As someone who seldom plays fighting games on the side, I’ve always had a fascination with the series that’s all about Guilty and Gears. Whether it’s stylish character designs, their interesting names in combos, or just looking at the spectacle during a match, Strive is just incredible for a spectator sport.
So when the Nintendo Switch version dropped earlier this year, I had to give it a go and see for myself what makes this game thick on this generation’s smallest console. From what I’ve read, it’s quite an interesting product.
The Machine That Powers the Fight
This version of Strive is the most complete one so far, on par with the rest of the consoles and PC editions that have been out for quite some time already. And all somehow fit in a Switch cartridge (or in my case, an 18 GB download, which is small for a fighting game that’s in its 4th year of activity, with this version basically including 28 characters, with all previous DLC characters like Jack-O already in the roaster for those wanting to play as them.
Performance-wise, it’s quite solid with solid 60fps without any slowdowns even on the Switch Lite, and mostly has no issues with loading being quick in all of the modes, perhaps the only thing noticeable is that the 3D loading cutscenes feel a bit more low-res that usual, which I feel adds more to the charm of the game, alongside the battle monologues and the stylish artstyle.
It kinda does feel illegal playing this on the Switch but it’s just to show how incredible the folks at Arc Systems Works and porting studio Tantalus, had working with this port which makes it quite of an impressive re-release this earlier in the year.
Playing It
The gameplay and its modes are mostly similar to its compatriots in other systems, so you have the Story Mode, Arcade Mode, and even Missions mode, where you can learn how to get good within the game as a tool tip for the beginners or even those wanting a refresher on the fundamentals of Guilty Gear.
But as someone who doesn’t play multiplayer, the single-player content is okay, with the 5-hour story mode if you know what you’re doing but feels a bit lackluster when compared to its peers on the Switch like Mortal Kombat 1. There’s not a lot to do within the single-player element of Strive, which is a shame since I’ve pretty good stuff on the online part, with netcode rollback at the expense of no Crossplay, which is fine I suppose. Most players would have used this as a training tool on the go if any indications of how I used this game.
Really, what you’ll be paying for is quite a complete and up-to-date version of Strive and pretty much that’s it. For fans of this series, what more do you want, and would I recommend it to newcomers as well? Yeah, it’s a solid fighting game, its 2.5D self is quite stylish and for the right price, it could be your entry to the Fighting Games Community, who knows?
The door is always open for this sort of game, you just have to reach out!
Played on the Nintendo Swtich, Review copy provided by the publisher.