Get the Edge

The story behind Namco’s legendary fighting series is an epic tale of evil’s power over the good and the wicked alike. This grand tale of murder, madness, gods, monsters, and the price of power began in the early arcade uprights Soul Edge andSoul Calibur. These games introduced fight fans to innovative weapon-based combat, but also introduced the real star of the series: A terrifyingly malevolent sword with a power and a will all its own. Now Soul Calibur® II for the Xbox continues the saga, introducing new characters with new weapons, with new reasons to hunt the evil sword called Soul Edge. As always, the power of the monstrous blade lures heroes and villains alike into its bloody web of chaos and death.

Bad boy times “axe.”

The game world has dozens of stories about an ancient and powerful sword that bestows great power on the person who uses it. The enigmatic sword of Soul Calibur® II has many names, like the Sword of Salvation or the Sword of Heroes, but its true name is Inferno. A fiery, bloodthirsty demon, Inferno transformed himself into a pair of enchanted swords in order to consume still more of humanity. As a weapon, he could tempt the evil, corrupt the innocent, and devour the souls of mighty warriors at the very instant of their deaths. When the transformation was complete, Inferno vanished and the Soul Edge was born.

The swords did grant their wielder great power, but they took complete control of that warrior’s mind and body in exchange. Like the demon, the blades fed on the souls of people they killed, so they invariably sent their puppet host out to commit larger and larger massacres, often directing him to build an army of brigands and monsters for maximum slaughter. Every character in Soul Calibur II has had their life changed by the Soul Edge, and each wants either to claim them for their own, or to destroy them so that no one can ever use them again.

Don’t get on his bad side.

With the help of some noble warriors and the protection of Hephaestus, the Greek god of the forge, a young woman named Sophitia was able to destroy one of the demonic swords. This victory came with a heavy cost, however, as the remaining blade unleashed a massive storm of pure corrosive energy known as the Evil Seed. This catastrophic event scarred the world itself and almost everyone in it, but it also marked a long period of relative peace and calm while the remaining Soul Edge took control of a new host and began building its strength back up.

This new host, Siegfried, took the name Nightmare as he and his minions killed hundreds of people to power up the blade. Siegfried’s personality began to assert itself as Nightmare’s crimes grew, and eventually the hero was able to free himself from the Soul Edge’s influence. By that time, however, the sword had collected enough souls for Inferno to manifest himself in his demonic form. A small group of fighters with enchanted weapons was ultimately able to stop Inferno and shatter the Soul Edge. At last, it seemed as if evil had been vanquished.

It’s not “the” sword, but it does the trick.

Inferno and the Soul Edge are not so easily destroyed, however. The sword’s destruction scattered scores of small blade fragments all across the globe. Each piece of the Soul Edge has the same lure and the same corrupting effect as the whole thing, so that anyone who touches even one tiny piece falls under its spell. Evil men see the shards as an opportunity; good men see them as proof that there’s more work to be done before the Soul Edge is gone forever.

Among the cast of characters are those to would collect the Soul Edge fragments to recreate the evil blade for their own purposes, those who simply seek to claim the pieces as treasure, and those who mindlessly serve the cause of evil. When the final punch is thrown and the victor is declared, will the world sigh in relief, or shudder in horror? And will the all-consuming evil of the Soul Edge ever truly be defeated? Players will find the final fates of the Soul Edge and the rest of their favorite fighters by playing through Soul Calibur II.

By Mickah Wallace