Here’s a fun fact – there’s actually so many games in the “Guilty Gear” series that if you played a new one every day it would take you 13 years to play them all! Okay, actually that’s a lie, there’s not nearly that many, but there’s still a lot – Guilty Gear X, Guilty Gear Dust, Guilty Gear Judgment, Guilty Gear Xrd… Still, even with all of those games, it’s not unusual for hardcore fans of the series to get a bit bored of it after a while. That’s why I decided to make a short list of other fighting games similar to “Guilty Gear” that you might be interested in checking out! The rules of this list are simple – the game must be in 2D and it must play like “Guilty Gear”, so you’re not going to see any “Mortal Kombat” or “Street Fighter” games on here! Ready? Let’s get started!
1. Skullgirls
Ah, I need to start off with an indie darling! In an age where pretty much every fighting game franchise has transitioned firmly into 3D, “Skullgirls” came out and said “Screw that, we don’t care that 2D costs way more than 3D and takes a lot more time to make, we’re gonna come out and we’re gonna make the best damn 2D fighting game ever!” And, well, I’m not entirely sure if I’d call it the best, but their efforts are certainly impressive! I mean, “Skullgirls” is definitely the best-looking fighting game I’ve ever played in my life – its sprites are large, crisp, clean and very detailed, making battles a joy to watch! I mean, just look at this fan-made trailer which matches footage from the game with “Big Blast Sonic” (a song that “Guilty Gear” fans should be quite familiar with) and see for yourself! To top it all off, the game also features some pretty tight combat mechanics that call back the very classics that the graphics are paying homage to. Just mashing buttons may get you through a round of “Marvel Vs Capcom 3”, but in “Skullgirls” unless you know the mechanics inside and out you’re simply not going to win that fight.
2. BlazBlue
Ah, a favourite of mine! If you’ve played the excellent “Persona 4 Arena” or its sequel, then you’ve pretty much familiar with “BlazBlue” already, as both of those games were made by the same people and are very similar when it comes to gameplay style, relying on pulling off good combos between light and heavy/special attacks. “BlazBlue” looks and plays pretty much like a crazier version of “Arena”, but the similarities don’t end there! Remember the complex, intricate storylines of the “Persona” fighting games, how we jumped between several characters in a larger narrative to uncover the truth? Well, that’s also borrowed from “BlazBlue”, which has had one continuous storyline since its very first instalment! And it’s not just your typical Tekken “excuse plot” fare, we’re talking an actual narrative with good plot and character development! How many fighting games can boast that?
3. King of Fighters
Alright, alright, I am cheating a liiiittle bit with this one, beacause the latest instalment, “King of Fighters XIV”, features 3D models rather than 2D sprites, and as you may recall one of my rules was that all games I recommend need to be in full 2D. However, it’s honestly such a miracle that we’re even getting “King of Fighters XIV” that I think the exception is worth making. I mean, the last “King of Fighters” game we got was in 2010, before developer SNK went out of business in order to create pachinko machines. The fact that we’re only a month away from actually getting a proper sequel is amazing, and from the looks of it, even if it’s in 3D, the game very much looks and plays like classic 2D “King of Fighters” games. And if you still hate the 3D, then feel free to play any of those! They’re still great, even today!