When people think of developers who make fighting games, off the top of their heads people tend to think of Capcom (Street Fighter), Bandai Namco (Tekken), Midway/Nether Realm Studios (Mortal Kombat) and SNK (King of Fighters). When people think of anime fighters, one name always pops up and that’s Arc System Works. Arc System Works is celebration its 30th anniversary this year and what better way to kick off festivities than releasing the game that made them a name in fighting game circles, Guilty Gear on the Nintendo Switch.
Let’s Rock
Fighting still solid- The Guilty Gear series has always had the reputation of being an easy game for beginners to pick up, yet complex enough for seasoned pros to master. And after twenty plus years after its release, the original Guilty Gear still holds up. The fighting system is just as solid as the day it was release. From counters and reversals to combos and special moves everything is solid.
Still holds up- There are a few fighting games that were released in the 90’s that still hold up today, and Guilty Gear is one of those games. Everything still holds up from the fighting mechanics and sprite art to the the music, Guilty Gear oozed style back when it was released and still does today. Even better, there are no load times.
Music still rocks- The Guilty Gear always has an awesome rock based soundtrack and it all started with the first Guilty Gear. Guilty Gear’s soundtrack was the first time I heard classical instruments being played along side electric guitars. To this day Sol Badguy’s theme “Keep Yourself Alive” has always been my favorite theme in the series.
Budget priced- Most re-releases that are older games, are not remasters and do not have a physical version of said game are usually priced at $30 to $40, the “budget” price for Switch games. Guilty Gear however isn’t “budget” priced as Switch owners can get the game for a really low price of $9.99. This is a pretty fair price concidering that it’s an older game and doesn’t have online play. Speaking of online….
Rusted Gear
No online- With most games that get re-releases, they usually have online multiplayer added in. While that may be the case often those re-releases are either HD ports or remasters/remakes. This version of Guilty Gear is just a straight port of the original PlayStation game, so no extra modern features. This isn’t really a deal breaker for me personally, but if a couple of the Street Fighter II games from the 30th anniversary collection can have online added in, then Guilty Gear should have too. Again not a deal breaker just more of an observation.
To think that not only has it been 20 plus years since the release of Guilty Gear but that Arc System Works has been around for about 30 years. And while most games don’t hold up very well, Guilty Gear surprisingly does. The fighting is solid, the music rocking, and all at a budget prices of $9.99. The only small detail that’s missing is being able to play online. Most fighting games that came out around the same time as Guilty Gear and have been re-released in the last few years all have the ability to play online. Even so that doesn’t take away from how awesome the game plays even to this day. If you’re looking for a throw back fighter that isn’t Street Fighter II or some variation of it, then Guilty Gear is a great pick up.
