Soul Calibur Coming To iOS This Week

Namco’s Soul Calibur – the first episode that was released on arcade in 1998, then on SEGA’s Dreamcast in 1999 – has been ported to iOS and will be released this week, on January 19. Aside from being compatible with the iPhone, iPod touch and iPad, the game will feature Retina graphics and Game Center support.

Namco Bandai also promises that the virtual pad controls on the touch screen will better recreate traditional controls. The game will have Game Center support with high scores listed on the Leaderboard; six modes (arcade battle, time attack, survival, extra survival, practice, museum); and 19 playable characters, including Kilik, Xianghua, Maxi, Mitsurugi, Taki, Voldo, Sophitia, Nightmare, Astaroth, Ivy, Hwang, Yoshimitsu, Lizardman, Siegfried, Rock, Seong Mi-na, Cervantes, and Edge Master.

Japanese blog 4Gamer offers the first screenshots of the game showing graphics comparable to the Dreamcast version, as well as touchscreen controls for iOS devices – here’s a direct link to a single screenshot. 4Gamer also posted actual hands-on material, including first impressions of a pre-release version and a trailer [Google Translation].

Fans of the original Soul Calibur can look for the game to hit the App Store on Thursday, January 19.