Last weekend, Arc System Works held a location test event for Guilty Gear Xrd –SIGN-, at one of Sega’s arcades in Akihabara and fans got a first chance to play the next game in the series. Famitsu reports on the latest information revealed at the event, along with some notes on the Q&A session by series creator Daisuke Ishiwatari and planner known as “Pachi”.
When asked what kind of game will Guilty Gear Xrd be, Ishiwatari says that it will be a fresh start to the series that started in 1998 for the PlayStation. The series creator also adds that it will be a fighting title aimed to getting as many people to play as possible, as their main production focus is to focus on starting from the beginning.
The demo version that was available at the event featured seven characters; Sol Badguy, Ky Kiske, Millia Rage, Potemkin, Chipp Zanuff, May, and Venom. The reason Arc System Works went with these seven is simply because they’re the first ones to be created and have been developed enough to be used in action.
Ishiwatari says there will be plenty more characters, but when he was asked about whether there will be any new characters, he replied by teasing “I wonder? (laughs)”.
According to Pachi, the key point of Guilty Gear Xrd’s system is the Roman Cancel. “We’d like to make the ‘Roman Cancel’ even more enjoyable. This time, you’ll be able to use Roman Cancels at any time during attacks, on top of being able to slow down movements of everything apart from yourself. We’re still on the testing stage for this feature, so I hope the players from the location test will experiment with it.” says Pachi.
You can check out further details regarding the Roman Cancel in our earlier report.
Pachi also added that another key focus is the game’s responsiveness, as they’ve made the switch from CRT monitors used in the past installments to LCD screens. They are currently making adjustments to make sure there aren’t any incongruities from the switch.
Ishiwatari and Pachi also shared concept ideas regarding some of the characters and how they will be different in Guilty Gear Xrd.
Sol will be a character who players can go wild with by using special attacks. Ky will get a new ability called “Grinder,” in addition to having more powered-up “Stun Edge” attacks.
Above is a look at May’s introduction clip. According to Ishiwatari, she’ll be a “catchy” character, and also more acrobatic than before. Chipp will be getting more ninja-like moves, such as having the ability to stick to walls while attacking.
Millia has always been a speed-based character, so Arc System Works plan on giving her new attacks that furhter utilizes her speed.
Additionally, there will also be button configurations that match the set-up of BlazBlue and Persona 4: Arena made for fans of Arc System Works’ other series.
Finally, Daisuke Ishiwatari and Pachi share a message for the fans:
Pachi: “This game is made with the thoughts of the player’s generation in mind. We’ll be making a new Guilty Gear, and thank you for your continued support.”
Ishiwatari: “I’d like to make it to where both fans of the past series and new players can play while sharing the same perspective. Furthermore, I’d love to hear about the impressions from those who got a chance to play the game. Thank you for your continued support.”
Guilty Gear Xrd –SIGN- is currently in development, and is being considered for next generation consoles.
