Guilty Gear Strive's Next Fighter Is Goldlewis Dickinson, Who Fights With An Alien-Filled Coffin

Arc System Works has just revealed the first DLC character for the season pass of Guilty Gear Strive, and it's another strange one that will undoubtedly confuse folks who haven't played this game before. In the latest reveal trailer, we get to see the fighting debut of Goldlewis Dickinson, who is the Secretary of Absolute Defense for Guilty Gear's take on the United States of America. He marks the first post-launch fighter to be added to the game's roster for season pass holders, and he'll make his debut on July 27.

For the uninitiated, Goldlewis Dickison is a new character that made appearances in the story campaign of Guilty Gear Strive, though some fans believe he made an early appearance in the background of the Neo New York stage in Guilty Gear Xrd. Regardless, he will now be a playable fighter in Strive, and his weird moveset and bizarre backstory certainly makes him in good company alongside the likes of Faust and Ramlethal. What makes Goldlewis so unusual is that not only does he have access to a mini-gun and a cybernetic eye that can summon orbital lasers, but he also carries around a large coffin, which is holding a mysterious alien coming from Area 51.

We get to see Goldlewis and his mysterious partner in action during the trailer, and he certainly looks to be an oddball character--which are usually the most fun to play as in Guilty Gear games. Seeing his heavy swings of the coffin makes Goldlewis appear to be another heavy fighter like Potemkin, but he's also got some weird tricks that he can pull out on short notice. Along with his firearms, Goldlewis also has a partner stashed inside a container. This blue, spectral alien can assist Goldlewis with launcher attacks and other cross-ups, but it can also summon strange extraterrestrial objects into the fight, such as a spiked drone that will move close to the opponent for additional damage.

Season pass holders will be able to play as Goldlewis early on July 27. If you don't have the season pass, then you can purchase him individually on July 30, three days after his debut. So far, Goldlewis Dickinson is the only announced character for the Season 1 pass, which includes access to a total of five characters, two new stages, additional color palettes, and a bonus story mode. However, according to the video, the next fighter will be released sometime in August, with other additions coming later into 2021 and into early 2022.

Guilty Gear Strive has only been out for a month, and it's quickly become a popular entry in the series, selling over 500,000 copies worldwide. In our full review, we gave the game an 8/10 and stated: "Like all Guilty Gears, [Strive] is a game of extremes. If you've tried the series and fallen off because of its complexities, I wouldn't expect a different outcome. If you're up for a challenge, or just want a cool, sharp-looking fighting game to mess around with, Strive knows all the right moves."