Though I've played, and owned most of the other Guilty Gear games I've never, before now, played the original release. I knew it was released on the original PlayStation console, and that the series never really caught on big until later on. Having the chance to experience It though I've gained a new appreciation for the advancements in tech the newer series releases made in the way of in-game mechanics. Though the original Guilty Gear does harbor at least some hints of the series direction taken by Arc System Works in the way of design it is not the perfected fighter that is Revelator/2, or Xrd SIGN. It has it's flaws, and a unique, but never again used Chaos Gauge that was kind of abusive. In the right hands, and with the right character the gauge could be filled multiple times quickly, and the action mechanics used in rapid succession without much pause. There's that, and the Insta-Kills that can be done in the first round ending all rounds thereafter. Before I get too far ahead of myself though I will say that for the asking price of $9.99 it's not a bad deal, regardless. Gameplay maintains a smooth experience across a couple modes of play, and one that offers a bit of an origin story for those looking to see where it all began. With 10 classic characters, and the presence of one that was never seen in such a way again it is truly something to behold, especially for fans of the series and the studio.
Guilty Gear, the game that started it all for the series to be, is a modest, but fairly tech heavy entry for it's time. A time when the most tech heavy fighters were that of KOF, and Street Fighter. A feat of game development not so easily achieved back in the day. Having gone back, and played it as it once was myself on the Nintendo Switch via a decently adapted port I was allowed to see just how much it had in common with later releases, and to be honest there's quite a bit in common. Characters being one such common factor. Starring in the initial roster are 10 fan favorites including Sol Badguy, Ky Kiskey, May, Millia Rage, Potemkin, Kliff Undersn, Axl Low, Dr.Baldhead (aka, Faust w/o bag), Chipp Zanuff, and one other I can't recall. In their separate paths the key characters face off in a fake tournament hosted by Testament. Testament being the main scythe wielding antagonist with a sole motive of resurrecting Justice. A sort of Gears weapon later explained away in Guilty Gear lore.
The Gameplay ...
As one of the characters, and through normal mode and local versus you will find that the game does good to showcase commands without needing to reference a command list. Before each match most of the characters' specials are shown in old arcade cabinet style fashion underneath a character avatar. While it doesn't include everything the game also does good to feature a help menu tutorial guide where you'll learn all about the Chaos Gauge, and it's functions. That, and a command list. You'll find that by building the Chaos Gauge in the OG Guilty Gear through attacks and defenses it affords your character the ability to perform a faultless defense to negate chip damage as well as Overdrive specials that are basically souped up combos that can can be utilized for flashy damage. Along with those options comes the Insta-Kill which seems to unfairly allow said finisher to end a complete match on the first round under certain circumstances when the requirements are met. I had it happen to me a few times when playing against the CPU in normal mode. Another technical mechanic included is a quick recovery option when downed. While all the tech we've come to appreciate from other entries are not present here do note that I didn't detail a few, but there's enough to tinker with, and have some of those flashy signature Arc System Works fights with.
The Modes ...
In total there are three modes of play including tweakable option menu options. You have the normal mode which pits you against fairly much the whole roster of characters, and finally the boss fight against Testament. The matches are two rounds with each player having the multi-layered life bars Guilty Gear fans will be accustomed to. Depleting both bars of health on the opposing player will win you a round while losing said amount of life will lose you a round. Of course, for whatever reason, Insta-Kills seem to fast track match completion winning whoever can pull it off both round victories if it is performed in the first round. Ultimately to win you will have to maintain a proper defense, and utilize your Chaos Gauge in the most efficient way to maximize damage output.
Along with the normal single player mode comes a local only versus where you, and a friend/s can battle it out in real time to see which one of you has true skill. Character selection, and stage selection are made available in versus for your choosing. Should you need to train against a motionless or specifically action tailored dummy opponent beforehand you can do that as well in the game's "Training Mode". The training mode in Guilty gear is not that indifferent from other modern fighters in that it has character, and mechanics parameters that can be set to your liking to make your practice session as simple or difficult as you deem fit. It's also a good way to learn characters' move sets, and practice combos.
The Presentation ...
Surprisingly Guilty Gears presentation isn't too far off from the modern product. It does have that earlier pixel construction, but it holds it's own in a fashion most later Guilty Gear fans will be familiar with. Even the stages are reminiscent of later Guilty Gear game entries, albeit different in their own unique ways. Mostly character themed. Things like the starting fight message are also a lot alike in comparison to the "Heaven or Hell" messages we've grown accustom to as fans. You can definitely see that what came later on was built upon, and improved upon in regards to these older ideas, and the implementation thereof. While there's not a lot to the original Guilty Gear it is ported quite respectfully to the Nintendo Switch as well. Screen size is made tolerable by border images, and the visuals themselves are made graphically impressive even on such newer hardware. There seems to be no crippling frame rate issues, and gameplay feels as smooth as butter. Be warned though this game literally throws in some flashes on Chaos Gauge mechanics usage making it a no go for people with a family history of seizures or epilepsy.
The Verdict ...
Getting to have some quality time with this very first entry of guilty Gear was a treat. It was interesting seeing what the rest of the series was inspired by. Thankfully Arc System Works didn't give up on the franchise, and chose to not only flesh it out more, but also perfect it for newer fighting game players. For me Guilty Gear has been my favorite fighting game of this type for years. The rocking soundtrack, the wacky and unusual character design, and the tech heavy mechanics all came together in such a way as to be wholly impressive. Even with me being a guy who started of rather simple with the Street Fighter series I saw the potential this series had going forward. My only hope is that this game, and the next one I am to review sell enough units, and gain enough attention from the community as to pave the way for the next Guilty Gear entry. Something that builds upon, but maintains series integrity without adopting the casual eSports focus. In closing I will say this ... For the price Guilty Gear on the NS is not a bad deal. That being said it's not the best entry in the series. I'd suggest it more to fans of Guilty Gear who want a more complete collection, and who want to see where it all began. Also be aware that joycon/DPad play is pretty bad, and that playing in docked mode with a wired controller or fightstick is the best alternative. If that's alright by you then do not pass this fighter up!
