The next iteration of the popular action fighting franchise is now called Guilty Gear Strive. It has already entered its beta test phase and a few testers have shared their reactions about the game. They were pretty much impressed of its new mechanics, but there are big differences from its predecessor, Guilty Gear Xrd. One of those is the amount of combo chains players can dish out in a round.
According to the Official PlayStation Magazine (July 2020 Issue), Strive now has a new rule to follow and some fans might not like what they will hear.
The new rule for Strive is that combos will now be a lot shorter, but the advantage is that every hit deals a lot of damage to make up for it. The tension meter, which is used for overdrive moves, easily fills up now compared to previous titles. This new game is more on quick exchanges of blows between fighters instead of dishing out a lot of combo chains to make it look flashier. Each attack will be deadly, so expect to choose your attacks wisely this time around.
There is also the RISC system, which means blocking too long will allow your opponent to strike you easily with a counter-hit. This forces players to go on offense more rather than raising your shields up. Getting trapped in a corner has been resolved as well. If players slide down the edge of the screen, the wall will be broken instead, which causes a stage transition. The attacking player will get a buff for their efforts, but it returns both fighters to neutral positions.
The Junkyard Dog is the biggest change to the core gameplay. Gatling combo system still exists in this game, but it has less freeform now, which is the reason why players cannot do tons of combo chains. Arc System Works is looking for simplicity now rather than going for complex moves.
Guilty Gear Strive will launch sometime in 2021. It will be available on PlayStation 4 and PC.