A.B.A and her weird key are coming to Guilty Gear Strive
Season Pass 3 of Guilty Gear Strive continues to deliver. Following up Johnny and Elphelt is the homunculus, A.B.A, and her one-way love interest, the demonic key, Paracelsus.
Is it ‘objectophilia’ if the object in question is a demon?
A.B.A will be playable on March 26, 2024, for $6.99, or “free” if players purchased the $24.99 Season Pass 3 DLC. The former loner comes with the coastal stage, “Fallen Prayer, Engulfed Lives.”
Introduced in the 2004 spin-off title, Guilty Gear Isuka, A.B.A would reappear in several other entries, with the last being Guilty Gear XX Accent Core Plus R in 2013. With over a decade since her last appearance, A.B.A has gone from a head of vibrant red to a green not all that dissimilar to oxidized copper. It’s a nice detail for longtime fans.
A.B.A makes use of a Jealousy Gauge system that employs well…a gauge that fills up with certain attacks and blocks. Once tapped, A.B.A gains a fitting amount of offensive power as she has increased movement speed and her normals, specials, and overdrive abilities are modified.
I love how Paracelus’ form changes depending on the attack and stance A.B.A uses with his golden face melting away and the teeth changing shape to resemble his axe form. Said form makes its appearance during “The Law is Key, Key is King” move.
Based on the starter guide published by Arc System Works, playing as A.B.A is all about managing that Jealousy Gauge. When it’s not active, A.B.A moves much slower and is more susceptible to whiffing attacks. I would imagine the key to her (no pun intended) is having a strong neutral game before opening up an onslaught on your opponent.
Either way, it’s another phenomenal character design from the dev team, and the animations, as always, are top-notch. I can’t wait to get ruthlessly stomped by her.
