There’s no doubt that plenty fans ofThe Witcherseries were elated to learn that the role-playing game series' protagonistGeralt of Riviawould be making an appearance inSoulCalibur 6as a guest star. Now, in order to give potential players a better idea as to how the professional monster slayer handles himself within the forthcoming title, Bandai Namco Entertainment has offered up a new behind-the-scenes video showcasing the character’s fighting style and the design decisions involved in making his role in the sixth entry of the fighting game franchise a reality.
As seen below inSoulCalibur 6’s Geralt of Rivia showcase video, CD Projekt Red’s writer and director of English adaptations, Borys Pugacz-Muraszkiewicz, details Geralt’s background and how his abilities make him a formidable opponent in the forthcoming fighting game. As explained by the CD Projekt Red developer, he’s “a master swordsman, a spinner, roller, an acrobat with superhuman strength speed, and reflexes,” as well as “an alchemist with potions, blade oils, and his bombs,” and “a minor or lesser mage with his Witcher signs.”
What’s more is that Sebastian Kalemba, the head of animation for CD Projekt Red, goes on to detail how the team originally wanted Geralt to retain his fighting style fromThe Witcherseries, butSoulCalibur 6’s mechanics required the developers to do a bit of retooling. The studio was so meticulous in ensuring the character’s effectiveness in combat that it even brought in the original motion capture actor for Geralt to supervise motion capture sessions. As Kalemba puts it, “Since movement, timing, play-perspective, and general responsiveness are very different in the fighting game,” the team had to define a “center of gravity” in order to convey the White Wolf’s ability to “never make any unnecessary movements.”
As far as the context is concerned regarding Geralt’s role inSoulCalibur 6, Pugacz-Muraszkiewicz states that when it comes to satisfying lore, one can see it as “an extension of the interdimensional travel” that occurred with the character inThe Witcher 3: Wild Hunt. As the CD Project Red scribe explains, “On one leg, he encountered sandworms on a sand-covered planet. On another, he might well have encountered Mitsurugi and Sophitia.”
All things considered, it will be interesting to see just how well Geralt of Rivia plays whenSoulCalibur 6hits store shelves later this year, especially since it looks like we won’t be gettingThe Witcher 4anytime soon due to CD Projekt Red’s focus onCyberpunk 2077. On a somewhat similar note, hopefullySoulCalibur 6will include multiple crossover characters in order to provide some added variety, as oneguest fighter leakhas suggested that the roster will see additional figures from the likes of PS4’sBloodborneand Xbox One’sKiller Instinct.
SoulCalibur 6is set to launch in 2018 for PC, PlayStation 4, and Xbox One.
