I consider myself a bit of a tourist when it comes to fighting games. I have dabbled across many different fighting franchises and achieved a fair level of competency in each one, without ever really putting in the hard yards to master any particular game. Guilty Gear -Strive-, from Arc System Works (Dragon Ball FighterZ), might just be the game to ensnare me into trying to reach a competitive level in a fighting game, because this game bloody slaps. From the striking visuals, robust and diverse character set, and rocking soundtrack to the immersive story, accessible combos, and deep tutorial systems, Guilty Gear -Strive- goes above and beyond to be both an accessible entry point for newcomers and an explosive step forward for veterans.

Guilty Gear is a series I have had a passing interest in for a while now, without ever seriously getting my feet wet. The striking cel-shaded characters, flashy special attacks, and richly diverse fighting arenas always grabbed my attention, but for one reason or another, I never committed. With the latest entry, I can firmly call myself a Guilty Gear fan.

Paired beautifully with the characters are the combat effects, which give weight and purpose to every combo or defensive burst the player pulls off. Some of the special “Overdrive” moves are some of the most visually impressive destructive techniques since Injustice 2, resulting in some truly epic arena transitions. Each character has a range of unique Overdrives that vary from demonic infernos to flurries of samurai blades to summoning a killer whale to devastate your opponent.

Sound-wise, Guilty Gear -Strive- exceeds across all fronts. The dialogue, in terms of both scripting and performance, is top tier – rivalling other Japanese video game productions and high-quality anime as well. The Japanese voice actors are spot-on for each character, and each performance is emotive and convincing across the entire gamut of game modes. The story scenes are punctuated with effective sound design that immerses the player as if they were watching a long-running anime. I can’t forget to mention the absolute banging soundtrack. Each character has their own battle theme in the Arcade and Dojo modes, and each track is a thumping riff-fest that reminds me of a blend of Rob Zombie, Dark Horse-era Nickelback, and modern metalcore bands like Miss May I.

A trip through the brief-yet-essential Missions mode taught me everything I needed to feel confident in battle and set me up for success in a very enjoyable way. Additional to this, there is a cute avatar editor and dress-up function that looks to be further implemented in online play. While I only spent a few minutes dabbling in this mode, I kind of love how my little guy turned out!

The flashy animations and smooth movements of every character is a real joy to experience and makes the moment-to-moment action feel fresh and engaging even after many hours with the game. I found combos and Overdrive moves in Guilty Gear -Strive- much simpler to execute than in other recent fighting games, and that definitely helped keep me engaged and interested in exploring the varied roster of fighters.

The other complaint I have is the lack of variety in both narration and character dialogue in Arcade mode. Initially, there are some cool interactions at the start of each fighter’s run, but once you’ve completed a few matches you really have seen it all. There is also a small introduction before each encounter, which never changes; “Mankind knew that they cannot change society, so instead of reflecting on themselves, they blamed the beasts. Heaven or Hell”. A cool line to be sure, but after the 30th time hearing it, I was ready for some variance.