Fighting games have generated controversy since the Arcade and SNES times. Boomers like me always keep in their hearts the classic struggle between Street Fighter II and Mortal Kombat, which then expanded to other games of the same genre, like Samurai Showdown or Fatal Fury. 

This ongoing battle continues into our current era, emerging alongside more contemporary games such as Guilty Gear and BlazBlue. In the following sections, we'll delve into these two franchises for a closer examination.

• Release Date: April 26, 2017

• Developer: Arc System Works

• Publishers: Arc System Works | Aksys Games | PQube

• Platforms: Arcade, Microsoft Windows, PlayStation 3, PlayStation 4, Nintendo Switch

• Metascore: 84

BlazBlue is a fighting game released for the first time in 2008. Although, at first glance, it can look very similar to the Guilty Gear series (both are developed for the same studio), BlazBlue has gained a lot of popularity, especially in Japan and the United States. In the country of the rising sun, its popularity is such that it has been adapted to manga and anime.

Currently, BlazBlue has four games following the main storyline of the franchise and over ten spin-offs that expand the borders of the series and take protagonists and other characters for several paths.

In a nutshell, BlazBlue is a furious fighting game that has taken a lot from Guilty Gear and other franchises like Dragon Ball games and GrandBlue Fantasy Versus. Still, BlazBlue’s game mechanics make this saga a frenetic and dizzy one, where skills and character control are the cornerstones of success. Besides, the character designs are awesome since they stand out due to their charisma and style.

BlazBlue: Centralfiction Steam CD Key is available on RoyalCDKeys.

• Release Date: June 11, 2021

• Developer: Arc System Works

• Publisher: Arc System Works

• Platforms: Arcade, PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, Microsoft Windows

• Metascore: 85

Guilty Gear is an acclaimed fighting game franchise with more than twenty-five years of existence. The first game of the series was released in 1998 for PlayStation, and since then, six games of the main storyline have been released, and several updated versions and spin-offs.

Guilty Gear and BlazBlue have a mutual developer. In consequence, both titles feature a similar visual style and perspective about the fighting experience, with memorable characters and corybantic gameplay.

With its latest launch, Guilty Gear Strive touches the top of its creation and visual development, mixing in an incredible way anime aesthetics and fighting mechanics. Guilty Gear also possesses incredible music and great imagery that most people who love fighting games will adore.

Moreover, like other older games of the genre, Guilty Gear laid the foundation for fighting games. Nowadays, most of them are strongly based on Guilty Gear’s features, which we’ll discuss in the subsequent sections.

GUILTY GEAR: STRIVE Steam CD Key is available on RoyalCDKeys.

Let’s compare Guilty Gear Strive and BlazBlue Central Fiction from six different points of view. Even though they can look like similar games, there are multiple differences worth mentioning.

There is no mystery in this question. Since Arc System Works developed both games, they share a similar visual style, aesthetic, and graphics. Indeed, both games deal out an anime style with completed animated characters, which really nurture the action and fights.

BlazBlue and Guilty Gear were designed in an HD 2D style that provides great expression and charisma to the gameplay. However, BlazBlue includes a visual novel style through which the storyline connects with the gameplay. In both parts of the game, the narration and fights are kept in the same language, achieving a continuing flow that keeps you interested in what is happening.

Guilty Gear, regardless of its similarities with BlazBlue, has a smoother visual style with better-achieved surroundings and visual effects. Characters and movements flow better, and every attack has better animations.

Verdict. Guilty Gear boasts a well-achieved and refined visual style with impressive visuals mixing 3D and 2D models.

Guilty Gear and BlazBlue characters stand out for their glamor, magnetism, and incredible design. If we go by the number of characters, BlazBlue stands out over Guilty Gear since the first has a total of 36 playable fighters, while Guilty Gear has 25 playable characters. 

Still, in honor of the truth, the characters of Guilty Gear are more recognizable since it has been in the market longer. Characters like Sol Badguy, I-No, and Chipp Zanuff are in the collective imagination of the video game industry, standing among the most popular, like Ryu, Chun-Li, or Sub-Zero.

Although BlazBlue Central Fiction has more characters, and most have a great style, they often seem pretty similar, with a predominant Japanese theme. The main character, Ragna the Bloodedge, looks like a mix of Dante from Devil May Cry and Cloud Strife from Final Fantasy VII, which is a double-edged sword. Nevertheless, they also feel very fresh and dynamic, with great animations and special moves, which we will talk about in the following paragraphs. Finally to say that all BBCF characters require a lot of practice once you start getting into the deep end of things.

Verdict. Both titles boast interesting characters. Still, BlazBlue Central Fiction has funny characters with great charisma and attitude.

