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. 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.
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.
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.įor 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. 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. 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. 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. 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. 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.
The roster of playable characters is very diverse, with all characters being distinct from one another and offering unique playstyles. 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. 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. 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.Īs 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. 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.
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. Reviews // 11th Dec 2021 - 1 day ago // By Gorzagorz GUILTY GEAR -STRIVE- Review