To celebrate the release of Soulcalibur V for PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360, Katana-wielding Mitsurugi and sword-fighting Pyrrha have been engraved in granite on a mountain in Tanum, Sweden.
The creators describe this game as tougher than anything that has gone before it – and have cut the two characters into the Earth to prove it. “Everyone knows the Soulcalibur characters are among the hardest fighters in gaming – so we’ve decided to immortalize them in granite for thousands of years” says Lee Kirton, marketing director, Namco Bandai. “These characters have only ever existed digitally, so it’s brilliant to record them permanently in a format which will remain visible until the end of time.”
Master Stone Engraver Göran Andersson from nearby Hunnebostrand performed the engraving. He is the last remaining stone engraver on the Swedish west coast who performs engravings out in nature and has done engravings for the likes of movie star Ingrid Berman and the kings of Norway and Sweden.
“This is the by far most complex and detailed engraving I have ever performed”, said Göran Andersson. “but it was very fun to do.” Namco Bandai enlisted the help of SavedInStone, who have engraved the characters on their mountain close to a UNESCO World Heritage Site filled with Bronze Age stone carvings.
Here are some of those selected the characters’ stats and pictures:
Heishiro Mitsurugi
Sex: Male
Age: 46
Birthplace: Bizen, Japan
Height: 5’8″ (173 cm)
Weight: 163 lbs. (74 kg)
Date of Birth: June 8th
Blood Type: AB
Weapon: Katana
Weapon Name: Muichimonji
Fighting Style: Shin Tenpu-Kosai-Ryu
Family: His parents and brothers were all taken by sickness, but a martial artist is claiming to be his eighth brother.
Pyrrha Alexandra
Sex: Female
Age: 20
Birthplace: She does not remember (Athens, Ottoman Empire)
Height: 5’5″ (165 cm)
Weight: will not say
Date of Birth: October 24th
Blood Type: B
Weapon: Short Sword & Small Shield
Weapon Name: Omega Sword & Elk Shield
Fighting Style: Protected by her sword and shield
Family: She has no one who she can call as her family since she wandered among various people throughout her life.
-More info about the Soulcalibur V, the new story & additional characters, plus a huge image gallery on the way!
