<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Two long years. It’s been two long years since Guilty Gear Strive’s original announcement at EVO 2019. Since then, news and player experiences have dramatically shaped this game, such as the outcry for <a href="https://bagogames.com/guilty-gear-strive-new-information-rollback-netcode-closed-beta/">rollback netcode</a>, <a href="https://bagogames.com/guilty-gear-strive-open-beta-first-impressions/">open betas</a>, and game balance. It just goes to show that people seem to care a lot about this upcoming venture from Arc System Works.</span></p>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Since then, it’s been a long time coming. We’re finally able to play the full version of Guilty Gear Strive. So, how does the final, finished build play? Does it have any major shortcomings? Let’s talk about our Guilty Gear Strive review and figure that out.</span></p>
<p><img class="aligncenter size-full wp-image-171259" src="https://cdn.bagogames.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/06/11105251/05-min-1.jpg" alt="" width="1920" height="1080" /></p>
<h3 style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-weight: 400;">The Offline Modes</span></h3>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Playing offline -from what I could find during the Guilty Gear Strive review process- brings you various modes that focus on the actual fighting itself more than anything. You have access to staples such as Arcade Mode (you fight against the CPU for several matches until you get a character’s ending); Local Versus (you can play against a friend sitting right next to you or the AI); and Training Mode (play alone and practice various combos, setups, etc.).</span></p>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">A lot of the game’s bulk is contained in the Mission Mode. While very much geared towards newer players, it gives you info in very clear and concise ways. It breaks down the game’s mechanics in a very detailed fashion, and covers general basics (such as super jumping, air dashing, and whiff punishing). A few of the later missions even talk about matchup tips, such as dealing with certain characters’ attacks. One of the biggest mechanical changes is one I personally liked a lot, being…</span></p>
<p><img class="aligncenter size-full wp-image-171263" src="https://cdn.bagogames.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/06/11111220/Battle_Roman-Cancel_2.jpg" alt="" width="1920" height="1080" /></p>
<h3 style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-weight: 400;">Guilty Gear Strive&#8217;s Roman Cancels</span></h3>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Roman Cancels are a system mechanic that’s had features added to it between Guilty Gear entries. For instance, in Accent Core, it was merely an animation cancel for half of your meter. However, in Xrd, it had a slowdown effect added to it. How&#8217;s it handled in Guilty Gear Strive?</span></p>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Well, you have access to four versions, for starters. Red Roman Cancels have a hitbox on them, and happen when you activate it mid-combo; Blue Roman Cancels are used in neutral more than anything, as it slows down your opponent’s movement for a second; Purple Roman Cancels behave similarly to Accent Core’s RCs, but trigger when your opponent is not in hitstun or blockstun; Finally, Yellow Roman Cancels are only activated while you’re blocking, and can poke an opponent out of their block string, akin to V-Reversals from <a href="https://bagogames.com/street-fighter-v-spring-update-oro-breakdown-roses-v-system/">Street Fighter V</a>.</span></p>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">The presence of four versions gives the player loads of tools to work with in neutral, all for the cost of half of your meter.</span></p>
<h4 style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-weight: 400;">Fishing and Items</span></h4>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Coming from previous titles like Guilty Gear Xrd and Dragon Ball FighterZ, Fishing is a mode that allows you to spend your World Dollars (abbreviated W$) to fish for various items. You can get items such as gallery pieces, cosmetics for your lobby avatar, and digital figurines. It’s all more for stylistic things.</span></p>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Another thing you can get from fishing is music from earlier games in the series. To my knowledge, all of the previous main series games are included in that rotation, as I’ve managed to obtain songs like Ride The Fire, which is Sol’s Dragon Install theme from Xrd. I haven’t obtained everything yet, but I’m curious to see if character colors will be obtainable here in a future update.</span></p>
<h3><img class="aligncenter size-full wp-image-171260" src="https://cdn.bagogames.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/06/11110148/MLL_03.jpg" alt="" width="1920" height="1080" /></h3>
