Guilty Gear Strive review: In pursuit of unadulterated combat bliss

Arc System Works first introduced Guilty Gear to the world in 1998. For those of us who loved the fighting game genre but were fed up with endless Capcom and SNK clones and sequels, this was it. simply magical. The series never got the amount of attention and love it deserved over the years, but thankfully it continued anyway.

The latest is Guilty Gear Strive, which exclusively punches and kicks on PS4 and PS5. Guilty Gear Xrd Revelator (and its updated version REV 2) were notable not only for the combat action, but for their truly impressive cinematic 3D graphics. REV2 was mind blowing, but Strive is almost mind blowing.



Guilty Gear Strive review: In pursuit of unadulterated combat bliss

Guilty Gear as a whole works so brilliantly in large part because of the show's superb, over-the-top, and downright bizarre character design. The entire game world is rich, layered, and overflowing with lore, but the cast is so distinct that no other fighter really compares. You could say Capcom's Darkstalkers come close in terms of character design, but unfortunately this series isn't seen much these days.

The 15-character roster seems a little light compared to so many others' huge roster of fighters, but most other fighting games actually only offer a few basic archetypes with different looks. Here, each character is their own mind-boggling and unique thing. The blind warrior who fights with his shadow, a girl who throws sea creatures at you, the cool rock'n'roll witch, a towering automaton, an all-out murderer, a samurai vampire, a deranged doctor who literally throws things at chance…


Guilty Gear's lineup remains one of the most outrageously creative and beautifully crafted in all of gaming. The series is historically known for its overtly layered and complex combat mechanics, with insane levels of special systems that almost compel use of its in-depth tutorials. Try to streamline a lot of that to some degree. The game is more accessible, allowing for example more damage from small combos.

The in-depth tutorials are still there (with mini “missions” to nail down even more specific game mechanics), but Strive is a bit easier for anyone to understand. That's not to say those weird systems and subsystems are gone. There are still techniques and mechanics with strange titles like dust, slash, "roman" undo, burst, tension gauge, several kinds of blocks...

But the focus is on fast, powerful combat that's still satisfying.

Guilty Gear Strive review: In pursuit of unadulterated combat bliss

Essentially, the more you play, the deeper the gameplay becomes. The presentation blends perfectly with the mechanics. Each hit has a visual and sound impact, each counter is accompanied by a fanfare. It's no exaggeration to say that Guilty Gear Strive is quite simply the most beautiful anime-style fighting game ever made. Many games over the years have rivaled their anime-inspired roots, but Strive feels like a controllable anime movie.

The expert use of camera angles, incredible animation, and incredibly detailed and polished characters and backgrounds are flawless. While Strive is technically both a new and next-gen title, it's quite impressive to see in a way that no other next-gen exclusive has yet been.


There are a few flaws here, however. Over the past few games, Guilty Gear has relied on its non-interactive story mode as a sort of filler for single-player content. Where before it felt more like a visual novel, in Strive it's closer to a multi-hour anime. Honestly, the story of this series has always been so convoluted and over the top that it's almost incomprehensible. The plot is mostly foreign to the rest of the game, and the story mode doesn't help matters.

Guilty Gear Strive review: In pursuit of unadulterated combat bliss

Beyond that there's the basic arcade mode where you pick a fighter and battle through the other AI-controlled fighters, plus a host of Dojo training options. If Guilty Gear really wants to up the ante as a single-player fighter, it needs to learn how to incorporate story mode into something truly meaningful and interactive (like Mortal Kombat did). The arcade mode is still great, but a modern fighter needs a bit more for us solo players.

The multiplayer itself is rock solid. Online matches are fast, smooth and responsive with a slight lag in our tests. Unfortunately, online gaming is buried in this admittedly charming, but utterly useless 8-bit side-scrolling lobby. You create a custom character before entering, play a test match to determine your initial skill level, then wander around the multi-level pixel world looking for other players waiting to fight.

You can spend the earned coins on "fishing", which results in new customizable items for your outfit and other things. There is the cinema mode where you can watch recorded fights, as well as other features. However, all of this feels like an obstacle to getting into a match quickly.


Guilty Gear Strive Review – The Result

Guilty Gear Strive review: In pursuit of unadulterated combat bliss

Benefits

  • Stunning presentation easily makes it one of the most gorgeous games out there
  • Incredibly deep and thrilling combat action
  • Rock-Solid Online Multiplayer
  • Amazing character designs make each fighter unique and special

The inconvenients

  • The online lobby is cute, but actually makes it harder and slower to enter a multiplayer match
  • Single player modes are incredibly light
  • Story mode is non-interactive and quite absurd

Guilty Gear Strive is the perfect time to jump into this amazing series. It's more accessible than ever and absolutely stunning to look at.

There's still room for improvement in terms of single-player modes, and the whole retro online matchmaking setup is quaint but just adds unnecessary complication to multiplayer. Otherwise, it's a solid fighting game worth playing.

[Note: Arc System Works provided the copy of Guilty Gear Strive used for this review.]

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