I’ll be focusing on the Guilty Gear franchise, a fighting game series by Arc System Works. The first game was published in 1998 and has continued to make sequels and spinoffs. The game I’d like to focus on is the second installment Guilty Gear XX.
![Guilty Gear XX #Reload All Characters [PS2] - YouTube](https://i.ytimg.com/vi/ADTjyzfrcLs/maxresdefault.jpg)
Guilty Gear’s aesthetic comes from its heavy metal influence. The character select screen makes it abundantly clear the edgy and violent feel of the game, and the characters reflect the feel.
As a fighting game, the characters have to contrast with the backgrounds in order to stick out during gameplay. Along with the characters on the screen, a health bar and super meter is kept in a place where it’s visible at all times regardless of the character’s position. They maintain an essential part of the mechanics of the game while still staying true to the games narrative of rock and metal.
![AD 2172 | Guilty gear, Guilty, Threat](https://i.pinimg.com/originals/08/d2/64/08d264ca856caff70d5604df1acae79f.png)
The world of Guilty Gear is a mix of both the new and old, with the in-game lore exploring magic and ancient artifacts that give people power. Despite the simple premise of a fighting game, the creators made it clear to its audience that there is indeed a story behind it.