Before I get into things, I must say that this release is somewhat of a big deal, due to how it took around 12 years to get another Guilty Gear on a Nintendo console. The last and only games released on Nintendo hardware were Guilty Gear Accent Core Plus on the Nintendo Wii and Dust Strikers on the original DS. Before, as a fan of the series and as a Nintendo owner I could only see from the distance whenever Arc System works released games from the series on other platforms. Now however, I am able to play two games, one of them being the one that completely redefined 2D fighting games the Original Guilty Gear and the other being the best version of Guilty Gear.
First, let me talk about the one that started it all. When it comes to the original GG, I must say that for all the hardware limitations at the time of the original release, this game feels really solid and fast-paced. The artwork is so well done as you can see in the pic above, and this game introduced some interesting mechanics as well which set the standard on 2D anime fighters. With a modest 10 character roster( with 3 secret characters to unlock ) GG included mechanics that are a staple now like air dashes and the “dust” mechanic( a hard but slow hit that propels opponent into the air and allows you to then follow up with some really cool air combos) . This was also the first game that used “install” supers like Sol’s Dragon Install (this game is why supers that power up your character are commonly called installs.)
The basic two out of three round fights are here, however, GG adds another mechanic that can turn the tide of the match in the blink of an eye: The Destroy mechanic. If you are able to hit your opponent with that attack. then the fight ends with no more round two. I really like how its implemented here in this game where it acts as a counter of sorts, however, if your opponent activates the Destroy you can cancel it and do yours instead. This is really fun because you need to be quick unless you want to lose the match. Another mechanic I see here that I like is that each character has one move that can be powered up to level 3, dealing insane damage. While it doesn’t have online play and the secret characters are only available in versus mode, GG still has a lot to offer even by today’s standards.
The gameplay has been revamped here; this includes some original mechanics that were modified to make them more viable. For instance, the Destroy Mechanic, after your tension gauge is full and in a golden color (gauge for supers) if you press the 4 attack buttons it will make your character glow red and put them in the destroyer state. The gauge depletes slowly so you need to input the command for the destroy attack before the gauge depletes completely, and if it hits you know the drill, you win simple as that. However, if your opponent blocks, or dodges the attack you lose the ability to do any supers for the rest of that round. This is a great mechanic and it reduces the spamming of destroy moves, so it’s like a double-edged sword. The game features other modes as well like a score attack mode, M.O.M, which is a comprehensive and well-done survival mode, and a revamped online mode. So far online mode is where my experience is kind of lacking, which is sad, since the game’s released I’ve religiously checked for ranked and casual matches and so far there hasn’t been any. It’s a real shame cause this game begs to be played in online matches to show the fruits of your time in training mode, but I hope that the online crowd increases because this is the definitive GG package.
Bottom Line Guilty Gear is a series that redefined 2D fighting and has managed to stand the test of time. It continues to gain fans and keep itself relevant for fighting game enthusiasts, which is hard to do. I definitely recommend it as it has tons of content to keep you occupied and coming back for more
A Review Code was provided for this review.