GUILTY GEAR -STRIVE- Review

GUILTY GEAR -STRIVE- is a 2D fighting game set in a heavily stylised world inspired by rock music and anime, with over-the-top and flexible gameplay which forgoes a lot of the realism in favour of having varied situations and letting the players get creative. Compared to most action games, the pace of the fights is slightly on the faster side, it is but a bit slower than the previous franchise instalments and most anime inspired games. You won’t see a lot of very rapid combos that quickly become a blur of fast indistinguishable attacks, and emphasis is put on separate moves which have more realistic impact and generally combine with each other in a more logical way.

As a result of less focus on lengthy combos, the characters don’t have very extensive movesets, but the moves are varied with little overlap in their utility and with distinct visuals making it clear how they work. Certain abilities are shared among all characters and push the opponent away or slow them down for a few seconds, which can be used offensively or defensively when the action gets more intense. To further help players from getting overwhelmed, the game will also slow down when a counter hit is landed, and the walls of the arena will eventually break when a player gets cornered.

The roster of playable characters is very diverse, with all characters being distinct from one another and offering unique playstyles. Rather than just using different kinds of kicks and punches, they all have their own identity utilising unique weapons, abilities, magic, physique, or some combination of the above. Similar to MOBA and Hero Shooter genres, the character selection screen gives a concise summary of each character with unique descriptors, a level of difficulty, and a graphic showing how effective they are at various ranges.

Upon starting the game the player has an option to play through a short tutorial which introduces them to the basic controls and serves as a prologue to the game’s story mode. From then on there are several options to get straight to fighting, learn more about the game mechanics, and get to know the characters and world. Both single-player and multiplayer game modes are made to be accessible to all skill levels, either dynamically adjusting difficulty or starting at lowest difficulty and ramping up over time. When playing against others online, each player is continually assigned to one of 10 floors based on their performance, making sure they face opponents with similar skill levels; however, the floors above the assigned one can always be accessed if seeking greater challenge.

For players wanting to learn the game in a more controlled environment, the dojo section of the game provides them with a configurable training mode and a series of interactive tutorials, teaching anything from the basics to strategies against specific characters. Lastly, through the story section of the main menu, players can access an extensive library of game lore and character connections, as well as a four-hour-long movie animated in-engine which continues the storyline of the previous game.

GUILTY GEAR -STRIVE- uses Arc System Works’ signature art style, combining stylised 3D models with lockstep animation which continues to stand out, and does so especially well when combined with the world of Guilty Gear. The bold use of colours and strong designs, combined with animation focusing on use of strong key poses, makes everything look very stylish and exciting. At the same time the action is still easy to follow because of the handcrafted and precise nature of this kind of animation. GUILTY GEAR -STRIVE- also represents the next evolution of this art style, with noticeable improvements over the last time Arc System Works used it. Perhaps most noticeably, the environments look much more natural with models being more detailed, as well as better texturing and shading bringing them in line with the quality of character models which sometimes looked out of place in the environments of previous games. The characters themselves also saw improvements, with a general increase in detail and a slight push towards realism. The faces are more expressive, proportions seem more natural, and the clothing realistically flows when the characters move. Combat animations also feel more weighty and impactful than before, with many of them benefiting from better simulation of more organic materials like clothes or hair.

The visuals are completed with great sound design, voice acting, and score. All attacks have unique sound cues and voice lines letting you know what is coming, and the connecting hits sound appropriately impactful. The game also includes English voice acting which does justice to the Japanese voices of both established characters and the newcomers. Last but not least, the iconic Guilty Gear soundtrack is at its best here, including a great variety of rock subgenres and a plethora of vocal songs. Most notable are definitely the character theme songs which represent the respective characters very well with unique styles, non-standard structures, and often experimental poetry-like lyrics containing metaphor and repetition.