Guilty Gear Xrd -SIGN- review

Hey you. Yes, you are staring at the screen. I see you there, thinking you’re pretty good at fighting games because you’ve played Street Fighter II once. Or maybe you beat all your friends in Soul Calibur.

Well, this isn’t your grandfather’s fighting game. Guilty Gear Xrd -SIGN- is the fifth installment of the Guilty Gear franchise, which brings the legendary series into the modern era with full 3D graphics. With this 2014 iteration, Arc System Works has proven itself as the king of anime fighting games. If you are a fighting game fan, you owe it to yourself to play this game. If not, consider lowering the volume a few notches from eleven.

Guilty Gear Xrd -SIGN- splits off the pack with ball-to-wall action, flashy combos that last around a million years, more mechanics than you can shake a fighting stick, and a sleek presentation that’s embodied by anime.

Beatdown rhythm

If you come from a more traditional fighter background with games like Mortal Kombat, the anime genre might surprise you. In a traditional game like Street Fighter, the air is a dangerous place. Without the ability to block after the jump, the enemy can wait and punish any fool who dares to enter their airspace.

Conversely, anime games spread their wings and take flight. Super jumps, airdashes, and double jumps allow players to confuse their approach and perform aerial combos until the cows return home. If you find yourself stuck in one of these combos, an explosion will interrupt the other player’s beating. Explosions act like a card to get out of jail during a combo. Be careful though, as experienced players can anticipate and counter a blowout.

Fight

Guilty Gear adds some of its own to these well-established mechanics, with a long list of options like flawless defense, blitz shielding, blind-angle attacks, and Roman undoes to give players a tool in any situation. While this seems like a lot of information to handle, the game’s in-depth tutorials offer players a way to learn. You will soon understand the unique mechanics and intricate ballet (more precisely, the rock opera) that is Guilty Gear.

Guilty Gear interpreters

In Street Fighter, characters such as Ryu, Guile or Sagat have similar moves, relying on bullets and powerful anti-aircraft to control space. In Guilty Gear, no two characters are even remotely alike. Each fighter packs an insane amount of depth, diversity and nuance that rewards persistent players for learning the ins and outs of their character.

If that sounds intimidating to you, don’t worry, as each character shares the same basic combo as the gatling. Gatling combos work by chaining a series of attacks ranging from the lightest to the heaviest hit. Once you find a fighter who talks to you, character tutorials and trail combos make exploring their individuality a breeze.

There is no greater satisfaction than finally getting that insanely difficult combo in a real game, or using a seldom seen tool of your character to open your opponent like a can of Pringles.

Play alone

If competitive play isn’t your thing, Guilty Gear Xrd -SIGN- offers a wide variety of single player content. Story mode feels like a TV show, with a dubbed story that expands the Guilty Gear lore. Episode mode offers detailed information on each character’s individual story, with cutscenes shedding light on their background.

If you are looking for a fight, the arcade mode allows players to customize the difficulty of the AI ​​opponents and the MOM mode takes players through a series of battles with a progression system used to upgrade your character. Even if you don’t feel ready to take on live opponents, casual gamers will find it useful to play alone.

Spectacular graphics

The screenshots do not do this game justice. Do yourself a favor and watch some gameplay, especially from two high-level players. Guilty Gear Xrd is the pinnacle of fighting game animation, using a revolutionary art style that maintains the sharpness of pixel-animated 2D fighters while allowing the freedom to rotate the camera around a 3D model.

3D fighting games on a 2D plane like NetherRealm Studios’ Injustice generally lack the clarity of hand-animated sprites. On the other hand, games like BlazBlue can’t reach the same level of intensity when it comes to super moves. Guilty Gear brings the best of both worlds, resulting in an experience that feels like playing over-the-top combat from an anime.

Final verdict

If you like fighting games, rock-‘n’-roll and anime, Guilty Gear Xrd is a must-play game. With rock solid gameplay, stunning graphics, headbanging music, and incredible depth of single player content, there is something for everyone to enjoy.

To take advantage of all that Guilty Gear Xrd has to offer, be sure to pick up the -REVELATOR- update and the subsequent REV 2 DLC. This increases the character count up to 25 and features active multiplayer. Whether you’re a veteran or a new fighting game, Guilty Gear’s tough action and radical style will have you screaming for an encore.