Basic Notation and Controller Layout

Guilty Gear uses a unique 5 button layout. Any Capcom configuration (6 button) arcade stick can be used for Guilty Gear; all that needs to be done is the deactivation of the bottom center button (either by mapping buttons via software or manually taking the button out).

Layout is as follows:
(K) (S) (H)
(P) (x) (D)

P is Punch, K is Kick, S is Slash, H is Heavy Slash, and D is Dust.

R is Respect, which allows you to taunt. On a cabinet, this is always mapped to the Start button, though on console arcade sticks some people map it to the bottom center button (or, don't map it at all).

Guilty Gear uses standard Japanese joystick notation for it's inputs. Japanese notation refers to input directions by numbers on the numpad. This way, inputs are not only much easier to type out, but also much easier to understand (many input sequences in Guilty Gear are unique to the game, so it's hard to put things into terms of QCF or QCB sometimes).

For examples sake, here's a diagram comparing typical joystick notation (left) to Japanese notation (right):

(JB) (J) (JF) (7) (8) (9)

(B) (S) (F) (4) (5) (6)

(CB) (C) (CF) (1) (2) (3)

So, if you were to type out a QCF motion in this manner, you would type 236 instead. Even though in that particular example the notation may not have made the input seem clearer to understand, in many other cases it will; 6321412 is the input command for Venom's Dark Angel, whereas HCB -> QCF is just a useless command.

Hopefully this has made it clear enough to understand, because all of the character's movesets are typed this way (I'll also translate inputs in the Basic and Intermediate Gameplay sections if you still don't quite understand what it is). On a side note, it is a good idea to understand this type of notation, in that it is used in other games such as the Virtua Fighter series.

Movement

Guilty Gear uses many of the same basic movement inputs as most other 2D fighters.

Move forward: Hold Forward (6)
Move backward: Hold Backward (4)
Run/Dash: Press Forward twice (66) (some characters can't run, and except for Potemkin, they all have a short dash)
Backdash: Press Backward twice (44)
Guard: Hold Backward (4) during an opponent's attack
Crouch Guard: Hold Down-Backward (1) during an opponent's attack
Crouch: Hold Down (2)
Jump: Press Up (8)
Double/Triple Jump: Press Up (8) during Jump (some characters can do this twice)
Super Jump: From the ground, quickly press Down (2) then Up (8)
Air Dash: Press Forward twice (66) or Backward twice (44) after a jump

Basic Gameplay

TENSION METER

• The most important element of the game is the Tension Meter. Unlike some other games, in which the "Super Meter" can only be used for super moves, the Tension Meter is essential to use several different techniques on both offense and defense. Techniques that use the tension meter (which will be covered later) include Force Break, Faultless Defense, Overdrive, Roman Cancel and Force Roman Cancel. Robo-Ky is the only character who does not have a Tension Meter; he has an Electric Gauge instead.

BURST METER

• The Burst Meter is one distinguishing feature of Guilty Gear that adds an entire new dimension of depth to the gameplay. Using your Burst has two uses; offensively, you can use it to bait your opponent (if you land an offensive Gold Burst, you gain full tension); while defensively, you can use it to escape combos, pressure and traps. To use your Burst, simultaneously press Dust and any other attack button. The Burst Meter slowly regains once used (it regains faster if you're being hit a lot), and it remains the same between rounds. In certain circumstances (such as throws and successful Overdrives), your Burst meter will become unusable, even if it's full. When this happens, there will be a large red X over the Burst meter. Keep in mind that there are such things as bad Bursts, and using your Burst isn't always the best option in a given situation.

OVERDRIVE

• Guilty Gear's Super Art, so to speak. A character specific input that initiates an incredibly powerful move that uses 50% of the Tension Meter. Some characters have Overdrives which can only be used on a successful Force Break (such as Johnny's Return Jackhound). While Overdrives are powerful, they should be used only when necessary, as they use 50% of the tension meter.

