Guilty Gear -Strive-
Arc System Works
As far as 2D fighters go, the Guilty Gear series has always had its own unique corner of the fighting game market. Although developer Arc System Works never had the gigantic budget of Capcom, their games had some very unconventional characters and a sense of sophistication that ascended beyond not only Street Fighter, but pretty much all fighting games.
These factors had led to Guilty Gear building up their own solid fan base over the years. However, it’s been a while since they’ve offered an entry into the market—the last Guilty Gear game debuted back in 2014. Needless to say, fans of the series have been feverishly anticipating the release of the newest game in the franchise, Guilty Gear -Strive-.
First off, I must mention the visual style of the game. Guilty Gear -Strive- still maintains the sharp toon shading aesthetic of its predecessor, Guilty Gear Xrd, only everything has been bumped up considerably. And as much as the gorgeous anime-style graphics look in 2D, this newest entry allows for movements and perspectives within the 3D realm as well, without sacrificing the basic DNA of its fighting mechanics.
It’s a tricky thing to pull off—but here it works. Certain moves trigger this 3D perspective, as well as slow everything down (similar to bullet-time) for players to relish the game’s graphical splendor (and a little extra time to take screenshots).
Gameplay-wise, there’s just as much fast-paced combat on hand to enjoy as ever. Each match is a carefully planned execution of attacks, counter-attacks, and (hopefully) well-thought-out unleashing of super attacks. In a nod to Tekken 7, certain attacks can send your opponent (or your characters) careening into a new sub-environment. This is a great addition to the game because not only does it change up the background eye-candy, but also makes matches much more intense.
You’ve got all the standard fighting game modes that you’d expect, such as single-player, multi-player, and story mode. However, this time around, the story mode is much more involved. Let’s just say that if you’re a gamer who likes Hollywood-style drama films and deep world-building that will probably have to pour through the franchise’s lore, you’ll probably dig it.
There’s also a good amount of characters to choose from at launch—15 in total. This leaves a lot of room for Arc System to release additional characters that are missing from previous entries and perhaps a few new ones as well. The Deluxe Edition includes Season Pass 1 and according to the game’s Steam page, that entails:
Season Pass 1 contents:
・Additional Playable Characters (5 total)
・Additional Battle Stages (2 stages)
・Additional Character Colors (5 for each character)
・Another Story
I’m really looking forward to seeing what other characters are thrown into the mix, considering the release lineup is already pretty impressive.
In all, I found Guilty Gear -Strive- to be a proper return to form, while offering some new twists and updated visuals. It’s a fighting game that is accessible to newbies (try the game’s training mode) as well as veterans. If you’re into the fighting game genre, this is pretty much a must-have.
SCORE: 8.1/10
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