Guilty Gear, the game that started it all for the series to be, is a modest, but fairly tech heavy entry for it's time. A time when the most tech heavy fighters were that of KOF, and Street Fighter. A feat of game development not so easily achieved back in the day. Having gone back, and played it as it once was myself on the Nintendo Switch via a decently adapted port I was allowed to see just how much it had in common with later releases, and to be honest there's quite a bit in common. Characters being one such common factor. Starring in the initial roster are 10 fan favorites including Sol Badguy, Ky Kiskey, May, Millia Rage, Potemkin, Kliff Undersn, Axl Low, Dr.Baldhead (aka, Faust w/o bag), Chipp Zanuff, and one other I can't recall. In their separate paths the key characters face off in a fake tournament hosted by Testament. Testament being the main scythe wielding antagonist with a sole motive of resurrecting Justice. A sort of Gears weapon later explained away in Guilty Gear lore.
The Gameplay ...
As one of the characters, and through normal mode and local versus you will find that the game does good to showcase commands without needing to reference a command list. Before each match most of the characters' specials are shown in old arcade cabinet style fashion underneath a character avatar. While it doesn't include everything the game also does good to feature a help menu tutorial guide where you'll learn all about the Chaos Gauge, and it's functions. That, and a command list. You'll find that by building the Chaos Gauge in the OG Guilty Gear through attacks and defenses it affords your character the ability to perform a faultless defense to negate chip damage as well as Overdrive specials that are basically souped up combos that can can be utilized for flashy damage. Along with those options comes the Insta-Kill which seems to unfairly allow said finisher to end a complete match on the first round under certain circumstances when the requirements are met. I had it happen to me a few times when playing against the CPU in normal mode. Another technical mechanic included is a quick recovery option when downed. While all the tech we've come to appreciate from other entries are not present here do note that I didn't detail a few, but there's enough to tinker with, and have some of those flashy signature Arc System Works fights with.
The Modes ...
In total there are three modes of play including tweakable option menu options. You have the normal mode which pits you against fairly much the whole roster of characters, and finally the boss fight against Testament. The matches are two rounds with each player having the multi-layered life bars Guilty Gear fans will be accustomed to. Depleting both bars of health on the opposing player will win you a round while losing said amount of life will lose you a round. Of course, for whatever reason, Insta-Kills seem to fast track match completion winning whoever can pull it off both round victories if it is performed in the first round. Ultimately to win you will have to maintain a proper defense, and utilize your Chaos Gauge in the most efficient way to maximize damage output.
Along with the normal single player mode comes a local only versus where you, and a friend/s can battle it out in real time to see which one of you has true skill. Character selection, and stage selection are made available in versus for your choosing. Should you need to train against a motionless or specifically action tailored dummy opponent beforehand you can do that as well in the game's "Training Mode". The training mode in Guilty gear is not that indifferent from other modern fighters in that it has character, and mechanics parameters that can be set to your liking to make your practice session as simple or difficult as you deem fit. It's also a good way to learn characters' move sets, and practice combos.
The Presentation ...
Surprisingly Guilty Gears presentation isn't too far off from the modern product. It does have that earlier pixel construction, but it holds it's own in a fashion most later Guilty Gear fans will be familiar with. Even the stages are reminiscent of later Guilty Gear game entries, albeit different in their own unique ways. Mostly character themed. Things like the starting fight message are also a lot alike in comparison to the "Heaven or Hell" messages we've grown accustom to as fans. You can definitely see that what came later on was built upon, and improved upon in regards to these older ideas, and the implementation thereof. While there's not a lot to the original Guilty Gear it is ported quite respectfully to the Nintendo Switch as well. Screen size is made tolerable by border images, and the visuals themselves are made graphically impressive even on such newer hardware. There seems to be no crippling frame rate issues, and gameplay feels as smooth as butter. Be warned though this game literally throws in some flashes on Chaos Gauge mechanics usage making it a no go for people with a family history of seizures or epilepsy.
The Verdict ...
Getting to have some quality time with this very first entry of guilty Gear was a treat. It was interesting seeing what the rest of the series was inspired by. Thankfully Arc System Works didn't give up on the franchise, and chose to not only flesh it out more, but also perfect it for newer fighting game players. For me Guilty Gear has been my favorite fighting game of this type for years. The rocking soundtrack, the wacky and unusual character design, and the tech heavy mechanics all came together in such a way as to be wholly impressive. Even with me being a guy who started of rather simple with the Street Fighter series I saw the potential this series had going forward. My only hope is that this game, and the next one I am to review sell enough units, and gain enough attention from the community as to pave the way for the next Guilty Gear entry. Something that builds upon, but maintains series integrity without adopting the casual eSports focus. In closing I will say this ... For the price Guilty Gear on the NS is not a bad deal. That being said it's not the best entry in the series. I'd suggest it more to fans of Guilty Gear who want a more complete collection, and who want to see where it all began. Also be aware that joycon/DPad play is pretty bad, and that playing in docked mode with a wired controller or fightstick is the best alternative. If that's alright by you then do not pass this fighter up!
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