'Guilty Gear Strive' Reveals 15th Character, Likely To Have Tag-Team Mode; Beta Period Extended

After providing exclusive access for fighting game community (FGC) personalities, influencers and people who preordered digital copies, the "Guilty Gear Strive" beta client was launched on Feb. 18. Over the weekend, the developers – Arc System Works – also unveiled the final character to complete the initial roster.

Amid the server issues encountered by players since the start of the beta, the game studio tweeted an update Saturday. It urged fans to watch the live stream of the Japan Fighting Game Publishers Roundtable for a big announcement. It turned out to be the debut of I-No, the 15th fighter in the lineup.

Along with the updated visuals in "Guilty Gear Strive," characters also received redesigns. I-No's appearance remains familiar with minor tweaks made to her outfit. She now sports a pair of glasses with a slightly less revealing attire. The game's trailer also shows what seems to be a tag-team game mode.

But this might be limited to a "story specific boss fight," EventHubs reported. The trailer shows Ky Kiske and Sol Badguy in a match against I-No. The video ends when she executes one of her Overdrives, which then cuts to a "Guilty Gear Strive" banner before it finishes.

The open beta was originally scheduled to end on Sunday, but due to the issues, Arc System Works extended it till 9:59 a.m. ET, Tuesday. It might be extended again if the servers encounter problems again.

The characters playable right now are Axl, Sol, Ky, Potemkin, Millia, Chipp, Zato-1, Faust, May, Leo, Ramlethal, Giovanna and Naogriyuki. I-No and Anji Mito are unplayable during the open beta.

"Guilty Gear Strive" is slated to launch soon with a base roster of 15 characters and more in the form of paid DLC content. Fans of the long-running franchise speculate that Arc System Works still has more gameplay mechanics to share, such as the Instant Kill attacks and others. The game comes out on April 6 for PS5, PS4, and Windows PC users.