GUILTY GEAR
- May 15, 2019
- Microsoft Research
- 9h median play time
Get on Steam"Guilty Gear" is a fast-paced fighting game set in the 22nd century, where synthetic beings known as "gears" exist. The game's story revolves around a tournament organized by the Sacred Order to find a worthy hunter of the renegade gear, Justice, who has recently broken free from prison. Players take control of various characters, including the enigmatic Sol Badguy and the skilled knight Ky Kiske, to compete in the tournament and uncover its secrets. The winner is granted any wish, making the stakes higher than ever.
Nintendo Switch
PC
Playstation 4
Windows
PlayStation
Reviews
- The game has a fantastic soundtrack that enhances the overall experience.
- Despite its flaws, the game is surprisingly fun and offers a unique chaotic experience.
- It serves as a nostalgic trip for long-time fans of the series, showcasing the origins of Guilty Gear.
- The game is notoriously unbalanced, with many characters having infinite combos and unfair mechanics.
- The AI is frustratingly difficult, often spamming instant kills and making the game feel cheap.
- There is no online multiplayer, and the controls can be clunky, making it hard for newcomers to enjoy.
- gameplay43 mentions
- 19 % positive mentions
- 72 % neutral mentions
- 9 % negative mentions
The gameplay of this title is characterized by a mix of fast-paced action and controversial mechanics, such as the instant kill feature, which many players find frustrating and unbalanced. While the core controls are generally tight and enjoyable, the game suffers from significant balance issues and a steep difficulty curve, particularly in arcade mode. Despite its flaws, players appreciate the chaotic fun and the opportunity to explore various mechanics, making it a potentially entertaining experience for dedicated fighting game fans.
“The gameplay is surprisingly fluid for a two-decade-old game.”
“This game kickstarted anime fighters with its cool visuals, awesome soundtrack, and fast-paced gameplay.”
“Gameplay-wise, the game was solid, featuring ten original characters at the beginning and three unlockable ones, flashy movesets, and a decided focus on fast and smooth gameplay.”
“The instant kill mechanic in this game may be the stupidest thing I've ever seen in a fighting game; just play the other Guilty Gear games and skip this one.”
“Balance was never considered; the AI makes me want to eat a cactus, and the instant kill mechanic made me instantly kill a controller.”
“Absolutely busted mechanics, both intentional and unintentional, such as instant kills winning you the entire match and being easy to pull off, charging specials that let you charge cancel to go into infinites, and character balance being all out of whack.”
- music25 mentions
- 80 % positive mentions
- 8 % neutral mentions
- 12 % negative mentions
The music in the game is widely praised for its high-octane rock soundtrack, which perfectly complements the fast-paced gameplay and intense battles, showcasing the talent of composer Daisuke Ishiwatari. While the original soundtracks (OSTs) are considered phenomenal and a standout feature, some players note that the sound effects and voices can be overshadowed by the music due to a lack of volume options. Overall, the soundtrack is a significant highlight, making it a must-listen for fans of the franchise and fighting games alike.
“The music is high octane rock, perfect for the adrenaline in the fast-paced fights.”
“The soundtrack is phenomenal, the gameplay holds up incredibly well, and just about everything was thoroughly enjoyable.”
“It introduced a hard rock soundtrack that was actually good and still stands out nowadays!”
“The Guilty Gear series is about the gameplay first, music and visuals second, and story last.”
“Guilty Gear is an anime fighting game that has a darker atmosphere to it, aside from the cartoony art style and heavy metal music.”
“There is no way to turn off the music.”
- story24 mentions
- 17 % positive mentions
- 71 % neutral mentions
- 13 % negative mentions
The story in this game is minimal and primarily appeals to hardcore fans of the Guilty Gear series, with much of the lore and character backstories available through external resources like the official website and manga. While the arcade mode features well-written dialogues and character endings, it lacks comprehensive context, making it less accessible for newcomers. Overall, the narrative is engaging for dedicated players but may leave others wanting more depth and clarity.
“The lore is amazing, awesome dialogues, beautiful scenarios, cool characters... you can also see about the story of Guilty Gear on their official website (they even have a free manga of it) or watch it on YouTube, but anyway...”
