Guilty Gear Strive will see a returning face among its character roster, as the deadly rocker I-No has been confirmed for the upcoming fighting game. She’s supremely confident in her own abilities, and based on what we’ve seen from her so far, that confidence is warranted. This reveal came during a special fighting game developer roundtable, with members of Arc System Works going into detail about what players can expect from the return of the time-traveling, guitar-wielding witch.
In the new gameplay and announcement trailer, we get to see I-No in action, her guitar in hand as she delivers furious kicks. At one point, she ducks under a projectile attack and delivers a devastating uppercut to punish, sending her opponent to the floor. I-No also has projectile attacks of her own that she can use to control space and keep her opponents from playing too defensively, and her counters should also keep her opponents from being too aggressive. You’re between a rock and a hard place with I-No, but at least she can shred on the guitar for you as she’s pummeling you into the ground.
In addition to the reveal of I-No, Arc System Works also revealed during the developer livestream that Samuari Showdown and Guilty Gear will have a collaboration, which will come in the form of a guest character arriving in the former. Also revealed was a special Saiko x Guilty Gear watch that fans of the series can purchase.
Guilty Gear is a notoriously complex fighting game, and arguably Arc System Works’ toughest series to get into. Still, the series has a dedicated following, and Guilty Gear Strive is keeping up with the franchise’s sense of style and sophisticated combat. The Japanese studio is legendary in the 2D fighter genre and is also responsible for BlazBlue and Dragon Ball FighterZ. Their last game before Guilty Gear Strive was 2020’s Granblue Fantasy Versus.
Guilty Gear Strive releases on April 9 for PS4, PS5, and PC. There will be 15 characters on the roster out of the gate, and a beta is available with 13 of the characters included. You can play several different modes in the beta, including a Versus mode against CPU or local players, as well as online play. You don’t need a PlayStation Plus membership to access it, either.
GameSpot may get a commission from retail offers.
