It seems like it’s never been a better time to be a Guilty Gear player. Xrd has revitalized the series like a a Phoenix Down, and Arc System Works is riding a wave of goodwill from players. By releasing a content-complete title with an inviting Tutorial Mode, alongside a free demo and an attractively priced upgrade, Guilty Gear Xrd REV 2 arrives amidst an extremely busy season for fighting games. Admirably, those who want to put some effort in learning this zany 2D fighter with 3D graphics can find it on the platform of their choosing, closer to the Japanese release than ever before–whether it’s PlayStation 3, 4 or on Steam.

While REV 2 doesn’t drastically change up the Xrd formula, the Daredevil is in the details. Unlike its younger brother, BlazBlue, Team Red didn’t shake up combos from ground up. The evergreen menus and interface hide an option to revert back to REV 1, if desired. While we don’t see dramatic additions, new stages, some story content, and newcomers Baiken and Answer refresh the experience like a Gold Burst. Furthermore, every character received just enough tuning to make their gameplay shine more, or give them some new options.

For instance, Sin can’t knockdown with Air Beak Driver anymore, but he can do use it multiple times in the air for brand new, wackier combos. His air Dust move provides an air to ground knockdown, however. -REVELATOR- newcomers Kum Haehyun and Jam received just enough buffs and tuning to make their flow come together. The changes to Raven’s excitement mechanic give him much more personality, as the meter fluctuates up and down depending on what he does. Millia can’t knockdown as easily from the air as before, and she needs to get more creative with her moves and mind her Assassin pin more. Altogether, everyone got tuned in varying degrees of subtlety, but it’s good that Arc System Works did not resort to making changes for changes’ sake.

Answer, the character no one expected to arrive, puts Chipp a little bit in his tall hitbox’s shadow. His adorable and unique “Business Ninja” schtick, where he’s literally on the phone throughout every match, makes him a standout character. He drops scrolls around the screen and can cling to them, then dash around the screen, in a dizzying, Naruto-esque style.

Baiken has just enough new things to make old fans complain about certain aspects while they embrace the new, and she certainly found appreciation easily thanks to her swaggering mannerism (that forward walk!), an affinity for alcohol and smoking, and an emphasis on the “Lone Samurai” intros and attacks. Her Azami parry skill, which allows her to use six distinct counter-moves, is simple yet challenging to use. It needs good timing, but it rewards Baiken with great damage conversion and the ability to escape unblockable attacks and–new to Xrd–do counter-moves in the air. Altogether, it’s great to see the cast of Guilty Gear growing, especially since every member adds so much unique flavor; you almost want to sub every character, if only they weren’t so difficult to master.

REV 2 gets closer and closer to giving every character a fighting chance to shine in the competitive tournament scene, and we have yet to judge who will dominate in this “season”–maybe it won’t be as clear-cut as before. Now, like never before, the underlying philosophy in Guilty Gear comes through in every fight. Complexity emerges from the unique quirks and features of every character, and the real depth lies in figuring out match-ups. For instance, not every character has a straight-up Dragon Punch, but most characters have some way of defending. Elphelt can now execute her roll into Shotgun Stance at any point. Answer has a special reversal move that teleports him on top of the opponent, so the challenge lies in figuring out how to bait and punish it, depending on what’s available to your character. On paper, Baiken looks intimidating, since she can use her parry stance, Azami, at almost any time for powerful counter moves. In reality, she adds layers to REV 2 and forces players to approach the game in new ways, and something like that is exciting for any fighting game.

Even with accessible tools and multimedia, it’s a little difficult to get into the more granular aspects of the game, but luckily, REV 2 does a better job at getting players onboard than most. The entertaining tutorial with Jack-O’s minions is back, and Mission Mode includes character-specific challenges that display how to deal with certain match-ups (including two new ones for Baiken and Answer). Furthermore, the Combo challenges, while relatively untouched, have a few modified sets to help out in learning some of the new tools, depending on character. Those are marked with a “New” tagline.

Going through -REVELATOR – Story Mode again–which is good overall, though a bit drawn out, and a little too sappy and melodramatic–serves as an intro for the additional “After Story” included in REV 2.

There’s a few spelling mistakes in translation, but the team noticeably put effort into creating more visually compelling backgrounds–the new content opens with Raven speaking to That Man under a star-strewn night sky on a shoreline. Of course, the highlight is the Kiske family time, but when Sol shows up… it’s a must-see! It’s short, but very compelling. I wish there was more.

Episodes for the individual characters, which are actually just Arcade Mode with cutscenes, present some background for Baiken, Kum Haehyun, Jam, Dizzy, Raven, and Answer. It’s good to see them fleshed out a bit, as the main Story Mode hasn’t touched on those characters very much. They’re brief, but worthwhile. Similar to the older cast that already has fleshed out “Episode Mode” content, there are a few cutscenes in-between battles.

Online Mode has been a ghostland during this pre-release window, so I couldn’t test out connection quality much. However, those who have played -REVELATOR- should know what to expect. PlayStation Network can deliver solid connections, but only under certain circumstances (distance, internet speed, and its finicky nature), so Steam will generally be superior. However, the refreshed REV 2 lobby is friendlier than before. From little details like expanded information boards, a clearer interface, and daily chests with loot, to a special “First to 3” two cabinets in the center of every lobby, the rooms have more functionality and look more inviting to hang out. Fans of Guilty Soccer will also enjoy Player Rooms more. Arc System Works have also teased improved online matchmaking and documented some of the online lobby improvements.

All in all, Team Red doesn’t significantly change up their formula, and those who thought REV 2 would feel much different from -REVELATOR- will be disappointed. But that’s hardly a flaw, as why would they fix what works? More content-complete than ever before, attractively priced, and with two new, compelling characters (alongside a free demo to try it out!), Guilty Gear Xrd REV 2 stands out as a quality package. Putting aside business practices, Guilty Gear remains as an incredibly tightly-tuned fighting game with an inspired rock and heavy-metal soundtrack. It’s tough to find another fighting game in the market with such dizzyingly unique, memorable characters.

Score: 10/10

Guilty Gear Xrd REV 2 arrives on PlayStation 3 and 4 on May 26, and for Steam on June 1.

[Editor’s note: Aksys Games provided Shoryuken with our review copy.]