The staples of the SoulCalibur franchise are present as ever in the series’ latest iteration, SoulCalibur V: we’ve got a gorgeous fighter set across a variety of distinctive 3D environments, with a story mode that bridges battles with cutscenes, a guest character from another universe, and a hugely fun multiplayer mode. It’s Ezio Auditore of Assassin’s Creed that joins the roster this time, but he isn’t given the spotlight enough for the game to be accused of revolving around him; rather, the story concerns Patroklos, the self-absorbed self-proclaimed “holy warrior” equipped with the spirit blade Soul Calibur, as he works to both rid the land of the evil “malfested”, enemies of the human race, and rescue his long-lost sister Pyrrha. Originality aside, it’s remarkably well developed.

Thinking back to the much older entries in the series, where story mode consisted merely of preconfigured battles preceded by a boring text introduction, I have to note that this instalment in the saga does a much better job of carrying its narrative. The game utilises two distinct styles of cutscene: gorgeous real-time cinematics for key moments, and storyboard-style drawings more often than not. Even in the latter’s simpler animation, there is unmistakable polish, and although it seems odd that the game so freely switches between the two standards of animation, it adds a hint of charm; the only real disappointment is the occasionally less-than-stellar voice acting, which feels out-of-place at its worst but immersive at its best.

Fortunately, the voice-over language can be switched to the original Japanese, with the perk being that the delivery seems better when you can’t understand what they’re saying but for the subtitles. This even helps subdue some of the cheesiness in the cocky one-liners blurted out by the fighters at the start and end of each battle, although it seems that the scriptwriters are more at fault than the actors for dialogue as enrapturing as “I’m gonna enjoy the hell outta killing you!”

Where dialogue and acting falls down though, gameplay mechanics and character design pick up the slack. This is still one of the most enjoyable fighters on the market, with players encouraged to make the most of the ability to move in three-dimensional space; you can easily circle your opponent, dodge their attacks, and if you’re quick enough, get to the other side of them for a brief vantage point. Unlike Street Fighter and titles in that vein, you won’t oft find a tactical advantage in leaping over your opponent or hammering buttons in their direction; you need to guard, dodge, and execute flawless combos.

It’s in executing combos that the SoulCalibur fans will notice the first major change from the last instalment; the Soul Gauge by players’ health bars now fills up as both belligerents take or dish out damage, and can be consumed by performing special “Edge Attacks”. The most basic of these is the Critical Edge, akin to a special move with the same button combination for every character, but a unique result. For some, it’s less exciting: Viola’s is nothing compared to Nightmare’s in terms of damage, for example. In most situations, though, keeping conscious of your Soul Gauge is a good idea, especially with the introduction of Brave Edge, which lends extra strength to your attacks at the cost of half your Soul Gauge.

The strain in memorising and executing combos remains the same, however, and despite the ability to pause at any time and check your character’s move list, you’ll still struggle to perform a lot of the more complex attacks until you’ve gained a lot more familiarity with your fighter. Some button combinations are shared between characters, naturally with different outcomes, but when it comes to a character-exclusive six-button kludge, there’s no way you’ll pull it off right away. In some ways, this is good: you need to learn your character and practice in order to become powerful. It only falls down when story mode forces you into a brand new character for a major battle, throwing you up against a considerable foe with a completely alien moveset; it adds challenge, but occasionally unreasonably so.

There’s a strong cast, as you’d expect from any modern fighting game, SoulCalibur in particular, and even though there are a wide range of returning characters – such as Nightmare, Ivy, and Voldo, to name a few – there are also some wonderful new faces beyond those of our centrepiece siblings, including the seer Viola, the teenage duo Leixia and Xiba, and the Harley Quinn-esque Tira. These aren’t rehashed characters in any sense of the word: each with their own unique back-story, fighting style, and costume aesthetic, they form a vast group which would have even the most picky gamer spoiled for choice, even without the inclusion of Creation mode. Of course, there’s also Ezio Auditore for the Assassin’s Creed fans, who proves a very accessible character, unlocked from the get-go, but he’s far from the most interesting of the bunch.

Like those in the entries preceding it, the characters in SoulCalibur V vary wildly; while fans tend to refer to characters as “low-tier”, “mid-tier”, and “high-tier” in regards to their power compared to ease of access, this seems a little archaic. There are few characters in the game that are entirely inaccessible on their first shot, but there are many which take time to learn to use to their specific strengths – segregating the cast into tiers seems to imply that some are somehow “better” than others, but this isn’t the case. There are no balance issues here, only a matter of needing practice to truly get to grips with a new fighter, and if that fight doesn’t appeal aesthetically, players can easily take any existing character’s play-style and apply it to a customisable blank slate.

This isn’t character creation on the same level as SoulCalibur IV’s; no, there’s much more opportunity to customise, far more choice, and in essence, an unparalleled level of freedom. Adjusting major details like your character’s height and body type directly influence their handling, which differentiates them slightly from the characters on which they’re based, but in the costume department, you’re free to go crazy with little repercussion. Whether you’d make a nimble variation of Viola with a crystal skull for a weapon and a corset for a costume, or a muscular, albino man with horns upon his clavicle, it doesn’t matter: it’s possible. Those custom creations can then be used in any of the non-story modes, like Arcade, or local and online multiplayer.

The one thing I definitely can’t accuse the game of lacking is content. Even beyond story mode, which can suck up more than enough of players’ time, there’s the aforementioned Arcade mode, quick battles, the perennial local multiplayer versus mode, as well as plenty of online functionality should players want to test their skills on a global scale, or merely display their gruesome character creations to the world. Arcade mode sees you work through six stages, either on one of the two pre-defined “routes” or a randomly generated one, and even offers some Trophies to boot, and quick battle is fairly self-explanatory: a fight with a random opponent where victory can unlock new titles to proudly display on your player card.

How might one describe SoulCalibur V in a handful of words? I’d choose polished for a start, as well as gorgeous and fun. As a fighter where victory is not assured by hammering the same button, its freshness is welcome, and its subtle refinements and new features expand on the previously established structure of the series in a not so jarring manner. It’s surprisingly accessible, even for those who aren’t necessarily practised in the genre – you could explain the controls to a total newbie in a matter of seconds and dive into multiplayer straight away. In that way, it’s almost the perfect party game, and well-suited for a quick two-player competition; beyond that, its solid gameplay and varied cast make it a pinnacle of fighting games, with enough Trophies and unlockables to keep you playing for months.