Fighting Games Friday: The Gears, the Shodown, and the Iron Fist

To no surprise, there hasn’t been much fighting game news since Evo 2019 ended, where it felt like every fighting game developer and publisher showed up with something to announce. Since then, I’ve either relied on features or have skipped working on a post to discuss other games. With Tokyo Game Show happening this week, we’re getting back to a normal pattern.

One of the biggest showcases — if not the biggest showcase — from Evo was Arc System Works’ reveal of the next Guilty Gear game. The first trailer teased enough to have fans speculating for weeks about when it could take place in the franchise’s canon and the new gameplay features it could have. The vague statement from director, character designer, and music composer Daisuke Ishiwatari posted on the Arc System Works Twitter account only threw more fuel into the speculation fire. The TGS stream was an opportunity to share the first real bits of info since the reveal, with ArcSys teasing that it would have something notable on their Twitter account.

Needless to say, they didn’t make much of the opportunity. Japanese streams always have a lot of talking, but this one took it to another level. Much of the discussion was focused on analyzing the Evo reveal trailer, showing Sol Badguy, Ky Kiske, and the still-unnamed new character. It took several minutes before a new short new trailer could be shown.

The newest look further confirms how this installment will feature notable gameplay changes, as Sol and Ky performed moves and combos that weren’t possible in the Guilty Gear Xrd titles or other prior installments. It also reaffirmed that it will be a hell of a looker, showing the further visual heights the development team can achieve with this art style. The trailer ended by confirming May, whose return isn’t surprising thanks to how she’s been included in every installment thus far, but is welcome for fans who like seeing and playing her. It’s tough to tell if she’s older or not, since no one visibly ages in anime styles until they reach their 30s — ancient in anime years.

There wasn’t much here, but at least it won’t take long before we see the next trailer. We’ll get our next preview at CEOtaku, which will occur in Florida in two short weeks between September 27th and 29th. Given what happened here, you shouldn’t expect anything more than another tease, even if more than that could potentially be shown.

Free DLC character Shizumaru Hisame will arrive for Samurai Showdown on September 16th — Monday, specifically. Hisame was introduced to the series with Samurai Shodown III, and primarily uses a dangerous umbrella in battle. He was confirmed to be a free DLC character at Evo, meaning SNK works quickly. There are several characters remaining as part of the Season Pass, but hopefully SNK can afford to provide more free characters alongside them.

Meanwhile, the Switch version will launch on December 12th, though SNK isn’t generous enough to include the DLC with it. The extra characters will be available through a Season Pass or individually when it releases, just as they are with the PS4 and XB1 versions. The PC version will also launch sometime this fall, which should receive the same treatment as the Switch version regarding the DLC characters.

Tekken 7 received a bunch of new content this week with the start of its third season — both free and paid. The centerpiece is Zafina, returning from Tekken 6 and Tekken Tag Tournament 2. Her move set hasn’t changed much from previous games, and for good reason — she is in Tekken’s history. Her new techniques come from her Devil Bringer-like demon arm, where she’s possessed by Tekken 6 final boss Azazel. She has a brand-new outfit for this game, but some of her older outfits are available through the customization options.

As of the new patch, every other character has at least one new technique, and balance upgrades have been made. It’s also important to note that Lucky Chloe, everyone’s favorite character, has an idle stance that’s far more animated than before. The Season Pass also came with several new customization options for every other character, including glasses and long-awaited new hairstyles.

More characters and stages, including the much-awaited Leroy Smith and two more characters, are coming down the line. Other content coming with the Season Pass will be revealed down the line, so feel free to get in all your guesses before they’re shown.

The frequency with which fighting game news is provided is returning to pre-Evo pacing, and it won’t let up anytime soon. Next year will be a packed one for fighting game releases, the biggest of which will be the aforementioned new Guilty Gear and The King of Fighters XV. Don’t expect many breaks for Fighting Games Friday in the future.