Critical Edge (クリティカルエッジ?) is a mechanic that is found in Soul Edge, Soulcalibur V and Soulcalibur VI. It functions similarly to Super Moves in other fighting games.
Soul Edge (Soul Blade)[]
Critical Edge is the name given to attacks used by all Standard Characters (and Soul Edge) characters in Soul Edge (Soul Blade). It is instigated by pressing all three attack buttons (
+
+
) simultaneously, and if successful the player's character will do a single attack that will see their weapon engulf in a flash of light - if the attack hits the opponent, the character will automatically unleash a series of attacks against the opponent. During this time, the player is able to enter a command (unique to each character) which will cause the character to unleash even more attacks while in this state.
Using the Critical Edge has a disadvantageous side effect however; it drains the character's Weapon Gauge, meaning that they can only use it a limited amount of times. However, in the Playstation port, there are some weapons with the ability to recover over time, making this less of a problem.
Soul Edge Ver. II[]
In Soul Edge Ver. II, a couple of changes were made to Critical Edges:[1]
- The amount of the Weapon Gauge that is reduced when executing a Critical Edge was lowered.
- Critical Edges could now be cancelled by pressing the G button.
- Critical Edges could now be executed while back dashing.
- Critical Edges could now be performed on all opponents while they are in the air.
All of these changes carried over to the Playstation version of the game.
Edge Master Mode[]
Mitsurugi and Taki both have stages in their Edge Master Mode where they have to use a "perfect" Critical Edge to defeat their opponents - this means that simply using the "easy" Critical Edge (i.e. simply pressing all attack buttons) will not be enough, so the player must learn the correct command for both characters.
Soulcalibur V[]
Critical Edges make a return in Soulcalibur V. The mechanics, however, have been altered to a rather large extent. These super attacks now drain 100% of the Critical Gauge and deal different amounts of damage, depending on the selected character. Also, some characters' Critical Edge moves can be comboed or have throw properties, such as Ivy's and Astaroth's. Critical Edges in Soulcalibur V are similar to Super and Ultra Combos in Street Fighter IV and Rage Arts in Tekken 7.
As of TGS2011, the Critical Edge input was 
++ (two quarter-circles forward, A+B+K).
Soulcalibur VI[]
Critical Edges return in Soulcalibur VI, remaining unchanged from the previous game, though now using the Soul Gauge. However, it is now activated by just inputting ++. It is also known that Critical Edge deals more damage when the user has low health.
List of Critical Edges[]
Soul Edge[]
| Character | Japanese Name | English Name | Input |
|---|---|---|---|
| Mitsurugi | Ticket to Styx | ++  +
| |
| Cross the Styx | +++
| ||
| Seong Mi-na | Crystal Cyclone | +++
| |
| Taki | Wind of Death | ++ +
| |
| Li Long | Fire and Brimstone | ++ +
| |
| Voldo | ザ・ギア・オブ・マッドネス (The Gear of Madness) |
House of Pain | +++
|
| Sophitia Sophitia! Sophitia!! |
プリ・ティス・フォティアス | Soul Asylum | +++
|
| プリ・ティス・アネモス | Asylum of Fire | +++
| |
| Siegfried Siegfried! |
シュトュルムアングリフ | Command of the Blade | +++
|
| Rock | グランドスラムヴォルテクス (Grand Slam Vortex) |
Devastator | +++
|
| サンライズヴォルテクス (Sunrise Vortex) |
Heart Exploder | +++
| |
| Hwang | Chasing Victims | +++
| |
| Steel Explosion | +++
| ||
| Cervantes | ラーファガ・トルナード | Hunter of Shadows | +++
|
| SoulEdge | ソウルディスチャージ (Soul Discharge) |
Soul Destroyer | ++++
|
| Seong Han-myeong | 成式奥義炎舞撃 | Relentless Onslaught | +++
|
Soulcalibur V[]
| Character | Critical Edge |
|---|---|
| Aeon Calcos | Devourer of God (ゴッド・ディバウアー): Aeon rolls under his opponent, leaps into the air, and breathes fire at his foe. |
