Guilty Gear 20th Anniversary Pack consists of the original Guilty Gear and the final installment of the series, Guilty Gear XX Accent Core Plus R. Both titles have been ported to Nintendo Switch. The anniversary pack was released on 16th May 2019. Guilty Gear, the original game, was released in 1998. It stemmed into a huge video game franchise. Guilty Gear X2 was released throughout arcades in Japan in 2002. This was then adapted and updated throughout the years for its final release as Guilty Gear XX Accent Core Plus R in 2013. The Anniversary Pack has been developed by Arc System Works Co. Ltd and published by PQube.
What Is Guilty Gear?
Guilty Gear is a fast-paced fighting game. When it was originally released, it was one of the first fighting games to have a more complicated fighting system. Fighting games before Guilty Gear consisted of just punching and kicking. This game brought players much more. This is because it has multiple special moves along with more than just a standard punch and kick. The original Guilty Gear, which is included in the anniversary pack, has your standard menu options. It has Normal Mode, which is single-player, Versus Mode, which is two players, and Training Mode, where you can practice your skills.
The second part to the anniversary pack, Guilty Gear XX Accent Core Plus R, has a bit more of a complex menu. This includes everything that Guilty Gear has and more. It presents players with a Story Mode, Mission Mode, Survival Mode, M.O.M. Mode and Network Mode. It also has extra versions of the multiplayer modes. Every mode is completely different, and the online modes, namely Network and M.O.M., require a subscription to Nintendo Switch Online. You can play M.O.M. without the subscription; however, you won’t be able to be included with the online scores of other players.
Get Ready for a Fight
The whole Guilty Gear franchise is a brutal, complex, challenging fight for survival. It is extremely violent with a comical side for the dialogue of Guilty Gear XX Accent Core Plus R. It also includes a soundtrack of heavy metal music, so this gets you in the mood for a fight. Guilty Gear XX Accent Core Plus R has a lot more characters compared to the original game, hence bringing the two together allows you to see how far these games have come. Both games are extremely fun to play in very different ways because Guilty Gear feels very retro and reminds us of simpler times. Guilty Gear XX Accent Core Plus R feels competitive and offers a bit more substance.
The anniversary is actually the first time I have experienced these game because I have always focused on the more obvious fighting titles. Due to the games’ great aspects, I think the anniversary pack comes as a great introduction to the Guilty Gear series. I believe that bringing the original game together with the most recent game is a great way to bring in new players as well. Because of the series’ history, the anniversary pack will also pique the interest of the original fans for the games.
Nothing New
The biggest issue with Guilty Gear Anniversary Pack is that there isn’t really anything new. I understand that it is a pack of two games that have been ported to a new console. However, even Guilty Gear XX Accent Core Plus R feels very old. Everything in the game is quite rigid because there is no fluidity to the movement of the characters. The graphics aren’t great either. It just feels like you are playing a game you forgot you have had for years. Even as a new player to the franchise, it just feels like any other fighting game.
It was a great idea to keep the original Guilty Gear as it was because it is always fun to play a retro game. I just think that with Guilty Gear XX Accent Core Plus R, they could have updated the graphics and made it into a remastered version. The anniversary pack would be great as a party game. The fact that there are multiple versions of the Guilty Gear XX Accent Core Plus R multiplayer mode is great. Taking that into account, I found that I struggled to sit down and play it solo for long periods of time. It feels like a game you kind of play in between your other games.
Guilty Gear Anniversary Overall
Overall, Guilty Gear Anniversary Pack is fun to play. It is great to have a pack that includes a more recent and updated version of a series alongside a retro entry of the series. You can re-live the glory days and play the original Guilty Gear, or you can seek out a challenge and enjoy different modes with Guilty Gear XX Accent Core Plus R. In the anniversary pack, the two games have come together to be released for Nintendo Switch.
The only real issue with the anniversary pack is that it doesn’t feel like you’re playing anything new. To play Guilty Gear XX Accent Core Plus R online, you will need a Nintendo Switch Online subscription. The soundtrack for the games just adds to the experience. It is filled to the brim with violence with a complex and challenging fighting system.
One of the reasons that the game is so challenging is because the graphics are quite outdated, and there is no fluidity to the movement of the characters. This makes the game quite frustrating because whilst you are trying to get the movement in check, your enemy is kicking your butt. With that being said, the game works great as a party game, and the dialogue is quite funny. Because of all of the these aspects, I think it will bring in new players alongside keeping its original fans.
Developer: Arc System Works Co. Ltd
Publisher: PQube
Platform: Nintendo Switch
Release Date: 16th May 2019