For over twenty years, the Guilty Gear series has been synonymous with amazing visuals and ridiculous character designs in the realm of fighting games. Well, that and head-scratching titles. This is the series that gave us such games as Guilty Gear XX Accent Core Plus R and Guilty Gear Xrd: Sign. Now they’re giving us something a little less weird with Guilty Gear Strive at the tail end of 2020. Much like its predecessors, it’s a damn beautiful-looking game.
Outside of a yet-unnamed character from the initial trailer, the announced characters are all returning mainstays who have been around since the very first game: Sol Badguy, Ky Kiske, May, Axl Low, Chipp Zanuff, and Potemkin.
The latest trailer, revealed at the conclusion of the Frosty Faustings fighting game tournament, shows off fan-favorite whacko Faust, only…he seems really creepy now. Just very disturbing in comparison to his previous Mary Poppins personality.
Faust was introduced in the first Guilty Gear as Dr. Baldhead. Once the world’s most skilled physician, his mind broke when a surgery went wrong and the patient – a little girl – died for seemingly no reason. He went on a mindless rampage and killed many until his delusions led to a moment of clarity as the voice of the girl forgave him and told him to move on. His head was cleared, but he was horrified by his blood-soaked actions. He started wearing a paper bag over his head as a disguise and went around the world as a traveling doctor, saving lives whenever needed.
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Eventually, he discovered that the little girl’s death was neither his fault nor a random tragedy, but the work of assassin Zato-1 as part of a conspiracy. Apparently, Baldhead’s life-saving skills were so advanced that he was on the border of discovering the secrets of resurrection and certain higher powers wanted that kind of information off the table.
So why is Faust so dark and creepy now? It’s hard to say. Maybe his bloodlust from his Baldhead days has returned. Maybe he’s possessed by the same evil spirits that once turned Zappa into their puppet. The others better just hope that the good doctor is still the GOOD doctor.
Faust also rated as #2 on our ranking of the entire Guilty Gear roster.
Gavin Jasper writes for Den of Geek and wishes Faust would get the guest fighter treatment. Put him in Tekken or something. We need more Faust. Read more of Gavin’s stuff here and follow him on Twitter @Gavin4L