Guilty Gear Strive Adds I-No To Roster, Game Has 15 Fighters At Launch

One legendary character, I-No, is returning for Guilty Gear Strive. She's supremely confident in her own abilities, and based on what we've seen from her so far, that confidence is warranted. Arc System Works made the announcement during a special fighting game developer roundtable, explaining what fans will see when the time-travelling, guitar-wielding witch returns.

In the new gameplay and announcement trailer, we get to see I-No in action, her guitar in hand as she delivers furious kicks. At one point, she ducks under a projectile attack and delivers a devastating uppercut to punish, sending her opponent to the floor. I-No also has projectile attacks of her own that she can use to control space and keep her opponents from playing too defensively, and her counters should also keep her opponents from being too aggressive. You're between a rock and a hard place with I-No, but at least she can shred on the guitar for you as she's pummeling you into the ground.

In addition to the reveal of I-No, Arc System Works also revealed during the developer livestream that Samuari Shodown and Guilty Gear will have a collaboration, which will come in the form of a guest character arriving in the former. Samurai Shodown has seen something of a resurgence with the latest game's release back in 2019. Also revealed was a special Saiko x Guilty Gear watch that fans of the series can purchase.

Guilty Gear is a notoriously complex fighting game, and arguably Arc System Works' toughest series to get into. Still, the series has a dedicated following, and Guilty Gear Strive is keeping up with the franchise's sense of style and sophisticated combat. The Japanese studio is legendary in the 2D fighter genre and is also responsible for BlazBlue and Dragon Ball FighterZ. Their last game before Guilty Gear Strive was 2020's Granblue Fantasy Versus.

Guilty Gear Strive releases on April 9 for PS4, PS5, and PC. There will be 15 characters on the roster out of the gate, and a beta is available with 13 of the characters included. You can play several different modes in the beta, including a Versus mode against CPU or local players, as well as online play. You don't need a PlayStation Plus membership to access it, either.