“I really liked how well written the story is for its genre, and this is a pretty big showcase of Daisuke Ishiwatari's skills as a game developer.”
“While not a good starting point for the series, I would highly recommend giving the game a shot despite its flaws if you feel invested in the franchise and have completed the other games while thirsting for more story.”
“The story is also barely there, so unless you are a die-hard fighting game/Guilty Gear fan, I cannot recommend this game.”
“The Guilty Gear series is about the gameplay first, music and visuals second, and story last.”
“Sadly, this game struggles with a problem lots of old games have, where the story and some game mechanics are only properly explained in the manual, which the digital port does not have.”
- graphics18 mentions
- 22 % positive mentions
- 61 % neutral mentions
- 17 % negative mentions
The graphics of the game are characterized by a unique and stylish aesthetic, with cool character designs and vibrant backgrounds that reflect a blend of anime-inspired art and a darker atmosphere. While some reviews note that the visuals may appear dim or low-resolution by modern standards, they still hold a nostalgic charm and showcase the effort put into the game's artistic elements. Overall, the pixel art and visual style are praised for their distinctiveness, contributing to the game's identity within the fighting genre.
“Everything about it is so stylish; the aesthetics and character designs are so cool.”
“The artwork is cool as heck, and you can tell how much effort they put into the game just by looking at the cool intro animation the final boss has.”
“Graphics: the pixel art holds up very well for both characters and the backgrounds.”
“Think of any other Guilty Gear game, but the visuals, sound effects, and mechanics are all bitcrushed to all hell.”
“When it comes to its visuals, the game may look somewhat dimly colored and low resolution nowadays.”
“The gameplay is clunky and the graphics are chunky in this faithful PS1 port.”
- humor9 mentions
- 100 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 0 % negative mentions
The humor in the game is described as both amusing and absurd, with players finding enjoyment in its broken mechanics and the chaotic nature of gameplay, especially when playing with friends. While some appreciate the comedic value of the instant kill system, others feel that the humor doesn't translate well in a competitive fighting game context. Overall, the game is seen as a "funny broken kusoge" that can provide laughs despite its flaws.
“It's really funny to play with friends.”
“This game is hilariously broken, but very easy to understand and complete, especially for a Guilty Gear game.”
“Buy it if you want to play a funny broken kusoge.”
- character development3 mentions
- 100 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 0 % negative mentions
The character development in the game is praised for its stylish aesthetics and impressive designs, showcasing the talent of Daisuke Ishiwatari in creating memorable characters and a captivating soundtrack. While the focus is on visual and auditory appeal, the depth of character development itself is not explicitly highlighted in the reviews.
“Everything about it is so stylish; the aesthetics and character designs are so cool.”
“It is a game that showcases great effort in its art, character design, sprites, and music.”
“This game proves that Daisuke Ishiwatari had talent to spare even all those years ago, with character designs, conceptual artwork, soundtrack, and even the main character's voice all being his!”
- atmosphere2 mentions
- 0 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 100 % negative mentions
The atmosphere of Guilty Gear is characterized by a dark and pessimistic tone, which stands out in contrast to its cartoony art style and heavy metal soundtrack. This unique blend creates a compelling ambiance that some players feel is lacking in the later series.
“Of all the things I love the most is its dark and pessimistic atmosphere, something that's missing in its later series.”
“Guilty Gear is an anime fighting game that has a darker atmosphere to it, aside from the cartoony art style and heavy metal music.”
- emotional1 mentions
- 100 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 0 % negative mentions
The emotional aspect of the game is characterized by a sense of frustration and despair, with players feeling overwhelmed by its unfair mechanics and the perceived ineffectiveness of certain elements, leading to strong feelings of sadness and hopelessness.
- optimization1 mentions
- 0 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 100 % negative mentions
The optimization of the game is seen as a necessary compromise to achieve smooth animations, camera zoom, and flashy special effects, particularly on a console that struggles with 2D games. Overall, while the performance is reasonably smooth, it comes at the cost of some limitations.
“But this was unavoidable in order to allow smooth animations, zoom-in camera, and flashy special effects to perform at a reasonably smooth performance on a console that wasn't all that good at handling 2D games in the first place.”
