When Star Wars’ Yoda and Darth Vader had been revealed because the visitor character fighters for preventing recreation Soulcalibur 4 in early 2008, reactions went two methods: One, that is so wizard. And, two, is a man with an ax or a woman with an épée actually going to be viable towards somebody with Power powers and a rattling lightsaber? Wouldn’t Darth Vader simply immediately Power-choke all the Soulcalibur solid into submission? And wouldn’t the amputating/cauterizing powers of Yoda’s diminutive lightsaber merely slice by way of actually everybody and their steel weapons?
Even mainstream gaming websites frightened, “is Star Wars ruining Soulcalibur?” citing, partly, the perceived imbalance between Jedi, Sith, and the roster of Soulcalibur 4. However many Star Wars followers underestimated the uncooked energy of the Soulcalibur solid again in 2008. Nearly the entire roster of Soulcalibur 4 might trounce Yoda in a battle, with nary a midi-chlorian amongst them.
Preventing video games are all about steadiness, but in addition about degree enjoying fields. The Marvel vs. Capcom video games presume that Road Fighter’s Ryu or Resident Evil’s Jill Valentine are a fair match for Marvel’s historic demon Shuma-Gorath or Infinity Gems-wielder Thanos. Equally, NetherRealm’s DC preventing video games successfully put Superman, Batman, Marvel Girl, and Sub-Zero on even footing. Questions on imbalance are sometimes hand-waved away with one phrase: magic.
Magic is a vital aspect of the Soulcalibur universe. It is a franchise a couple of magical demonic sword, the Soul Edge, in any case, not simply people, golems, and lizard folks bashing one another with swords, axes, and nunchaku. Star Wars is likewise a film collection about house wizards meant for kids.
The character Zasalamel, launched in Soulcalibur 3 and playable in 4, is a heavy magic-user. He’s nigh immortal, and has powers that outclass Darth Vader and Yoda. Zasalamel’s crucial end transfer, a spectacular approach that debuted in Soulcalibur 4, sees the spellcaster open a portal to a different dimension and telekinetically throw his opponent into the void. Later video games gave Zasalamel the flexibility to cease the movement of time mid-battle, summon tangible spirits, and telekinetically slam his opponent into the bottom, powers that rival his Jedi opponents. In different phrases, Zasalamel has the facility to kick Yoda’s ass.
Sequence mainstay Ivy is likewise magically powered. Her Soulcalibur 4 crucial end illustrates simply how deeply magic is rooted into her weapon, the snake sword generally known as Valentine, which splits, reforms, and might be telekinetically fired like a projectile. Ivy’s magic-infused weapon might be managed with Jedi-like finesse, its distinct segments swirling and flying by way of opponents in a method that may strike worry into Vader’s coronary heart (and a four-inch heel deep into his decrease again).
That’s to say nothing of Algol, who’s actually a god. The purpose stays: A number of members of the Soulicalibur roster, if not all of them, have magical skills.
Magic, subsequently, explains the inherent survivability of all the Soulcalibur roster. How else would one clarify in any other case regular human fighters standing proper up after being struck down by Astaroth’s big ax, or puréed by Voldo’s katars? Even after being “beheaded” by Yoshimitsu’s execution-style crucial end, Soulcalibur’s fighters preserve their heads intact. Soulcalibur will not be Mortal Kombat, however in some way its entire roster can take Nightmare’s big sword by way of the stomach and carry on preventing. If they’ll stand up to that, absolutely a lightsaber by way of the sternum isn’t the moment kill some would suppose.
That very same logic may also be utilized to Soulcalibur’s weapons and armor. No matter supplies the solid of Soulcalibur 4 has made its weapons out of, they’re clearly lightsaber-resistant. Viewers of The Mandalorian know that there’s a fabric within the Star Wars universe, Beskar metal, that may deflect the white-hot warmth of a lightsaber blade. However even in 2008, the folks making Soulcalibur 4 had been effectively conscious that the lightsabers-versus-metal debate would ensue.
“In [the Star Wars] universe, there are two supplies, Cortosis and Phrik, which have [the] energy to resist the facility of [a] lightsaber,” Katsutoshi Sasaki, director on Soulcalibur 4, informed Gamersyde in an interview on the time. “The thought is that the weapons and tools from [the Soulcalibur] universe comprise supplies at excessive focus and that’s why the lightsabers can’t reduce by way of all of the issues.”
Even the Power is tempered in Soulcalibur 4. Whereas Sasaki describes Jedis’ command of the Power as “an absolute energy,” the developer restricted its use with a particular meter for Yoda, Darth Vader, and his apprentice. Simply spitballing right here, however maybe the huge distance of time and house that Yoda and Darth Vader traveled to medieval Europe diminished their use of the Power.
Furthering the argument that almost all of Soulcalibur 4’s roster might beat Jedi are a number of tier lists — primarily a power-level rating of the out there fighters. Whereas there is no such thing as a official or unanimously agreed-upon tier checklist for Soulcalibur, a number of community-made lists place Yoda on the very backside, with Vader hovering across the upper-middle/common tier. In different phrases, regardless of pre-release considerations about pint-sized Yoda trouncing his Soulcalibur 4 opponents with Assault of the Clones-style acrobatics, the little inexperienced man merely can’t maintain his personal.
Polygon reached out to Lucasfilm and Bandai Namco for touch upon Jedi energy ranges on the earth of Soulcalibur, however neither firm selected to remark. Most likely out of respect for Yoda.
