Well then...shall we begin? It's time to take over the world. ― Chronus to the rest of the Conclave[src]
Guilty Gear Xrd -Sign- is the fifth main installment, and overall twenty-second entry, of the Guilty Gear series . Taking place about a year after Guilty Gear 2 -Overture-, this title and its follow-up continuation, Guilty Gear Xrd -Revelator-, are the third chapter in the main storyline.
It has been released for the RingEdge 2 arcade board in Japan exclusively, and on the PlayStation 3 & 4 consoles physically in Japan and North America, and digitally on Europe. Since December 2015, it is available on Steam as well.
The game features four main modes: Network Mode, Practice Mode, Battle Mode and Story Mode. The first allows online matches; Practice Mode features the regular Training feature, a Tutorial, Missions, and Challenges that focus on performing combos. The Battle Mode comprises the Arcade Mode, which unveils part of the game's Story Mode after the player defeats eight CPU opponents; the offline Versus mode against a second player or against the CPU, and the M.O.M Mode. The Story Mode presents the story as a film-like animation divided into several chapters for uninterrupted viewing. It can be paused at any time to investigate the Library Mode, a glossary of terms in the series. Players can also earn a number of achievements and badges.
The prologue, and the game itself, provides more details on the series' backstory: It was in 1999 that mankind discovered magic. But this very resource, meant to usher in world peace, was instead leveraged as a tool of war, and in time Gears were created. As if to condemn these thoughtless deeds, Gears developed a will of their own and turned their fangs upon humanity. The Crusades that followed ended when "the Destroyer", Justice, was defeated. Though man emerged victorious, many threats yet loom large in the shadows of that hard-fought peace, threatening to engulf the world. And so mankind must continue to atone for the sin of magic.
In October 21, 2187 at 12:12, Ramlethal Valentine declares war upon the entire world, a serious threat in the wake of the Baptisma 13 incident. Though Ramlethal is captured by teamwork of Sol Badguy's group with help from Elphelt Valentine, her declaration is revealed to be a distraction to enable the Conclave to activate the Cradle as part of their plan to revive Justice and remake the world in their image. Sol and his allies work to stop this while dealing with the mysterious Bedman who is working for the Valentine sisters' "mother".
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Notes: Characters in italics were console-exclusive until the Version 1.10 patch (March 19, 2015) added them to the arcade roster. (*) Unlocked by paying an amount of World Dollars(W$) in-game or via purchase from the PlayStation Store or Steam. (**) Was available to download for free from December 16, 2014 to January 5, 2015.
Development
The idea of a new Guilty Gear entry came about in 2008, but production only started in 2011,[1] when Arc System Works obtained the full rights to the Guilty Gear Series from Sega.[2] By mid-2012, development of Xrd -Sign- progressed to a full-scale production that concluded in 2013,[1] handled by a 25-member team in Arc System Works under the codename "Team Red" and with Daisuke Ishiwatari as a director.[1][3] The team opted to use Unreal Engine 3 because of several factors: the low price, the ease at which non-programmers could edit projects directly, and its development tools would let them to release the title on PlayStation 3 and 4.[1] Intended to be as accessible as possible to newcomers,[4]Xrd was meant to be a new start on the franchise or "reboot".[5]
The first trailer was shown to the public during the annual Arc System Works Festival on May 19, 2013.[6] Just as Overture dropped the traditional 2D sprites, Sign uses 3D cel-shaded models and environments,[7] intentionally expected to be visually impacting.[4] 3D cutaways, which gave "a more dramatic perspective",[8] were added to characters' special moves to showcase their work.[4] The team intended to design the characters as closely as possible to anime using Softimage, and used methods uncommon in 3D rendering to give the impression that it was hand-drawn, such as ignoring environment lighting,[1] using between 400-600 bones for character models,[9] cutting frames,[10] among other techniques.
Trivia
Prior to Xrd, most Guilty Gear main entries use variations of theme songs established in the character's first appearance. Xrd, however, introduced new themes for nearly all returning characters.
Unlike other main current Arc System Works fighting games, Story Mode has no 2D style mode, likely due to inconsistency of Sol's outfit between Arcade and Story Modes.
This is the second title in the series to receive an English voice cast, the first being Guilty Gear 2 -Overture-.
The game has been part of a collaboration with Lord of Vermilion III.[11]
