I kinda stink at fighting games, and I can’t play them at all anymore due to seizures, but when this came out and the mere thought of having to press more than one button at a time WASN’T enough to kill me, I had a great time with this game. I do miss the absurd complexity of the past games in the series, and a lot of the personality from those games has been lost as well, but Arc Sys have still managed to make something pretty compelling, and they’ve added a lot to it since launch. It was the only fighting game I bought at launch so getting to be part of the initial wave of everyone figuring things out is really special to me.

A really polished fighting game.

All the systems work and feel balanced. Movement is good and each character feels nice to play (even though I mostly play Ky and Elphelt).

I do wish there were more single-player content like an actual story mode.

Guilty Gear, a series commonly known for its unique and thorough mechanics, a diverse unique cast all with interactions and lore, a vast and expansive story... all don't feel present in Guilty Gear Strive... but that really isn't a bad thing at all.

Guilty Gear Strive is a unique take on the series. Not only does it revamp or change a lot of the things that are usually present in the series, but it also completely opens up its doors for western audiences. Forever it has been stuck in a rather niche status amongst fighting games, having only Japanese voice acting and support, it changes this immensely with Strive.

Strive has a much tamer approach to Guilty Gear as a whole, everything from the mechanics of the game and the dumbing down of the combos, to having less interactions overall for the characters, to even having more relaxed themes and characterizations for the characters we all know and love. This change has, of course, sparked a lot of outrage amongst the fans of this series, and it is honestly understandable why. Its story is rather quite lack luster as opposed to its predecessors, and its dumbing down of the gameplay has left a sour note in some fans. Its character interactions are also reduced to only characters that have met or are relatively similar. All of these changes are so different for this series, yet despite this it has led on for great things as well.

This game takes on so many difference approaches, to its new and (in my opinion) improved style, to it's changed characters that are done so amazingly and are brimming with life, to even its music being almost completely all vocal tracks in a series with rare vocals. Even its community itself has changed and through this all, this series feels so different, but it is all executed so well.

Not only did this game seriously open up its doors to a new and broader audience, but it also changed and completely separated itself from its predecessors in terms of gameplay and "style", so to put it. It still is a Guilty Gear game, but it feels almost more than that now. Its characters are no longer relegated to their own small community, their music is spreading far into music circles, and its popularity and status as THE anime fighter continues to grow and exceed everyone's expectations. This game is both a work of art but also a letdown to those who come from GGX+ to GGXRD. It has a lot of potential to spread its wings and I truly hope it gets to do that, but for now, Guilty Gear Strive feels almost held back in a way.

I love this game, I love what it did to both the community and the series, and although it does have some rough spots here and there, this game overall has been an amazing site to see and an absolutely gorgeous thing to actually experience and come by.

I ended up going crazy on the keyboard, so this is a very long one LMAO:

Guilty Gear Strive is a game I used to think I hated and wasn't fit for me, but after coming back to it for a bit, I actually think it's cool!

Strive marries the high damage, over the top action and characters of previous games, with modern quality of life and polish, though it does tone some stuff down at the same time.

Gonna be using some fighting game lingo, so if you're confused by it, you might try googling "infil glossary" (https://glossary.infil.net/)

Easy stuff out of the way first:

I actually like a solid amount of the soundtrack. Call it a "guilty" pleasure if you want, but I don't mind leaving "Find your one way" on loop, or hearing some of the others.

Graphically: Compared to Xrd, I would say Strive is less sharp and less saturated, but has more detail... Both in animation and in still images. I like it, but I understand why you might prefer Xrd's aesthetic and animation. I think I do too.

Strive's tutorials and training mode functions are also excellent. The training mode functions a little behind the newer games, but not by much, and there should be mods out there to add stuff like frame data displays.

I have not tried the single player content much. It seems not worthwhile. I like the characters of Guilty Gear more for their aesthetic and interactions in fights... So I don't find myself caring much for what's happening to them in this chapter of the visual novel specifically. Not much else to do when I'm playing alone other than training and combo challenges.

Now on to gameplay (from my perspective as a not-so-good floor 10 Sol player):

Strive has slowed down air movement a bit. It's clear the game has added some lag at the start of a forward air dash, and probably shortened the travel distance a bit. The same for air momentum in general, like after dashing and doing a super jump.

Yet it's also allowed us to block out of dashes without FD, and also given us a dedicated Faultless Defense macro (not just one that presses two attack buttons for you) which makes FD braking more consistent and easy. The dash macro also benefits grounded dashing more than aerial dashing IMO.

When combined with more limited gatlings and attack cancel options, and all of the character being toned down in general, this leads to the game feeling more focused on whiff punishes, grounded footsies, and short stagger pressure. (Note: this has always been in Guilty Gear, I simply feel it's even more important now than it already was.)

When you don't have roman cancels to back up your neutral skips, you'll be relying on dash block/FD braking, and dashing into a neutral jump while you are distant from the opponent (holding FD on the way down) to gauge how your opponent keeps you away, checking any reactable whiffs using Far Slash, or using Sol's 6HS (Forward Heavy Slash).

Your best bet to catch jumping opponents is often to just stay grounded and hit them on the way down. You can't Air Dash from long range to intercept them, nor use it to jumpscare people when you play neutral.

Jumping defensively, and doing instant air dashes, is still an important part of the game though, you'll just be doing it more carefully, and it won't be as hard for opponents to catch.

Once you do get in, you can't go from your punches to your far slash or sweep, nor from kicks to far slash. your slash attacks in general also can't go into as many things... So the button you start your blockstring with is a more commital decision.

It also means you have less opportunities in your blockstring where you can threaten to stop and restart your pressure.

I think the nice way to put it is that Strive feels more "intentional". Character/Game tools can still have many uses, but it feels like those uses were all ones intended by developers, and there's less room to experiment and create your own new tricks. This is likely how the game has managed to feel a little more balanced, and polished... I do think we lost something along the way though, as previous Gear games felt like a canvas where the player could paint whatever they wanted. You might consider that a worthwhile sacrifice though depending on your preference.

Either way, the damage you can do is big, the roman cancels can do a lot for you, and offense is still the name of the game. in my opinion, character gimmicks are still present and unique, even if not as crazy as before. And the game still wears it's rock/metal influence on it's sleeve. A lot of what i associate Guilty Gear with is present. I consider Strive to still be a Guilty Gear game.