 Originally released as an arcade game, "Soul Edge", in 1995 and later ported to video game consoles, more recent versions have been released for consoles only and have evolved to include online playing modes.The central motif of the series, set in a historical fantasy version of the late 16th and early 17th centuries, are mythical swords, the evil weapon called 'Soul Edge' and the subsequent sword used to oppose this evil, 'Soul Calibur'.While it has developed during its various iterations, some of the characters and gameplay elements have remained consistent throughout the series.