Guilty Gear Xrd Rev 2 is a notable update for many reasons. Chief among them is the inclusion of two new characters. Answer and Baiken both show up for this installment, with the former being playable for the first time ever and latter returning after being absent in Guilty Gear Xrd: Sign and Guilty Gear Xrd: Revelator. Both are welcome additions, but what’s really nice about the game is how well the two play off of each other.
In case you missed Guilty Gear Xrd: Revelator, Baiken and Answer do have a bit of a history together. In that entry, Baiken comes to the Colony to help Kum Haehyun. The Japanese are falling ill, but Information Flares were keeping Haehyun from saving everyone. Baiken brought to her a Ki infused tree, which gave her tuning power the strength to save everyone. When the Colony is attacked, it is Answer and Baiken who helps Haehyun.
Naturally, this means Answer and Baiken’s Arcade modes overlap in Guilty Gear Xrd Rev 2. Each one is draw to the Colony as they travel across the countryside. In the case of Baiken, she’s there because of a tip. When checking in with someone who provides her with intel, she learns of a threat to the Colony. In a classic Baiken move, she makes sure her source knows that keeping secrets is a bad. The speech is rather wonderful, so here it is in its entirety.
“Listen very carefully. If I don’t get this information, I’ll cut you. If you play dumb, I’ll slash you. If you try and feed me some shit intel, I’ll slice you. If this silence goes on for three more seconds, I’ll divide you. Are we clear?”
She gets there and realizes something is off. She notices how many people are surprisingly there and finds that Answer and the administration are hanging around. After a quick fight, he presents her with information that shows unsavory folks are lurking about after the last incident. It ends with Baiken realizing the Colony will become a battlefield. While she doesn’t have many story segments, her Arcade mode is about her searching for and discovering new information.
Answer is the same. He realizes The Universal Will had something to do with the last incident and leaves the Eastern Kingdom of Chipp to do some investigating. This is all happening while he’s on the clock, though, which makes his Arcade mode even more delightful. He is truly the business ninja, with a three-piece suit and business cards as weapons. In his introductions and finishes, he’s in the middle of calls with various governments and important people in the hopes of establishing the new nation. It’s all rather hilarious, as we see this incredibly serious person scrambling to do everything at once, while also talking about the importance of having leisure time.
Even though Answer is someone who knows everything, his trip is about confirming things Chipp and him already know. Once he has confirmed his suspicions, he notes the knowledge he found seemed a little too convenient, as though it was planted. He then stops by the Colony, a place that happened to be on the way, and gets sidetracked by unexpected Ki. He then makes a diplomatic stop, which leads to an alternate view on his meeting with Baiken.
This route is also about giving new information to the player. This comes via a cameo in Baiken’s arcade mode that hints at things to come. There’s going to be a very brief spoiler here, one that won’t surprise people after the events of Guilty Gear X and Guilty Gear XX Accent Core Plus. Just in case you want to avoid the spoiler, here’s your opportunity to skip the next paragraph.
Okay, so at one point in Baiken’s Arcade story, she’s making a phone call in search of information on That Man. The person on the other end isn’t exactly helpful, but does direct her to visit the Colony and aid the people there in the face of an impending disaster. Who is that man on the phone? Well, we don’t see his face, but we do hear his voice, get a glimpse of his outfit, and… see him with a rather familiar fan. It’s Anji Mito. Baiken is relying on him for information again and he withholds it from her. It feels like a rather obvious hint that he’ll be returning to the series.
The Guilty Gear Xrd Rev 2 spoiler is over. Welcome back!
When you think about it, every Guilty Gear update is not only about making the games better. They are also about rounding out and expanding on a stories we already know. Additional players are brought in to give us new details and perspectives. The introduction of Answer and Baiken is handled well. The two’s storylines compliment each other, as each one is searching for information. Each one does find out certain truths by the end of their story, as well as realizes the Colony is going to depend their attention.
Guilty Gear Xrd Rev 2 is available for the PlayStation 3, PlayStation 4, and PC.