Since both titles are played very similarly, analyzing movements and combos is pretty difficult. Besides, most of the time, fighting games are heavily based on these mechanics. Thus, defining what is a better game involves mentioning which has better fighting mechanics.

According to my experience, BBCF has more options for attacking and defending and better general response. However, since it’s a game from a different time, it has high execution barriers, and it can feel a bit rusty. Still, the game flows better than most contemporary fighting games, including famous ones like Tekken and Mortal Kombat. BlazBlue also has dynamic character kits, and its movements are highly creative, with a high ceiling for potential skill.

Combos in Guilty Gear Strive are probably a little harder to execute than those of its counterpart due to the diversity of options. Strive features the “Roman Cancel,” a special mechanic that allows players to cancel a final motion of a movement to perform more moves, apply pressure, or dish out more combos. There are four types of Roman Cancels. Each has a unique effect on the player and the enemy.

Things can be a bit difficult to understand and manage since Using the Tension Gauge is a bit hard. Mechanics may be overwhelming, but if you control them, Strive is highly satisfying.

Verdict. Guilty Gear Strive is more complex and encourages you to play as a master by practicing every day.

If you love Guilty Gear or the BlazBlue franchise, then you’ve already noticed that both games share colorful scenarios, lights, and motions. Both titles stand out due to their great visual aesthetics and location designs.

On one side of the balance, Guilty Gear presents 3D locations, mostly in open scenarios that catch the eye at first glance. What’s more! When presenting every battle, the location is showcased from a bird's perspective, clarifying all the details, colors, shapes, and life of the surroundings. Moreover, locations in Guilty Gear Strive look more versatile and different between them. In a few words, Strive is very pleasant to watch.

BlazBlue Central Fiction, on the other hand, features scenarios in more confined environments, inside caves, castles, or inside the ground. But this is not necessarily bad since they are beautifully achieved, with magnificent illumination and a palette of colors. In this sense, locations in BBCF are more atmospheric, reflecting perfectly the ambiance of the fight. Consequently, the match looks more integrated with the surroundings.

Verdict. I believe that the art of the locations is better in BlazBlue Central Fiction and one of the best elements of the game.

Guilty Gear Strive continues with the events that occurred in Guilty Gear Xrd. It’s the culmination of the Guilty Gear saga, at least which we know until now, the end of the story of Sol Badguy looking for a fight against Asuka R. Kreutz. The plot of Strive takes the player to different locations within the city of Washington, D.C. It’s an intricate story with multiple characters involved and deep secrets that will drive you to discover Happy Chaos, a powerful magic user that will release death.

BlazBlue Central Fiction is also the final chapter of the initial part of the series. The events of BBCF are set immediately after the events of BlazBlue: Chrono Phantasma, and it's the last chapter with Ragna as the protagonist. BBCF features a non-linear story, so it’s the job of the player to piece all the parts together. The general plot happens in 23 Hierarchical Cities built after the Dark War, but the story is a bit cryptic and hermetic, making it difficult to understand.

Verdict. Basically, Guilty Gear Strive boasts a more comprehensive plot and story, and it’s a good ending point for the franchise that the fan will love.

In general terms, both games work great, with a lot of action happening simultaneously without performance problems. This is because the same studio developed BlazBlue Central Fiction and Guilty Gear Strive. In this sense,  both titles do not differ too much regarding effects, performance, and general gameplay. Consequently, attacks, defenses, combos, and even special features like the Instant Kill of Strive look and feel fresh and smooth, as if you’re watching an anime in real time.

However, BlazBlue Central Fiction has a lower FPS rate. This way, characters seem to move slower than the characters of Guilty Gear Strive. I know this is just a personal appreciation – and I don’t know if it’s a design decision to give a particular character to the gameplay – but sometimes it feels like there are some frames missed out.

Although it does not really disturb the general experience in BBCF, I guess the velocity and sense of vertigo of Guilty Gear Strive feel a little better. It makes this title a complete fighting experience and fulfills the general idea of how a fighting game should be.

Verdict. Guilty Gear Strive boasts amazing gameplay that works really well and facilitates the control of the characters and what you see on the screen.

If you do not have enough money or you do not really know anything about fighting games, we recommend you start with Guilty Gear Strive. GG is a good franchise and chapter to begin in this genre. Its speed and technical combos are highly satisfying as well as facing interesting opponents with totally different attacks. Strive is the perfect practice for becoming a master of fighting games. Then, you can pass to the BlazBlue franchise and start with some of its games, like the Cross Tag Battle and the Central Fiction mentioned above. No doubt, the final game of this saga will take you to another level of the fighting experience.

Still, if you’re eager to live a different fighting experience, remember that in RoyalCDKeys we have multiple and motley fighting games, including the current best on the market, such as Mortal Kombat, Injustice, Jump Force, and much more.