The first version, Guilty Gear Xrd -SIGN-, was released for Sega's RingEdge 2 arcade board on February 20, 2014 in Japan, and the PlayStation 3 and PlayStation 4 on December 4, 2014 in Japan, December 16 that same year in North America, and June 3, 2015 in Europe. A Steam release would follow on December 9, 2015.
The second version, Guilty Gear Xrd -Revelator-, was released in arcades on August 25, 2015 in Japan, for Playstation 3 and 4 on May 26, 2016 in Japan, June 7, 2016 in North America, and June 10, 2016 in Europe, and on Steam on December 14, 2016.
The third and final version, Guilty Gear Xrd Rev2, was released in arcades on March 30, 2017 in Japan, for Playstation 3 and 4 on May 25, 2017 in Japan and May 26 that same year in North America and Europe, and on Steam on June 1, 2017.
Playable Characters
Italicized font indicates Downloadable Content or added in a future update.
- From Guilty Gear: The Missing Link: Sol Badguy, Ky Kiske, Millia Rage, Zato-1, May, Axl Low, Chipp Zanuff, Potemkin, Faust, Baiken
- From Guilty Gear X: Venom, Johnny, Jam Kuradoberi, Dizzy
- From Guilty Gear XX: I-No, Slayer
- From Guilty Gear 2: Overture: Sin Kiske, Raven
- New to Guilty Gear Xrd: Bedman, Ramlethal Valentine, Elphelt Valentine, Leo Whitefang, Jack-O', Kum Haehyun, Answer
This work shows examples of:
- 2½D: The game uses cel-shaded 3D models as opposed to traditional 2D sprites, allowing for less restrictive (and more spectacular) camera angles. Similar to to the Ultra Combos in Street Fighter IV, Dust attacks, certain Overdrives, and Instant Kills put this feature to good use.
- A particular thing to note is just how much the models have been made to look like sprites - perhaps the cleverest example is that, unlike most 3D model animation, the Xrd models lack animation interpolation or in-between frames - in short, they animate or move just like a sprite would. Not only does it make the gameplay feel a lot like a sprite-based fighting game of the future, but it's even strikingly used in the story mode, resulting in the cutscenes looking like what people thought "anime games" would look like in the 2000s, back in the 20th century.
- And Your Reward Is Clothes: In -REVELATOR-, you unlock alternate colors 7 through 17 by fishing for them at the pond in multiplayer lobbies. This doubles to the 24 alternate colors for each character in Digital Figure mode (where you can obtain the DLC colors).
- Announcer Chatter: The announcer is slightly more chatty than previous ones, right up to making remarks at the character select screen and during the Versus Character Splash."Get ready to rock!"
- Apathetic Citizens: Leo and the President talk about this happening after Ramlethal's capture.
- Armor-Piercing Question: In Xrd by Sin Kiske to Sol Badguy: It really hits home for the receiver - you can visibly see their realization upon hearing it."It's almost like you're telling me I shouldn't trust anybody, or just be a grumpy, lonely bounty hunter."
- Background Music Override:
- If, during the final round of the match, Ky gets knocked around enough that his ponytail comes undone, "Holy Orders III" from Overture starts playing.
- Sol's Dragon Install Overdrive has its own theme, "Ride the Fire", sounded off with a Metal Scream of "READY OR NOOOOOOOOOOOT!"note Even after Dragon Install wears off, the music will continue playing until the end of the round.
- Bad Future: I-No's stage takes place in the abandoned city streets of Babylon overrun by wolves. Also, you can spot the future Babylon stage from XX in the distance in the right corner.
- Big Bad Duumvirate: The United Nations' Senate and Ramlethal Valentine are in the alliance of convenience.
- Big Eater: The Neo New York stage features a large old man in the background, sitting back and eating from a bag full of hamburgers as he watches you fight. STRIVE reveals this man to be Goldlewis Dickinson's brother.
- Downloadable Content:
- -SIGN- had Leo Whitefang and Elphelt Valentine. Sin Kiske was also available on the stores but could also be unlocked via in-game currency.
- -REVELATOR- had Dizzy and Kum Haehyun. Raven was also available on the stores but could also be unlocked via in-game currency.
- Kinetic Novel: The main Story Mode is essentially one of these. Unlike past games, there are no branching paths, nor are there playable fights to break up the cutscenes and narration.
- Model Museum: An update for Rev2 added Digital Figure mode, allowing players to unlock figures of every major character in the game along with alternate poses, colors and even expressions, then set them up in any sort of diorama they like and take pictures of them in photo mode.
- Same Character, But Different: Zato was revived by the Conclave as a test run for their resurrection magic. However, as a side effect, his original personality is gone, along with memories of who he once was. Because of this, he's much nicer than he was before.
- Updated Re-release:
- -REVELATOR- contains the DLC for -SIGN- as well as a completely new story mode. It also adds Johnny, Jack-O' Valentine and Jam Kuradoberi to the roster.
- -Rev2- includes all the DLC for -REVELATOR-, adds Baiken and Answer to the roster, and adds three "Where Are They Now?" Epilogue episodes to the story mode.
