Admittedly, I've never been a fan of the fighting game genre. Sure, a few stand-outs exist such as the original Mortal Kombat, Tekken, and Them's Fightin' Herds, though all of them only ever held my attention long enough for one or (at the most) two playthroughs. With that said, I've always been aware of the Guilty Gear franchise, though I've never spent any time with it. Mostly due to the stigma of far too complicated mechanics and deep dive learning curve. Thankfully, as an act from the fighting game genre gods, Guilty Gear Strive made its way onto my system, and golly, what an act of kindness it has been. Allow me the time to explain to you why that is.



If you are into complex fighting mechanics and pinpoint controls, Guilty Gear Strive has a plethora of spoils in store for you. If you like more simplistic fighting games, developer Arc System Works has you covered. Traditionally, Guilty Gear has been a difficult fighting game to get into due to its complex systems, especially combos. With Strive, the complexity has been addressed to be more appealing (and accessible) to newcomers while satisfying the die-hard fans at the same time.

With Strive, the complexity has been addressed to be more appealing (and accessible) to newcomers...

The Tension bar, counters, and specials are all still present, though you can bypass them all and still have an enjoyable time with the game. The training mode, or mission mode as called here, starts simple enough with basic mechanics. Later, however, it ramps up the content, even going as far as to teach you how to deal with pesky character moves. It might sound redundant, but wait till you get to deal with such irritating character moves while playing online (looking at you May, friend of dolphins, and Leo, abuser of crosses). The start is slow, but the ultimate payoff of mission mode is worth it.



Speaking of, the lobby system is, well, not that good. The standard lobby functions exist here: customizable avatar, emotes, walkabouts, and checking on matches. What makes it a bit aggravating is the fact that it feels more like a micromanagement system than a fun lobby. That's not to say the entire online component of the game is a swing and a miss. On the technical side of things, the netcode for Guilty Gear Strive is amazing. Running on a 50mbps ethernet fiber connection, I had little to no downtime or "hangs" while duking it out online. For South African players, this is a huge deal, as our internet may or may not be on the level of other countries.



A solid combat system will be nothing without a decent cast of characters. I'm extremely happy to report that Strive shines in this department. The roster consists of 15 fighters, mixed between long-standing franchise favorites, returning fighters, and two brand new fighters named Nagobiyuki and Giovanna. The total of 15 fighters might not sound like much by 2021 standards, but each fighter plays vastly different from each other, so much so, that the quality far outweighs the quantity.



On the topic of characters, rarely will you witness a cast of characters with such diverse and unique designs. From a hulking "robot" to a guitar-wielding musician, Strive offers something for anyone's fancy. I have no doubt season passes or future versions of the game will add even more fighters - and for the first time - I'm genuinely excited about the thought of an expanding roster. The mind runs rampant pondering all the possible characters they can add, be they from past titles or entirely new creations. No doubt Arc System Works will deliver a stellar deal.

...rarely will you witness a cast of characters with such diverse and unique designs.

A shortfall for new players to the franchise, but probably a massive win for the veteran, is Strive's story. It stretches over seven games and multiple spin-offs, each building on top of the other. As you can imagine, these numerous titles have created a robust and complex overarching story. If you have the time and patience, Strive has a massive glossary of past events. I'm talking page upon page upon page of information, all available for players to soak up (complete with correlation charts and timelines). Complications aside, where Guilty Gear Strive shines is in how it presents its story. Here you'll find no unnecessary fights between characters, just an enjoyable anime to binge on as you absorb the story and its colorful cast of characters.



Blanketing all of the above-mentioned points is the gorgeous signature Arc System Works 2D animation style. Without a shadow of a doubt, Guilty Gear Strive is by far the most beautiful of all of Arc System Works titles. The amount of detail on each character, environment, and background is simply astounding. That's not even touching on the actual characters, their moves, designs, and animations. Though the game does bombard you with style and flair, all the eye strain is most definitely worth it.

Without a shadow of a doubt, Guilty Gear Strive is by far the most beautiful of all of Arc System Works titles.

Paired with gorgeous visuals is the hard rock soundtrack. Bobbing your head or throwing in a stylish headbang now and again proved to be more now than then while playing Strive. A unique feature for those craving tracks of past Guilty Gear titles is the fishing game. Yes, "actual" fishing in a fighting game. You spend in-game currency to fish up old tracks to listen to.



Guilty Gear as a series has long been overlooked as a veterans playground, rife with complex mechanics and a too steep learning curve. Guilty Gear Strive, on the other hand, brings everything and more to the table, making it an accessible starting point for players wanting to jump into the series for the first time. Gorgeous visuals, a banger soundtrack, unique characters, solid fighting mechanics, and a solid online component all form a neat package ready to be devoured.

*PC Review code provided by Bandai Namco Entertainment