Nearly three years have passed since developer Arc System Works announced that a brand-new Guilty Gear game is in the works, and fans have been incredibly patient since then. Since its initial confirmation, the developer has teased reveals and announced delays. Needless to say, it’s been a roller coaster ride for dedicated fans willing to stick through it all.
Now, things seem to be looking up for Guilty Gear Strive, and its release seems closer than ever. The upcoming fighting game is expected to launch on April 6, 2021, plus there’s currently an ongoing beta for it. Now, to fully seal the deal, Arc System Works has revealed the final launch character.
This newly announced addition is no stranger to the Guilty Gear franchise. In fact, she’s been consistently added to Guilty Gear games since the release of Guilty Gear XX. The character in question is I-No, and the developer has recently confirmed that she’ll be a part of the game’s main roster upon launch.
Long-time Guilty Gear fans will find that I-No has undergone a few visual changes, but overall, she still has the same aspects that many fans know and love. Specifically, she still has a witch-like aesthetic, a lethal smile, and her trusty guitar.
Otherwise known as the right-hand woman of That Man, I-No isn’t exactly the most popular playable character that could have been added to Guilty Gear Strive. However, she has an incredibly dedicated fanbase, albeit not as much as the other fighters. In the past year, Arc System Works held a poll to see who the players’ most-wanted characters are. While I-No wasn’t able to reach the top 10 on Japan’s list, she was 5 on the US list, 6 in Europe, and 6 in Asia.
With I-No’s announcement, the main roster for Guilty Gear Strive is officially complete. According to developer Arc System Works, I-No will be the 15th playable fighter in Guilty Gear Strive, which also means that she’s taking up the last and final slot in the launch roster. As such, she’ll be joining the other fighters that were already announced in the past, such as Millia Rage, Sol Badguy, May, Ky Kiske, Ramlethal Valentine, and many others.
Of course, Guilty Gear Strive players can look forward to DLC expansions that will introduce new characters to the game, similar to the way Super Smash Bros. Ultimate has DLC fighters. However, Arc System Works has yet to reveal who these characters will be. DLC fighters in Guilty Gear games are already expected; for instance, Guilty Gear Xrd had a total of 25 playable fighters in the end.
There are still a myriad of characters in the Guilty Gear franchise that fans want to see in Strive. For example, there’s Johnny, Bridget, Jam Kuradoberi, Baiken, and Slayer. There’s a lot more than that, of course. Not only that, Arc System Works may want to add original characters to the mix as well, so we’ll just have to wait and see.
For now, Guilty Gear fans can enjoy Strive’s beta, which has been extended until February 28, 2021, while waiting for the game’s official launch.
