Considered one of the top-tier games in its genre, the “Guilty Gear” series has produced a plethora of memorable titles dating back to the days of the original Playstation. “Guilty Gear” gamers have seen an evolution of their favorite fighter as it has set a precedent for fighting games by embracing the absurdity of insane combo chains, counters & flashy attacks all the while bumping an impressive soundtrack and memorable characters on a 2D plane.
With gaming’s next generation in mind, the developers at Arc System Works have crafted another iteration that is sure to unite fans of the genre and potentially create an entire new fan base who have been striving for more anime style fighting game action. After taking part in the two open betas, I readied myself to enjoy the frenetic action both offline & online of “Guilty Gear Strive”.
Did I Complete “Guilty Gear Strive”?
One of “Strive’s” main marketing tools is the fact this is made with the intent of garnering new players who have either not known about the franchise or shied away from “Guilty Gear” games due to its reputation for being incredibly complicated. Though “Strive” is a lot more player friendly than its predecessors, there is a lot to understand & potentially master – as displayed through the game’s “Mission Mode”. “Mission Mode” allows for players to attempt the base action of movement and the complicated methods of executing something like a “Roman Cancel” that can slow down the opponent & leave them open for a high damaging combo.
“Mission Mode” can take players several hours to complete especially when advancing to the more intricate techniques, combo scenarios, and character match-up options. Beyond training there’s a multi-hour-long “Story” mode that features no playable fights; just cinematics like a high-end anime. Players who want to fight instead of watch the story can go up the “Arcade” ladder and even find allies in CPU fighters. Local play is also available for gamers with friends nearby.
Online isn’t too impressive from a presentation perspective as players will be placed in tiered-lobbies known as “Floors” with the initial placement coming courtesy of an AI fight. As the player wins and loses in their assigned floor they will rise or fall. Players can also move up to higher floors on their own, but can’t play on floors lower than the game’s player-designated lobby. There’s also an “Open Park” set of rooms that allows for players of all rankings to play each other. A majority of the trophies focus on grinding out certain techniques like the aforementioned “Roman Cancel” or winning after getting a “Positive” momentum message. It may take a while, but achieving the platinum trophy is definitely something I will attain in the near future after spending many hours online, going through “Arcade” mode a few times, and doing my due diligence in training.
Did “Guilty Gear Strive” Live Up to the Hype?
To break down the gameplay of any “Guilty Gear” game would be almost staggering for those foreign to the series or fighting game novices. “Strive’s” gameplay is rooted in what has made the previous entries so entertaining: momentum built off a series of impressive combos & special maneuvers. Each character has their own set of special attacks and maneuvers connected to their weapon or fighting style of choice. Someone like the broadsword-wielding Sol Badguy specializes in mid-to-close range combat to pressure opponents, as does the fast-kicking new character Giovanni. Then there’s a person such as Axl Low who performs best when keeping opponents at a great distance, though can adapt incredibly well when the fight comes within reaching distance.
Other new character Nagoriyuki mixes the best of both worlds by lacking a dash while having a long-reaching sword and sporting a second meter that, when full after using special maneuvers, allows him to enter a high-powered, health-draining “Blood Rage”. Easily one of the biggest positives in regards to “Strive” is its roster. Players will most likely discover certain characters aren’t for them. Due to the style changes, combo options & special maneuvers available, each character plays differently and discovering that particular character that someone can “main” & learn what makes said character special will come down to trial & error.
Though every character is different, all available characters have base attacks rooted in the series’ five-button system – punch, kick, slash, heavy slash, and “Dust” strikes. Unlike the previous “Gear” games where players could begin a combo off a single punch, players in “Strive” will have to utilize a slash strike before initiating a series of attacks. Some characters can perform “Command Moves” to start combos as well. With these changes come shorter combo strings, yet bigger damage overall; presenting some fights than can end incredibly fast if someone isn’t able to stop an onslaught. Throws also do incredible damage, but are easily avoided and will leave the potential thrower prone to a devastating counterattack.
