Guilty Gear Xrd: Rev 2 (PS4) Review

Still rockin’.

Back when I reviewed Guilty Gear Xrd Revelator, I called it “one that I believe will stand head and shoulders above the rest of the anime fighting game crowd for some time to come.”

While that statement rings true looking at the positive response to the series, a year later, Arc System Works returns for another installment of Guilty Gear, and unlike the staggering leap forward between the original Signs to Revelator, Rev 2 proves more of a small step forward.

As I have previously stated, Rev 2 is more of an incremental update than an entirely new game, so I will forward the readers to my review of GGXrd Revelator to get an idea of what the series is about to focus this review on what’s new in the update.

Click the banner to read my review of Revelator!

Rev 2 reintroduces a familiar face along with a new challenger.

MSRP: $39,99 or $19.99 DLC upgrade for GGXrd Revelator owners
Platforms: PS4, PC
Voice Acting: JPN only.
Played: 14~ hours.
Multiplayer: Offline/Online multiplayer and leader boards

The original Revelator included six newly playable characters, but in Rev 2, there are only two- Baiken, the one armed samurai and Answer, a Ninja diplomat.

While the inclusion of new characters is always welcome in my eyes, only having two set the tone for this update in general feeling a bit insubstantial. Luckily, every character in the roster gets some love in the form of a new move and various balance changes, but unless you’re playing at a high level, most of the changes might not even be readily apparent.

All the modes return just the same as well, with the addition of a diorama mode where figures and backgrounds can be unlocked through the fishing (a glorified loot box mechanic), and posed in various ways to make some dramatic or amusing scenes. It’s something I tried out once and never had the desire to delve into again, but its inclusion is worth mentioning all the same.

The story mode I praised contains a new episode of an “After Story” that follows the events of the end of Revelator but it was quite short, lasting only about 20 minutes compared to the lengthy 3~ hours of the original story. There is supposed to be a continuation of that epilogue, but it is slated to be released later at an unknown time and was not available the day of this review.

The two new combatants fit well into this roster of unique characters.

On the multiplayer front, the online lobbies have some quality of life updates, including dedicated best 3 out of 5 stations. The netcode felt no different to the one in Revelator, as I found myself having a great time with 1-3f of delay with 3-4 bar opponents and other times suffering delays of up to 12-14f against other 3-4 bar opponents. I fully understand that testing netcode is a bit of a crapshoot, but as a predominantly online warrior, I was hoping for some noticeable improvements all the same.

There is also an option to transfer the save data from Revelator, which marked my progress in the story along with any other unlockables I had. If this game was available only as a new purchase, I frankly would have been upset given how little added content of worth there is. However, at the price point of $19.99 for the update to those that own Revelator, it’s much easier to swallow, and I can only hope that there will be more free DLC in the horizon to further justify the update to “Rev 2”.

At its core, Rev 2 is more or less the same game as Revelator. While that might seem like a damning statement at first, given the excellence of the original, it’s not entirely a bad thing. Still, I must confess that there is a creeping feeling that this glorified update is lacking in content, though the discounted full price and the option to purchase an upgrade for owners of Revelator makes it easier to recommend. Here’s to a more substantial installment for the next iteration of Guilty Gear.

Fun Tidbit – This review reflects my thoughts on the update itself, not so much the game as a whole.

Review copy of game provided by publisher.

Written by
Jae has been a gamer ever since he got a Nintendo when he was just a child. He has a passion for games and enjoys writing. While he worries about the direction gaming as a medium might be headed, he's too busy playing games to do anything about it.