Guilty Gear Strive’s third season of content has been live for a few days and it has already completely changed how the game is played thanks to several key additions, like the return of Johnny. This was always the goal for Arc System Works, as the team wanted to let players “break the code” and “heat up” what the game allows them to do moving forward.
Heading into Evo 2023, GGST broke the franchise record for player registration for a second year in a row, with 2,474 competitors flocking to Las Vegas to compete. This was something the developers never expected and they credit it entirely to the “huge impact that the community’s passion has on Guilty Gear.”
“Before Strive, [Guilty Gear] was mostly supported by the Japanese community, however, in recent years, we have seen many overseas players loving and supporting the game,” GGST director Akira Katano told Dot Esports. “That is very motivating for us and, with the release of season three only makes us want to continue developing our games further with the continued love and support of the community.”
Part of that next step in development is season three for Strive, which introduced the Wild Assault and Deflect Shield—two new mechanics that add offensive and defensive versatility to the game while completely altering how it is played.
Along with those two new Burst Gauge options, the meter has been reworked in other ways and now refills faster and in more scenarios, offering more ways for players to use it. Every character in the game has gone through alterations, with some getting new special moves, too. ArcSys is trying to “provide players much more freedom in breaking the linearity of the game,” implementing entirely new ways to “optimize enjoyment” within the community and offering tools to change their approach to the game.
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“Players can find a lot of fun with these new mechanics and experience how far they can go,” Strive producer Ken Miyauchi said. “We don’t usually go into external details about these updates, but this is not a mild way. This is [us going] a wild way and adding a lot of exploration for players.”
With the introduction of Johnny, and three additional fighters coming in the future, players will have more to try out as Strive evolves. And while Johnny is a “popular and cool” character from the past, ArcSys wants players to take stock of those already available as well.
Katano specifically noted that the team wants players to experiment and relearn their favorite characters from the ground up with all of the season three changes, saying even those familiar with the game’s previous systems will experience something entirely new when they hop back in.
For anyone who wants to burst back into action with this wild update, the Guilty Gear Strive season three update is now live and free for anyone to experience if they already own the game. But you will have to pay for Johnny and the other new DLC content if you want access to that.
