After a lengthy beta period where Arc System Works got Guilty Gear Strive's rollback netcode to be just right, the game released on June 11 and has apparently already made bank. That's according to a press release from the developer confirming that they've shipped 300,000 units as of June 14. That certainly makes Guilty Gear Strive the best-selling fighting game of 2021 so far.
Our own Guilty Gear expert Dave Aubrey gave Strive a 4.5 out of 5, praising the game's sharp and smooth graphics on the PS5 thanks to 4K resolution and 60 FPS. Aubrey called Strive a "deep and rewarding fighting game," and his opinion seems to be shared amongst other reviewers according to the Metacritic scores.
One of the strange quirks of Guilty Gear Strive is its story mode, which is actually more like a four-hour anime than what you'd find in more traditional fighting games. If you want to actually learn how to fight in Strive, you'll need to either make use of the game's extensive tutorial or try your luck at Arcade or Online mode. Story mode will just present you with Guilty Gear's plot, which admittedly can be helpful for getting players into the setting. Story mode is fully dubbed, so make yourself a bowl of popcorn and sit down to an extra-long movie.
To keep Guilty Gear Strive fresh, Arc System Works has a plan. Season One will include a season pass that brings five new characters, two new stages, an additional color pack, and "Another Story," which we assume is an additional episode added to Story Mode's extended anime. The first two characters are set to arrive in July and August, with the rest coming in the fall. You won't need to purchase the season pass to get the characters, levels, and colors as they'll all be available for separate purchase, but Another Story will only be available to season pass holders.
Arc System is also planning on a free update for Strive that includes a combo maker, customization features for player match rooms, and a digital figure mode (which we assume to be a fancy way of saying "photo mode"). Expect more “periodic additions” in the months ahead.