<h3 style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-weight: 400;">The Extensive Training Mode of Guilty Gear Strive</span></h3>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Training Mode feels like it’s better suited for the more seasoned players of the game. On a surface level, it seems pretty barebones; you can hit the dummy, set it to be a CPU, or connect a controller to have another player take control of player two. Seems simple enough.</span></p>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">What makes it very extensive is the sheer amount of control you have over the dummy, even when playing alone. Going into the training settings, you can set tons of different features, such as immediately guarding after the first hit, setting all hits to be considered counterattacks, and even some more minute details like having Nagoriyuki’s Blood Rage state (a state where he loses access to special moves but everything else does more damage) be always active.</span></p>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">You can also record the dummy to take specific actions and replay them at the touch of a button. Using recording slots also has multiple save states which can be swapped through at any time. For instance, you can work on anti-airs from different angles by setting various recorded states to do super jumps, air dashes, dashing, and jumping. Training mode has lots of good tools for getting better at the game, almost as well as the Mission Mode.</span></p>
<p><img class="aligncenter size-full wp-image-171258" src="https://cdn.bagogames.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/06/11104422/CHP_2.jpg" alt="Guilty Gear Strive Review" width="1280" height="720" /></p>
<h3 style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-weight: 400;">Closing Thoughts</span></h3>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">While what’s here is definitely good, one might have a lingering feeling of, </span><i><span style="font-weight: 400;">“There isn’t much content here as a fighting game outside of the essentials.”</span></i><span style="font-weight: 400;"> And to be honest, that’s completely fine. What’s here is a potentially very deep and very fleshed-out fighting game that focuses mainly on the fighting and not so much a mountain of content and side missions, per se.</span></p>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">I can liken it to the game Mortal Kombat Trilogy in that regard. For those not aware, MK Trilogy is a fighting game that has much of the same lack of content that this game has, being its fighting and almost nothing else. However, behind that shallow content pool is a rather deep and mechanically sound fighting game that made up for it.</span></p>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">The difference between the two is that at that time, in the 1990s, pushing out updates for a game was significantly harder. Nowadays, it’s easier to do so, and I have faith that the game will absolutely be better with a little more time and a few more updates under the hood.</span></p>
<p>Guilty Gear Strive is available now on PlayStation 4, <a href="https://www.playstation.com/en-us/games/guilty-gear-strive/">PlayStation 5</a>, and <a href="https://store.steampowered.com/app/1384160/GUILTY_GEAR_STRIVE/">PC via Steam</a>.</p>
<p><strong>What did you think about our Guilty Gear Strive review? Did you like the game? Do you plan to play it often? Who did you like playing the most? Let us know your thoughts in the comments section below.</strong></p>
<div class="jeg_review_wrap">
 <h3 class="jeg_review_subtitle">The Review</h3>
 <h2 class="jeg_review_title">
 GUILTY GEAR -STRIVE-
 </h2>
 <div class="jeg_reviewheader clearfix">
 <div class="review_score score_good">
 <span class="score_value">8.5</span>
 <span class="score_text">Score</span>
 </div>
 <div class="desc" style=''>
 <p>Guilty Gear Strive is an excellent fighting game for those looking to get into the genre, while also having something for the more seasoned players as well. However, for those that want lots of content in a game, this might not be the right pick for them.</p>
 </div>
 </div>
 <div class="jeg_reviewdetail clearfix">
 <div class="conspros">
 <h3>PROS</h3>
 <ul><li><i class="jegicon-check"></i> The soundtrack is amazing</li><li><i class="jegicon-check"></i> Mission Mode teaches players a lot about the beginner level and advanced things the game has</li><li><i class="jegicon-check"></i> The game's visuals look top notch</li><li><i class="jegicon-check"></i> The new Roman Cancel feels amazing to use in battle</li></ul>
 </div>
 <div class="conspros">
 <h3>CONS</h3>
 <ul><li><i class="jegicon-cross"></i> The lack of content may seem a little off-putting to some</li><li><i class="jegicon-cross"></i> The starting roster could have been bigger</li></ul>
 </div>
 </div>
 <div class="jeg_reviewscore jeg_reviewbars clearfix" data-scoretype="point">
 <h3>Review Breakdown</h3>
 <ul><li>
 <strong>Overall</strong>
 <span class="reviewscore">8.5</span>
 <div class="jeg_reviewbar_wrap">
 <span style="width: 85%" class="barbg"></span>
 </div>
 </li></ul>
 </div>
 
 </div>
BagoGames > Articles > Game Reviews > PS4 Reviews > Guilty Gear Strive Review
Guilty Gear Strive Review
A solid fighter with a lack of content
- Categories: Game Reviews, PS4 Reviews, PS5 Reviews
- Tags: Arc System WorksGuilty GearGuilty Gear: StrivePlayStationPlayStation 4PlayStation 5
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