

We’re just days away from the release of Soul Calibur VI, and Bandai Namco is building up all sorts of hype for the forthcoming fighting sequel. With that, it’s introduced a new documentary series that looks at the history of the franchise, as well as what players can expect in terms of what’s to come.

The first chapter of the series, Souls and Swords: The Rise of Soul Calibur, can be seen above. It runs about 12 minutes or so and takes a look at how the series began, with the original Soul Edge back in 1995. From there, we see how certain things have changed over the course of the years.

It’s definitely a must-watch for fans of the genre, as well as those that are invested in the fighting genre as it really has a lot to offer.

First off, the Stage of History gets set in the franchise, showing us a sneak peek of clips from prior games, as well as cinematics that show the power of Soul Calibur. Markman of Bandai Namco fame provides some narration, talking about how the game really comes together as a weapons-based fighter.

Soul Calibur, which debuted in arcades in the late 90’s and found a perfect translation on the Sega Dreamcast in 1999, gets a huge nod from the fans, as well as some gameplay footage that shows just how great it is, even after nearly 20 years on the market.

We then get even more gameplay from the course of the series, with a focus on particular characters like Mitsurugi. We also get a look at how much characters have changed over the years, like Voldo, who’s “weird and underplayed,” but still finely appreciated by a certain few.

It’s a fine first part of the series, and something tells us that part two isn’t likely that far behind, possibly set to debut next week leading up to the release of the game. So, yeah, keep a close eye out for that.

In the meantime, enjoy part one above and get prepared for some fighting goodness when Soul Calibur VI debuts on October 19 for Xbox One, PlayStation 4 and PC.