Guilty Gear -The Missing Link- Development

An expanded summary of the development of the first game in the Guilty Gear series, Guilty Gear -The Missing Link-. There is a lot known about the development of the game due to multiple pre-release articles, interviews and artbooks.

Development

Early illustration of Sol and Ky.

Daisuke Ishiwatari conceived the game before joining Arc System Works while he was in vocational school, having the whole plan for it worked out. With influences of the manga Bastard!!, Ishiwatari created the series hoping it would appeal not only to game fans but to anime fans too. After Ishiwatari entered the company, while working in other things for the company, one day he revealed to president Minoru Kidooka that he wanted to make a game in Street Fighter II-likeness.

With the president's acceptance, Ishiwatari started to work on it along with a cast of about twelve people, "Team Neo Blood". In 1996, it was publicly announced along with the characters, but actual development did not start until the company reached a point when they had a software development environment capable of handling the game. Starting sometime in 1997, the development cycle lasted about a year and a half. Early in development, the game was designed with rendered 3D visuals, but this was later replaced by hand-drawn artwork.

Ishiwatari was convinced that the game "should be something difficult". His main focus was to create a product that would satisfy its players, and that could "expand the possibilities of the game itself." A different layout of buttons, "one of the things that defined" the game, was necessary because "we wanted to come up with something different to the other games – it needed to be different." For this reason, Instant Kills were added; their function was to add tension to the fight as someone who was winning could be defeated suddenly, which is "something we really wanted to be a strong theme for the game."

Differences in the October 1995 article

Dengeki PlayStation Vol.10, (Oct. '95) pg.8-9.

• The story at this point was radically different, taking place 2000 years in the future where humanity fought bioweapons called "Majin" lead by a mysterious leader. After 30 years the war ended and the Holy Order fighting it disbanded, but 3 years later the leader's seal weakens and a tournament is organized to form a new Holy Order against this leader. Some of the characters had similarily different stories too.
• The game was planned to use pre-rendered 3D models for the graphics, similar to Donkey Kong Country.
• The name "Guilty Gear" was listed as a placeholder one.
• Has an early sketch of Sol and Axl fighting with a different UI.
• The characters have listed ages, unlike in the final game. Only Chipp's age of 22 matches age's given later in the series.
• Sol's design, while most similar to his final one, features a choker & a more detailed belt. His sword Fireseal has a slightly different design with a gray hand guard.
• May wields an axe instead of the final anchor and has black hair.
• Ky has a more detailed belt, with cross design on his "Hope" belt buckle. His origin is listed as Russian instead of French.
• Potemkin has a completely different outfit & wields an axe as his weapon. His origin is listed as Russian instead of being from the fictional nation of Zepp.
• Axl has a tattoo of the flag of The United Kingdoms.
• Millia has a completely different outfit & wields knives as her weapon. Her origin is listed as Brazilian instead of Russian.
• Kliff has a slightly more detailed design, with additional black belt-like details.
• Chipp has a different belt. His blade is given the name "Les Paul".
• Zato-1 has a different belt.
• Dr.Baldhead has a completely different outfit, which connects to his Chinese heritage.

Differences in the April 1996 article

Dengeki PlayStation Vol.19 (April '96) cover.

• The different UI found in the October 1995 article sketch is fully realised here.
• An early version of Sol's stage is seen, with a different time of day and different position for the statue of liberty.
• The pre-rendered 3D graphics talked about in the October 1995 article are seen in a more final state.
• The characters use the October 1995 designs. their final ones or in-between ones.
• Sol has 2 unused attacks, a leaping strike that fires a circle of fire and a punch of fire. Possibly 2 different frames of the same move.
• Zato-1 has an unused attack, where a shadow spike strikes upwards from his shadow. Possibly an early version of many different moves that look similar.
• Axl has a move that looks like an early version of his Byakue Renshou. Could also be a different unused move.

Differences in the November 1996 article

Dengeki PlayStation Vol.32, (Nov. '96) pg.14-15

• Pre-battle loading screen is different, with an orange background instead of the black found in the final game.
• The high quality and low quality character headshots were different artworks, instead of the same one in different resolutions like in the final game. The artwork used for Millia's & Sol's high quality and Sol's low quality headshots go unused.
• Potemkin and Zato-1 use most likely placeholder headshot of a skull. Both are named "Sol Badguy" in the UI likely as a placholder text.
• The UI is different, made-up of more basic shapes.
• Sol has an unused attack, a leaping strike that fires a circle of fire. Same one as in the April 1996 article.
• Potemkin has an unused attack, a punch with a similar animation to Judge Gauntlet he gained in later games. Most likely a normal attack.
• Zato-1 has an unused attack, where a shadow spike strikes upwards from his shadow. Possibly an early version of many different moves that look similar. Different from the April 1996 article one.

Cut-Content and Ideas

• Johnny was planned to be playable, but was scrapped due to small size of the development team.
• A "Space Cop" character modeled after Space Sheriff Gavan was considered, but scrapped due to not fitting into the world.
• Baiken was originally a man with black hair and earlier in development an armored warrior.
• The team came to the conclusion Instant Kills were an unneeded mechanic, but it was too late in development to remove them.

Gallery

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  Dengeki PlayStation Vol.10, (Oct. '95) pg.8-9.

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  Dengeki PlayStation Vol.10, (Oct. '95) pg.10-11.

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  Dengeki PlayStation Vol.10, (Oct. '95) pg.12-13.

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  Dengeki PlayStation Vol.10, (Oct. '95) pg.14-15.

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  Dengeki PlayStation Vol.19 (April '96) cover.

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  Dengeki PlayStation Vol.19, (April '96) pg.8-9

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  Dengeki PlayStation Vol.19, (April '96) pg.10-11

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  Dengeki PlayStation Vol.32, (Nov. '96) pg.14-15

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  TBA