| Algol | Al Qamar Qahhar (アルカムル カッハール) / Al Shams Qahhar (アッシャムス カッハール): If the player has 1 full bar of Critical Gauge, Algol uses his power to places his throne on the opponent. (Al Qamar Qahhar) If the player has 2 full bars of Critical Gauge, Algol uses his power to places his throne on the opponent, teleports onto it and forces it down. (Al Shams Qahhar) Al Shams Qahhar requires a second input and 2 full bars of Critical Gauge for the teleport. |
| Astaroth | Cestemus Doctrine (アギュル・セステムス): Grabs his enemy by the head, throws them to the ground in front of him, and drills into their back with the end of his axe. |
| Cervantes/Inferno | Cursed Roman Fire (カースド・ロマンファイア): Unleashes an unblockable shot from his gun. |
| Dampierre | Cockaigne, the Land of Plenty (誘おう、逸楽の国コケーニュへ！): Dampierre lurks under his enemy and delivers a two-hand punch. |
| Devil Jin | Demon Laser Cannon ( |
| Edge Master | Mimics the Critical Edge of whichever character he's currently imitating. |
| Elysium | Eleusian Initiation (イニシエイト・エレウシス): Elysium hovers in the air and unleashes a stream of energy that inflicts several hits. |
| Ezio Auditore da Firenze | Full Synchronization (フル・シンクロ): Slices an enemy thrice, then shoots them with his crossbow and hidden gun. |
| Hilde | Storm and Urge (シュトルムウントドランク): Stabs an enemy five times with her lance. |
| Ivy | Acausal Paradox (流転せよ、奇なる運命［アコーザルパラドックス］): Grabs the enemy, throws them to the air and makes the sword slam them to the ground. |
| Kilik | Mimics the Critical Edge of whichever male character he's currently imitating. |
| Leixia | River of Stars ( |
| Maxi | Rampaging Dragon ( |
| Mitsurugi | Witching Hour ( |
| Natsu | Great Curse of Arahabaki ( |
| Nightmare | Dark Reconquista (ダークレコンキスタ): Deflects incoming attacks and deal a heavy strike. |
| Patroklos | Price of Justice (プライス・オブ・ジャスティス): Uppercuts an opponent with his shield, before throwing his sword into them, then leaping up to pull it out. |
| α Patroklos | Transcending Rapture (ディバインアーツ：チハヤブル・スラッシュ): Slashes the opponent as he rushes past, then slowly sheathes his sword, the end causing his dazed opponent to suffer a surge of ice damage. |
| Pyrrha | Trinity Strike (トリニティストライク): Stabs her opponent three times. |
| Pyrrha Ω | Omega Therion (オメガ・テーリオン): Stabs enemy in the guts, lifts them above her, then pulls sword out roughly, making them fly. |
| Raphael | Royal Vexation (ロイヤルヴェクサシオン): Uppercuts, stabs opponent three times and delivers a finishing stab. |
| Siegfried | Legacy Testament (レガシー・オブ・テスタメント): Slams his sword into the ground, causing a stream of crystals to sprout in front of him. |
| Tira | Discord Parade (ディスコードパレード) (Jolly) / Discord Parade Finale (ディスコードパレード・フィナーレ) (Gloomy): Hits the opponent with a whirling combo. Adds a finishing strike when in her "Gloomy" mode. |
| Viola | Arcanum Azrael (アルカナム・アズラーイール［救世の秘術］): Makes her orb magnetic, pulling the opponent in and damaging them if they touch the orb. |
| Voldo | Wheel of Madness (ホイール・オブ・マッドネス): Bows, grabs his opponent and rolls around with them before releasing them and rolling off of them. |
| Xiba | Kong’s Dance of Qi Tian Da Sheng ( |
| Yoshimitsu | Manji Virtue and Influence ( |
| Z.W.E.I. | Werewolf Confess (CW：コンフェスヴェーヴォルフ): Summons E.I.N, who grabs the opponent and slams them to the ground. |
Soulcalibur VI[]
| Character | Critical Edge |
|---|---|
| 2B | Suppression: Extermination Gambit ( Limiter Release: Self-Destruct ( |
| Amy | Aléa Rouge (ファタリテ・ルージュ) / Aléa Blanc (ファタリテ・ブランシェ) / Rose Mystique (ローザ・ミスティカ): Knocks her opponent up and begins to twirl while attacking her opponent. Then she delivers the final pierce to knock her opponent down. |
| Astaroth | Final Anguish: Grabs the opponent by the throat and slams to the ground. Pierces their back with his axe and lifts them up. He spins down and slams them to the ground once again. |
| Azwel | From Science, with Love ( I Shall Save Humanity! ( |
| Cassandra | Shield Super Nova (シールドスーパーノヴァ) (Normal): Cassandra punches her opponent, kicks it away, run towards it, slash him to the air and uppercuts it with her shield as her target falls.
