Beneath the rough exterior is a gem that would pave the way for the more attractive iterations.
The opening cinematic introduced the story and each of the playable characters of the game. The visuals were compelling and refined. The pre-rendered visuals were quite a sight to see back in 1997. Unfortunately, even at that time the character models were pleasant at best. The comparison of two characters reveals the unusual dichotomy. Even though Taki (the female, demon-hunting ninja) was impressive to behold and fluid in her animations, the crude rendering of Rock (a North American wild man) comes across as awkward. The distress created by looking at Rock was only exacerbated when trying to play him, as he was slow in order to offset the significant damage inflicted with his blows.
While the characters' visuals were not always pretty, the audio was impressive. The soundtrack was one of the most intense of any fighting game. The fact that developers included an option where players could select their soundtrack for any multiplayer match was magnificent. The weapon sounds were modest. However, the voice acting is definitely the most memorable part of the game. The voice over work done by the narrator is dramatic, but the cast of characters ran the gamut of being flat to campy. In many instances the execution of special attacks came with dialogue. One example being Sophitia's groin kick. After dropping her oppnent, she sublimely says, "I'm sorry." At the conclusion of every match you could anticipate some more excellent voice work. . . except for Rock's caveman screams. "DoBuuuuuuu!"
The gameplay had all the standard modes for a fighting game: Arcade, Versus, Team Play, and Practice. However, one addition was provided: Edge Master. The method of play was the fighting fare, only it was presented in a story book method. Once a character was selected the player fought as that character all the way through a story. Each page told a part of the character’s story, and each section culminated in a showdown with a battle, or series of battles. Sometimes the opponents could only be defeated by using a particular attack or strategy, occasionally to a punishing level of difficulty. If you were victorious, the character would be awarded a new weapon which could be selected to be used by that character in any mode.
Soul Blade delivered attacks in a new way: combinations. You could not only tap buttons at the same time to deliver spectacular moves, but also string together a chain of moves by tapping the controls in quick succession. Some chains even resulted in the mid-air juggling of your opponents. While being juggled, the victim is unable to attack or block, thus providing a considerable advantage to the player who launches a mid-air offensive.
Make no mistake this is a weapons game. While other fighting games had been fisticuffs with some flamboyant maneuvers to dazzle the player, Soul Blade not only told a story about the titular demon sword, but also provided a veritable arsenal of unlockable weapons to be equipped and used to slice, pummel, or puncture opponents. At the conclusion of each match, if you were victoriou, you could control the camera to review your handiwork, or take advantage of custom perspectives.
The gameplay in Soul Blade was well balanced and provided hours of fun whether with a friend or against the AI. If not for some stilted rendering and cheap moves by the AI, Soul Blade may have been as widely accepted, and highly acclaimed as the impressive titles which would follow. In the end, it is still worth a play.
"I'll never forget you."