We may all be frothing over here for the next-generation consoles, but the PS3 and Xbox 360 are alive and well, thank you very much. And today, Namco Bandai reminded us of that by announcing that the next chapter in the Soul Calibur series — Soul Calibur Lost Swords — will be a free-to-play game available exclusively for PlayStation 3.
Soul Calibur Lost Swords will be available only as a digital download. In the game, players will choose from a cast of characters spanning the entire Soul Calibur series, fighting their way through battles in a “highly customizable solo gameplay fighting experience.”
Yes, you read that correctly: Soul Calibur Lost Swords appears to be a single-player game only, which flies in the face of the traditional fighting-game genre.
That’s not to say the game is a quick-and-dirty pile heading only to PSN. Actually, Soul Calibur Lost Swords will include an all-new item discovery and forging system, as well as elemental-based fighting mechanics. Special elemental effects such as Wind and Fire will be imbued into weapons scavenged from defeated enemies and can be forged by raw materials found by the player.
The mix of elemental effects will mean players must weigh the pros and cons of each combination when deciding which weapon to take into battle. You wouldn’t want to take a fire-based weapon into a battle against a flame-covered enemy, for instance, because the damage would be minimal.
“The Soul Calibur series has long been known for its substantial single-player modes over the past 14 years,” said Chris Gilbert, Sr. Vice President of Sales and Marketing for Namco Bandai Games America Inc. “Soul Calibur Lost Swords allows the development team to expand the solo-fighting game concept further than it has ever gone before with new loot-drop gameplay, elemental-based weapons, and deep character customization options that the series is known for.”
Soul Calibur Lost Swords, a completely free-to-play title, will be available exclusively on the PS3 this winter in North America and Latin America.
