be heard saying that GI was completely useless in sc2 because of 2G. Now years later the same people it seems bitch about it because you have to use meter. What exactly is the problem with JG anyway? In it's simplest form it was a way to punish people for trying to abuse gaurd crush BE and strings. How is that not a good thing. Separated the men from the boys in my opinion. All I know is that I have been waiting patiently for a new soulcalibur to come out for years and I am beyond thrilled about it. To me there is really just no way for it not to be good. I have played and loved playing all of them. Some more than others so I doubt this will be any different. I think the Soulcalibur community holds this game to such a high standard because the core mechanics of the series are that good. Think about compared to other fighting games including Tekken. Soulcalibur to me is just so far above everything else in every way. So even I am guilty of unrealistically high standards sometimes. But let's just try to be as positive as we can because this amazing news!

 

I did some pixel counting. Assuming a full lifebar is 240 points, Mitsurugi’s A throw only seems to be doing 39–40 damage. It also does decreased damage to Sophitia when she’s at low health, only 35–36, suggesting that at least one of the hits is doing 20 damage or less (assuming that’s still when guts kicks in).

On the other hand, the damage for landing a successful Reversal Edge looks to be really good. The full combo Mitsu does at 4:20 totals to 90 damage (!), with 33 coming from the first hit and 57 from the hits after the successful read. I didn’t bother to look at the one that ends in a stun because it’s potentially comboable, so the damage potential can’t really be guessed from the video.

 

The bar has indicator marks for 50%, 30%, 20% and 10%. Which one of these thresholds are relevant for gameplay ?

 

I noticed that once your life is on the last indicator, you take less damage. Kinda like in SCV when you have less than 20 life any move that cause 20 or less damage is cutted by half. But here it seems to happen with any move. At 4:32 sophitia did 66A but did so much less damage than normal.