The aforementioned “Roman Cancel” attacks can also work alongside special maneuvers. Upon doing something like Sol’s ground fire projectile, the player can actually free Badguy from the animation to unleash more attacks alongside the projectile instead of just being stationary as the enemy is slowed down alongside a clock that appears overhead. “RC Drifting” allows for players to run in and perform a “Roman Cancel” without doing an attack such as air dashing into a “RC”. “Burst” maneuvers knock back an opponent and are best used when being hit by a combo, but can only be utilized once a fight. A majority of these techniques need the usage of bars making up the “Tension” meter – a meter that fills up following successful attacks & defensive measures.
By pressing forward, landing a series of attacks & keeping the pressure on the opponent can create a “Positive” tension momentum that allows for the gauge to fill up faster, while the opposite will cause a “Negative” momentum swing where the “Tension” bar will lose meter & struggle to refill. With the “Tension” meter being essential to executing high-level techniques like super maneuvers or “Overdrives”, players must be aggressive while thinking about performing defensive necessities at any given time.
There is one major gameplay addition to the combat: wall breaking. By pushing an opponent against one side of the stage & landing more attacks will eventually press them against said corner. With another strike comes the shattering of the wall for both a stage transition & incredible damage to the character on the receiving end; resetting the neutral in the process. Gone, though, are the “Instant Kills” that would sacrifice an entire “Tension” meter for the round to succeed in ending said round with a maneuver that could be, mostly, avoided.
Though there are some great tools to learn the ropes offline, online is where players will get most of their enjoyment from “Strive”. Unfortunately, the way online is set up is absolutely terrible. On the positive side the rollback netcode allows for a majority of online fights to play out flawlessly; not feeling like there’s a big difference regarding input delay when comparing online play to offline. But getting into a fight, however, can be frustrating. Players must use a crafted avatar to run through lobbies to find opponents stationed at arcade machines. If the game allows for players to connect and play they can only fight three times with the winner of the last fight staying on the machine; ready for the next challenger even if said player lost the first two fights.
Thankfully “Open Park” fights allow for infinite rematches, but both “Park” battles and those on the “Floor” tiers suffer from a lack of matchmaking. Players have to challenge their opponent without much information beforehand other than their opponent’s character usage level. The player can look up the potential opponent’s “R-Code” to see their record, but the extensive time needed to get the info just takes away from starting a fight. And then when the fight starts there’s a great chance the opponent will be more versed & knowledgeable; wiping the floor with their would-be challenger even though they are on the same “Floor” level. Without a true matchmaking system, beginners will struggle online and may become too discouraged to come back & try again.
By playing online, players are gifted currency needed to buy unlockables like artwork & music. But there is a mini-game to complement unlocking things: fishing. Fishing is necessary to attain said unlockables as the player pays to fish to get things like special clothes for the player’s online avatar or character art.
As expected, “Strive” looks immaculate and may be the most gorgeous fighting game of all time. This technology gifted game is helped by a rocking soundtrack, strong stability including a lack of crashes beyond servers issues out of the player’s control, and a decent English dub for the “Story” mode. The game’s biggest technical issue is the long-winded nature of communicating with the server – a process that can take between three to five minutes.
There are few 2D fighters out right now as fun as “Strive” thanks to its fantastic gameplay, mostly excellent online connectivity, and stellar visuals with some questionable decisions regarding its online lobby system and “Story” mode presentation hurting the overall package.
Should You Play “Guilty Gear Strive”?
For long-time players, stepping into the latest world of “Guilty Gear” will feel like familiar, though unique territory. New fans can enter and be encouraged without worrying about not having fun against friends or even online players at the same skill level. The game’s biggest issue hinders how long it takes to get into an online fight, but not the actual quality of said fight – a positive other fighting games struggle to maintain. Even if you’re not a hardcore fighting gamer, “Strive” offers enough combat options to entertain anyone for a while especially online; though offline modes do leave something to be desired. “Strive” is definitely the equivalent of landing that perfectly timed “Overdrive” during a clutch situation.