Shield Big Bang (シールドビッグバン) (Divine Force): With Divine Force active, after kicking her enemy away, she ricochets her shield back and forth with slashes and kicks before lauching the foe to the air and do the aforementioned uppercut. |
| Cervantes | Casa de Leviathan (カザ・ダ・レヴィアタン): Hits his opponent then kicks them away. Shoots at their legs and slices them into the air. He then teleports above then drills them back down to the ground. |
| Geralt of Rivia | Hunt of the White Wolf (ハント・オブ・ホワイトウルフ): Slashes his opponent which knocks them down. Controls them to stand up, slashes them into the air, creates fire, and delivers the final blow. |
| Grøh | Chevalier Mal Fet (シュヴァリエ・マル・フェ): Hits his opponent which knocks them back, throws his spinning dual saber at them then teleports to them. He hits them a couple more times until delivers a final blow. |
| Haohmaru | Judgment Blast Slash ( Flame of the Conqueror ( Lightning Blade ( |
| Hilde | Silver Wolf (ズィルバナーヴォルフ): She starts attacking her opponent with her sword, then impales her spear to the opponent's chest. She grinds her sword and starts attacking her opponent, followed up with a Calamitous-powered spear to thrust her opponent. |
| Hwang | Hwang's Purifying Blade ( |
| Ivy | Guilty Throne (呈罰者の座、遥かなる泡影よ ［プリィタルキサナドゥ］): Expands her sword which launches her opponent into the air. She impales them mid air then slams them down to the ground while stomping on their head. |
| Kilik | Ling-Sheng Su Phoenix Loop ( Forbidden Moonset ( |
| Maxi | Raging Dragon Zodiac ( |
| Mitsurugi | Thunderbolt Blade ( |
| Nightmare and Inferno | Dark Reconquista: Triumph (ダークレコンキスタ・トライアンフ) / Dark Reconquista: Purgatory (ダークレコンキスタ・パーガトリー): Stabs his sword into the ground and causes an explosion which knocks his opponent back. He later comes out of the mist riding on a demonic horse and charges at his opponent to hit them. |
| Raphael | Royal Poison (ロイヤルポワゾン) / Royal Poison: Fatal Dose (ロイヤルポワゾン・フェイタルドース): Slashes his opponent before delivering the final pierce. |
| Seong Mi-na | New Seong Style: Scarlet Meteor ( |
| Setsuka | Demon's Lament ( |
| Siegfried | Deep Scar (ダークスカーキャリバーン) / Crimson Scar (ギュールズ・キャリバーン): Slashes his opponent into the air, grinds the sword to the ground, launches the target to the air once more, charges his zweihänder with his leftovers of Soul Edge's power and hits his opponent. |
| Sophitia | Providential Thunder (プロヴィデンスサンダー): Slashes her opponent twice, uppercuts them with her shield, then throws her sword up which stabs them and causes an explosion. |
| Taki | Fu-Ma Seal, Fatal Violet ( |
| Talim | Dancing Tempest (デュミンガック・ナガ・ル・ウノス): Lunges forward and does a dance which hits the opponent multiple times. Summons a tornado which launches the opponent up, then summons another to strike them down to the ground. |
| Tira | Bleak Concerto (ネガティブコンチェルト) (Jolly) / Bleak Concerto: Finale (ネガティブコンチェルト・フィナーレ) (Gloomy): Slashes her opponent with a ring blade. Adds a finishing blow when in her "Gloomy" mode, before kicking her opponent away. |
| Voldo | Downward Spiral (ザ・スピナー・オブ・マッドネス): Spin-strikes his opponent, knocks them in the air, bounces him up further, before jumping up and striking again. They fall down when he bows. |
| Xianghua | Sublimating Blade ( |
| Yoshimitsu | Ghost Thief Funeral ( |
| Zasalamel | The Voice from the Abyss (ボイス・フロム・アビス ［深淵よりの呼び声］): Makes time stop which freezes his opponent, slices his opponent with his scythe, then snaps to continue time. |
See Also[]
References[]
- ^ Soul Edge Ver.II KIT Installation Manual (PDF). San Jose, CA: Namco America, Inc. 1996.