GGXRD is a great game that lands in-between the complexity of Accent Core +R and Strive, this is the one that really got me into fighting games! It's what kicked off Arcsys' now iconic style of 3D action, and even compared to GGST, XRD has its own charm style and charm in that emulates anime in every way, low frame counts and all.

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On release Xrd had a mixed reception, but it's become a bit of a classic today. The game finds a nice sweet spot between classic and modern fighting game design trends, sanding away some of the edges from ACPR (1~3f FRCs, Slashback, no input buffer etc.) and removes a few mechanics that arguably bloated previous games such as Force Break. A few additions are made to make up for the removals, each significantly relaxing the execution requirement for playing the game.

For all the changes it made to GG to make it more approachable, some may feel it goes too far, while others might argue it doesn't go far enough. Each character having a unique wakeup timing is a holdover from previous games that doesn't have many fans, as well as needing to mash buttons to recover in midair instead of a hold-to-tech system implemented in many games of this era.

YRC is also a polarizing mechanic that seems to make or break people's enjoyment of the game. Being able to cancel anything in a very generous window with only 25 meter creates powerful neutral skip tools, offense, and option selects that give the game a tense, offensive, swingy quality. This resembles the fun of FRCs from previous games without the difficult execution requirement, however the resulting screen freeze from YRC can give the game a "choppy" feeling, the flow of a match halting for a split second often as players YRC back and forth. Because of the strength of YRC, the player who has more meter often has the advantage, regardless of how much health they have remaining. PRC and RRC can achieve the same effect, but for double the meter cost, making it a powerful but costly option for correcting mistakes or applying offense.


Overall: In Xrd you'll find a super satisfying fighting game from the 09'er era that isn't quite as arcane as older GG's and not quite as toned down as Strive!

GGXRD is a great game that lands in-between the complexity of Accent Core +R and Strive, this is the one that really got me into fighting games! It's what kicked off Arcsys' now iconic style of 3D action, and even compared to GGST, XRD has its own charm style and charm in that emulates anime in every way, low frame counts and all. ✨✨✨ On release Xrd had a mixed reception, but it's become a bit of a classic today. The game finds a nice sweet spot between classic and modern fighting game design trends, sanding away some of the edges from ACPR (1~3f FRCs, Slashback, no input buffer etc.) and removes a few mechanics that arguably bloated previous games such as Force Break. A few additions are made to make up for the removals, each significantly relaxing the execution requirement for playing the game. For all the changes it made to GG to make it more approachable, some may feel it goes too far, while others might argue it doesn't go far enough. Each character having a unique wakeup timing is a holdover from previous games that doesn't have many fans, as well as needing to mash buttons to recover in midair instead of a hold-to-tech system implemented in many games of this era. YRC is also a polarizing mechanic that seems to make or break people's enjoyment of the game. Being able to cancel anything in a very generous window with only 25 meter creates powerful neutral skip tools, offense, and option selects that give the game a tense, offensive, swingy quality. This resembles the fun of FRCs from previous games without the difficult execution requirement, however the resulting screen freeze from YRC can give the game a "choppy" feeling, the flow of a match halting for a split second often as players YRC back and forth. Because of the strength of YRC, the player who has more meter often has the advantage, regardless of how much health they have remaining. PRC and RRC can achieve the same effect, but for double the meter cost, making it a powerful but costly option for correcting mistakes or applying offense. Overall: In Xrd you'll find a super satisfying fighting game from the 09'er era that isn't quite as arcane as older GG's and not quite as toned down as Strive!