Soulcalibur V

Soulcalibur V (ソウルキャリバーV, Sōrukyaribā Faibu) is a 2012 fighting game developed by Project Soul and published by Namco Bandai Games for the PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360. As the sixth main installment in Namco's Soulcalibur series, Soulcalibur V serves as a follow-up to Soulcalibur IV (2008). It retains the weapon-based combat that characterizes the series while introducing a new protagonist, Patroklos, who aims to free his sister from a curse inflicted upon her by an ancient weapon. This installment marks the conclusion of the original Soul series timeline.

The game received positive reviews, being praised for its gameplay, atmosphere, and character creation. However, it faced criticism for the removal of fan-favorite characters, the newly introduced characters, and for its story mode. It was succeeded by Soulcalibur VI (2018).

Like the previous games in the series, Soulcalibur V is a weapon-based fighting game. Players utilize high and low vertical and horizontal attacks to damage opposing characters and can block incoming attacks or parry enemy moves to gain a tactical advantage. The game features an updated "Critical Edge" system, allowing players to fill a meter and unleash powerful special attacks.

The game offers a variety of gameplay modes. In Story Mode, players control the protagonist, Patroklos, along with various supporting characters, guiding him through a series of battles divided into 20 episodes. Unlike previous installments, not all characters are playable in Story Mode. The arcade mode allows players to choose any character and face six opponents in time trial matches. Additionally, the game includes Quick Battle mode, which enables players to unlock titles for their online profiles, as well as an extra "Legendary Souls" mode. Like its predecessors, Soulcalibur V features a variety of multiplayer modes, allowing players to compete against each other both online and offline. The character creation mode from previous games has also been retained.

The game takes place in 1607, 17 years after the events of Soulcalibur IV, and centers around the children of Soul series veteran Sophitia. Her son, Patroklos, serves as a soldier for Graf Dumas, the Holy Roman Empire's appointed ruler of Hungary, and is tasked with eliminating the "malfested," a curse bestowed upon anyone who comes into contact with the evil weapon Soul Edge, in exchange for help in locating his sister, Pyrrha, who has been missing since he was a child. While searching a town to root out the malfested, he is attacked and defeated by half-werewolf Z.W.E.I, who reveals that Dumas is not who he seems. Confronting Dumas, Patroklos learns that Dumas is actually aligned with Soul Edge, and the "malfested" he had been killing were innocent people he needed to die to restore the blade.

Escaping Dumas' control, Patroklos tracks down Z.W.E.I., a member of Siegfried's revived Schwarzwind. Siegfried inducts him into the group and informs him that Pyrrha is being held captive by Soul Edge devotee Tira, assigning Z.W.E.I. and Schwarzwind mystic Viola to accompany him. After a brief skirmish, Tira seemingly releases Pyrrha to her brother, who abandons Z.W.E.I. and Viola to bring her sister home. However, upon arriving in Greece, they are confronted by Dumas, who reveals himself as the vessel for Soul Edge's physical form, Nightmare. Complicating matters, Pyrrha has become a malfested, having been slowly corrupted by Tira over the seventeen years since her capture. Patroklos flees in horror after Nightmare's defeat, causing a distraught Pyrrha to wholeheartedly side with Tira.

Returning to the Schwarzwind base, Siegfried entrusts Patroklos with Soul Calibur, the only weapon capable of saving his sister and stopping Nightmare. However, it has changed forms and weakened significantly since its last battle with Soul Edge. Seeking to strengthen the blade, Patroklos tracks down Nightmare's former pawn Ivy, who knows a ritual to enhance the blade, but it requires its other two counterparts, Krita-Yuga and Dvapara-Yuga, which are possessed by a young staff fighter named Xiba and Leixia, the daughter of Xinaghua. During the ritual, Patroklos has a vision of his mother, Sophitia, who tells him that the only way to save Pyrrha is to kill her. Meanwhile, Nightmare wages war on Europe to strengthen Soul Edge, with Schwarzwind fighting to stop him. Z.W.E.I. manages to kill the still weakened Nightmare but is quickly disposed of by Tira and Pyrrha, who proceed with Tira's true goal of turning Pyrrha into a new host for Soul Edge. However, as soon as Pyrrha picks up the demonic blade, Patroklos arrives and kills her with Soul Calibur.

Shocked by his actions, Patroklos' mind winds up in Astral Chaos, where an encounter with Edge Master convinces him to travel back and save Pyrrha by removing Soul Edge, thereby severing its control over her. However, "Sophitia" encases him in glass, intending to take over his body to do the job he could not. When Pyrrha comes to her senses, her desperate attempt to save Patroklos frees his mind enough to confront his "mother," who reveals herself to be Elysium, the spirit of Soul Calibur. After a long battle, Patroklos breaks free from Elysium's control, and together, he and Pyrrha seal away both swords.