Publisher Arc System Works has released a new gameplay trailer for what we now know is called Guilty Gear Strive, the upcoming entry to the series. Faust was revealed at the end of the trailer, though there was little doubt that the character would be included in the game.
Faust’s backstory and fighting style is one of the strangest in the game. He was a medical genius who went insane, and then sane once again. Originally known as Dr. Baldhead, he was later named simply as Dr. Faust. His appearance when fighting is strange due to his tall height and lanky body while wearing a paper bag mask over his head with a single eyehole and an enormous scalpel as a weapon. Although taller than most other fighters, his low stance makes him appear shorter, and adds to his eerie appearance.
Unfortunately, the trailer did not reveal any gameplay footage for Faust, though his creepy, slinking movement was shown at the end of the reveal. The trailer did feature gameplay from the other characters previously revealed, including Chipp Zanuff, May, Potemkin, Ky Kysike, and Sol Badguy — and everyone looks fantastic.
While the animation and facial expressions look crisp, players are still anxiously awaiting news about the combat system. Daisuke Ishiwatari, the lead and general director for the series at Arc System Works, spoke at length during the initial game reveal about how this new installment will be vastly different from previous games, and from what players may be expecting.
Unfortunately, this cryptic description is all players currently have. The goal remains to appeal to new and old players, but what that looks like remains open to interpretation. Guilty Gear has always been a difficult game and at the highest levels of competitive play requires precision and practice.
Since the game is known for its high-skill cap, one plan may be to simplify gameplay in order to appeal to newcomers to the series, though this may not be a great idea. While certain genres of games benefit from moving to a casual style of play, fighting games seem to move in the opposite direction. Players and those who watch esports want to see masterful players dominating the competition, and in turn try to reach those levels.
The release date is listed for late 2020, and as such we are either going to be seeing it as one of the last releases for the current generation of consoles, one of the first for the next generation, or perhaps a dual release on both.
In a related announcement, special bundles will be released in the series including the “Guilty Gear 20th Anniversary Pack Deluxe Edition” for the Nintendo Switch in North America, which includes a physical copy of the games to date, a collector steelbook, a Sol Badguy headband, a commemorative coin, and more.
Source: animenewsnetwork.com