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The Guilty Gear Strive open beta started on February 19th for many players but was unavailable for much of its first 24-hour period due to server issues.
Many players hoping to test out the newest iteration of Guilty Gear were unable to connect to the servers long enough to access the game’s training modes.
With so few players able to play, Arcsys decided to extend the Guilty Gear Strive open beta to February 23rd. This was done to give people more chances to play and help them collect more data.
Guilty Gear Strive, the state of the game
It’s clear that this game will play very differently from its predecessors. Many of the needless complexities have been removed in order to create a more streamlined and understandable environment.
This reduction in complexity wasn’t simply done in a vacuum, as Guilty Gear Strive rebuilt the game from the ground up with this gameplay in mind.
There are fewer overall mechanics for players to learn and fewer trivia to memorize. The gameplay allows for significant depth and exploration in what it emphasizes.
For Guilty Gear Strive, that emphasis is placed strongly on the neutral game. This is the part of the game that takes place in the middle of the screen, where neither player is at a significant advantage or disadvantage.
This focus on neutral keeps players from getting put into a situation where they get taken out of the game. This scared many players from entering the series previously.
While the game’s aggression and creativity remain, it is much harder to lock someone down and prevent them from playing. With Guilty Gear Strive, the amount of time spent playing is significantly higher than previous titles.
Beta was and discovered problems
The game is, of course, still in beta. There are plenty of problems and issues that still need to be worked out. Currently, one of the issues that has already caught the developers’ attention is the imbalance between grounded and air-based gameplay.
As many professional players have already stated, Guilty Gear Strive currently lacks enough options to offer a defense against air-based attacks.
Jumping into the air is usually a risk in most fighting games, but in Guilty Gear Strive, this risk is reversed.
An airborne opponent approaching a grounded opponent has less risk and more potential for reward than the grounded opponent defending against it.
Players who jump into the Guilty Gear Strive open beta should be wary of this. Note that this will likely undergo significant change between the beta and ultimate release later this year.
Additionally, while players have praised the game’s updated netcode, they have also criticized its lobby system. It is often clunky and difficult to find players within.
Overall, Guilty Gear Strive looks like it will live up to its promise to be the best entry into the series for new players. Currently, anyone can play it on a PS4 or PS5, whether they have Playstation Plus or not.
