Soul Calibur 5 has "a lot more story"
Series fans are going to get a lot out of Soul Calibur 5, as the fighter's storyline advances further than ever before.
"This time around, we're going to have a lot more story in the game," producer Hisaharu Tago said in a developer diary.
"And we'll finally be able to shed some light on some aspects of the relationship between Soul Calibur and Soul Edge."
To move the series's plot along, Team Soul also had to advance its timeline, which was a problem for those characters not blessed with immortality.
"We just needed to push the story forward which was tricky, because we didn't want to get rid of the existing characters that our players have come to love, such as Ivy, Nightmare, Astaroth - it's a long list," director Daishi Odashima said.
"So I was trying to come up with a timeframe in which the old characters could realistically mix with the new characters. I thought 17 years sounded about right."
This decision allowed Team Soul to focus on a new generation - the children of Sophitia were a natural fit, as she has a unique connection to the twin swords, Soul Edge and Soul Calibur.
Unfortunately, it had its casualties, too - ninja Taki was judged too old for the acrobatics her role requires, and so had to be replaced by student Natsu.
Soul Calibur 5 is out now in the US and expected in Europe on February 3, on PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360. See the full developer diary below.
Thanks, Siliconera.