Guilty Gear -Strive- Reviews
Guilty Gear -Strive- doesn't trend far from the beloved franchise roots while still showing some new elements with a new skin of beautiful visuals and great soundtracks, there's also great online functions and a good story that missed the chance to make it playable, the gameplay is still fun like we remember but could have been better if it was more responsive and less static
Review in Arabic | Read full review
Guilty Gear -Strive- is the premier fighting game for the next generation of gaming. At launch, the experience feels complete with an in-depth single-player, robust multiplayer, and plenty of great extras. It has, without a doubt, the best 2.5D graphics featuring unreal fluidity in its animation. The gameplay is superbly refined and engaging, featuring a roster of imaginative characters with uniquely contrasting fighting styles. What once was an obscure fighting game has now become a genre leader, like a small-town rock band selling out stadiums.
If you’re new to the Guilty Gear series, there isn’t a better place to start than -Strive-. If you’re a returning veteran, enough has changed to keep things feeling fresh, but I have a feeling you’ll be up to speed in no time. While definitely complex and at times a bit intimidating, it does a fantastic job of initiating players. Guilty Gear -Strive- never holds back. If you remotely enjoy fighting games, this is a stunner you shouldn’t miss.
Guilty Gear Strive is an overall excellent package with a few bumps, but nothing to derail it off the tracks. Many consider this the first true next gen fighting game for the 9th generation of consoles. By all accounts then, things are off to a fantastic start.
When all is said and done, Guilty Gear -Strive- offers a bit of everything for fighting game fans. It’s not perfect by any means, but it’s full of style and that heavy metal spirit that will rock your socks off. Gameplay packs a mean punch while delivering rocking tunes to your ears. The visuals maintain the Ars System Works quality while also delivering fantastic new designs for the great cast of characters.
Guilty Gear -Strive- is a fantastic anime fighting game with excellent presentation and some of the best online around. The story is gripping and I found myself approaching it more like an anime. It doesn’t feel like a tacked-on mode for a fighting game. That said, it’s not all positive. It feels like the complete package, but be it a change of the times or a need to push a Season Pass, it feels quite lacking compared to some of the previous games. It’s a shame. The core product is some of the most fun I’ve ever personally had with the series. That said, the amount of content, care, and the eclectic roster within the previous XRD games makes me favor them. For newcomers though there has never been a better title to get you acclimatized to the weird and wacky world of Sol Badguy and friends.
Guilty Gear Strive is an awesome game, simply put.
Even if the game's full package is still missing a few things, you can't go wrong with this generation's new anime fighting game title. If you're new to fighting games, Guilty Gear Strive is a must-play.
Guilty Gear Strive looks absolutely stunning and feels great to play, with the slick ‘easy to learn, difficult to master’ combat perfect for both newbies and series veterans. The only thing that really lets the game down is a lack of meat on its bones as far as single player modes are concerned, with the Arcade Mode lacking depth and the Story Mode offering no gameplay at all. Those who are looking forward to competitive play will be happy to see that the netcode is solid throughout though, whilst the online lobbies can actually be pretty charming – even if the cutesy avatars won’t be for everyone. Overall, it’s just a really impressive fighting package and one that I’m looking forward to coming back to for more brutal beatdowns in the future.
One could perhaps fault the roster size or number of modes Guilty Gear -Strive- brings to the table, but this is a case of quality over quantity and to that end the title excels. As a long-standing fan of fighting games, I can confidently say that Guilty Gear -Strive- is my current favorite in the genre. The presentation is excellent all of the way around, the characters are nicely varied, the combat is fluid and most of all it is just a great deal of fun to play.
With great music, easy-to-get-used gameplay, movie-like storylines that take up to 4 hours, and the excellent online fighting system, Guilty Gear (STRIVE) is a game I can recommend to everyone.
Review in Turkish | Read full review
Even when veterans are fighting over balance and gameplay mechanic discussions or even the best song in the soundtrack of the game, Guilty Gear -STRIVE- is easily recommendable. It is a lot of fun to fight against each other to this amazing heavy metal tracks and the design decisions play very well together, except for the online lobby. There are also five new characters on the the horizon with Season Pass 1 and if the fighting game community gives this game a chance it could get a spot at the top.
Review in German | Read full review
Guilty Gear Strive is set to change the game, by pushing through the conventional combat archetype that has been dominated by associated fighter’s within the category. Setting a precipice for its future by teasing a cavalcade of collectibles and the additional combat pack, Strive is set to be seen in the spotlight for a lengthy period in our current gaming climate.
Guilty Gear Strive is an absolute example of everything that fighting games should offer as a base. Good template, good online game, good tutorials. A few more things and it would be a practically perfect game within the genre. Hopefully more like him.
Review in Spanish | Read full review
The long running series has always faced challenges in improving the game itself while trying to keep its fan base intact. Once again, this ‘new Guilty Gear’ comes with enhanced graphics and overall upgraded gameplay mechanics. While they could have kept most of their old system and only focused on the visuals, their efforts in trying to make the best outcome in every detail is worth the praise. Specifically, the ‘hardcore player’ barrier has become less strict in difficulty, in comparison to their predecessor which would easily allow newcomers to the existing fighting game community. The 15 playable characters may not seem much but their continuous development and evolution in the near future is something we can positively bet on for better updates to come.
Review in Korean | Read full review
At the end of the day, Guilty Gear -STRIVE- is a very solid title. The game looks and plays fantastic. The artwork and overall aesthetics here are the best I’ve ever seen. I don’t know if Arc System Works really made this game more accessible to non-fighting game fans, but they did simplify things a bit. I still feel like in order to really enjoy this one, you’d have to get used to all of the advanced mechanics the game has to offer to play with online competitors, since there are very few options for players to enjoy offline. There is a very basic Arcade Mode, Training, Survival and, of course, the anime Story Mode. The Online Versus Mode is where this one really shines, and they have done a great job making it work for players of all skill levels. While I think the lack of some single player modes and the smaller roster holds this back a bit, it’s still one of the best anime fighters I’ve played.
Overall Guilty Gear Strive is a great game. Arc System Works really took the time to create a tight and refined fighter that is only complemented by a rock-solid online component. For a game series over twenty years old, Strive is the most accessible in the series for newcomers by far, and if you never have played a fighter but think this one looks neat then by all means jump in. There is a lack of single-player options and the lobbies can feel clunky and tedious but, once you’re in the heat of a match, these issues simply melt away.
Guilty Gear -Strive- may have raised some doubts about how good it would be, given some problems along the way, but it came to establish itself, not only as an excellent fighting game, but also one of the most important franchises of the genre. The game manages to be technical, inclusive and addictive, allowing anyone, with due effort, to become great players and fans of the series.
Review in Portuguese | Read full review