SoulCalibur 6 Trailer Reveals Groh and Return of Kilik, Nightmare, and Xianghua

Since SoulCalibur VI was announced at The Game Awards, fans have been curious about which characters would make a return to the series, plus the identity of the mysterious character teased in the premiere trailer. Bandai Namco has now provided some answers, revealing new character Groh will join the roster, in addition to long-time fan favorites Nightmare, Xianghua, and Kilik.

The new gameplay trailer, seen below, highlights each character’s moveset and finishing moves. Groh appears to have a new playstyle unique to his character, focused around a double-bladed weapon that can be taken apart to be wielded as two short blades. Presumably, this will allow players to use two different styles of fighting with the character. However, the most interesting reveal in the trailer may be Kilik’s new playstyle.

Bandai Namco previously announced that SoulCalibur VI would revisit the events of the series’ origins, effectively acting as a soft reboot. That looks to be true, as Kilik shows signs of being under the influence the Evil Seed of Soul Edge, the antagonist sword of the series. After some gameplay footage of Kilik using some of his classic attacks, throws, and finisher, the trailer cuts back in to reveal him going berserk, unleashing a massive attack on his opponent. At this time, it’s unclear if he will be able to switch modes at will akin to Tira in prior iterations of the series, or if a specific trigger is required for Kilik’s berserk mode.

Fans of the series may be excited to learn that SoulCalibur VI is following this route for Kilik’s character, and it’s not the first time the series original has had his abilities tweaked. His last appearance in SoulCalibur V featured a version of Kilik that could use nearly every other character’s abilities, effectively becoming a variant of Edge Master, albeit only with the ability to use male characters’ fighting styles. While that version of Kilik was based upon him becoming a complete master of nearly every fighting style, this one looks to an earlier plot thread that was originally established in the original SoulCalibur.

With no exact release date yet declared for the title and a typically large roster in each SoulCalibur game preceding it, Bandai Namco should still have some significant reveals up its proverbial sleeve. Players who are still waiting for their favorites should stay tuned, as more details are sure to come in the near future.

SoulCalibur VI is set to release in 2018 for PC, PS4, and Xbox One.