FORCE BREAK

• New to Accent Core is the Force Break, a character specific input that initiates a powerful move using 25% of the Tension Meter. For some characters, their Force Breaks are new versions of one of their moves from Slash, the previous iteration of Guilty Gear (such as Johnny's Jackhound), while for others they're new moves entirely (such as Slayer's Big Bang Upper). Force Breaks add a new element of depth to Accent Core, allowing players to do more when they're at an advantage early in the round.

ROMAN CANCEL

• Romantic Cancel (Roman Cancel for short) is a universal input of any three attack buttons except Dust (so P+K+S, K+S+H, and P+K+H, respectively) at the successful connection of any move (guarded moves as well) that cuts the recovery time of the move off at a cost of 50% tension. Roman Cancelling can be useful for some characters for continuing combos, while in other instances it can help to make moves that would otherwise be dangerous slightly less risky. Though it is an incredibly useful technique, it uses 50% tension, and likewise should only be used when necessary. A successful Roman Cancel will result in red circles temporarily rotating around your character and the word "romantic" spoken from the announcer.

FORCE ROMAN CANCEL

• Unlike Roman Cancels, which can be done during the recovery of any connected move, Force Roman Cancels can only be done on specific moves, and must be done within a certain period of time. The input is the universal input of any three non-Dust buttons (like the Roman Cancel). The easiest Force Roman Cancels (or FRC's for short) have a long window of time for the input (4 frames for Baiken's Tatami Gaeshi FRC), while the hardest FRC's have a input window of only 1 frame (such as I-No's Chemical Love FRC). FRC's are useful for setting up combos that would otherwise be impossible, and are preferable to Roman Cancels in many cases due to the fact that they only cost 25% tension. On home console versions, the Training Mode will have an option for an input bar on screen. When turned on, the input bar will quickly flash blue during the window of time certain moves can be FRC'd. This is an extremely useful tool in getting the timing down for the more difficult FRC's. A successful FRC will result in blue circles temporarily rotating around your character and the word "romantic" spoken from the announcer.

FAULTLESS DEFENSE

• To input Faultless Defense (FD for short), simply hold back (4) on the joystick and any two attack buttons except Dust. When FD'ing, you take no chip damage from your opponents moves, and they are pushed back further than during a regular guard. However, Faultless Defense gradually reduces tension, and contrary to it's name, does nothing to protect you from throws and low attacks (unless you're FD'ing low). You will know when you're in Faultless Defense when you see green circles rotating around your character.

SLASHBACK

• New to Accent Core, the Slashback offers players a new way to defend themselves under pressure. To input Slashback, simply hold back (4) and alternate between pressing S and HS quickly. A successful Slashback requires very strict timing, but will drastically reduce the guardstun of any move. However, a failed Slashback will result in a yellow circle emitting from your character, and will prevent you from guarding for a short period of time.

THROW BREAKS

• Another new addition to Accent Core, the Throw Break allows you to escape your opponents' throws by predicting their timing. To input a Throw Break, press forward/backward (6/4) and HS simultaneously as your opponent does. When successful, you will see a purple light emit between both characters, and they will both temporarily be in their defensive positions until the Throw Break is over. This is extremely useful to prevent taking damage against characters that rely on their throws to land damage. Throw Breaks do not work on Command Throws such as Potemkin's Potemkin Buster.

INSTANT KILLS

• Don't worry, it's not as bad as it sounds. Instant Kills (IK's) in Guilty Gear are not by any means easy to land, and if thrown out recklessly result in your Tension Meter disappearing for the rest of the round. Quite frankly, if you get hit by any character's IK, you deserved it. They're all terrible moves that can all easily be avoided by simply guarding them (with the exception of Order Sol's Level 3 Overdrive and May's IK, as it's a command grab) and really, are almost never a viable option under any circumstance. The only times IK's are used are if the opponent is dizzy and can't struggle out quickly enough or if the opponent is completely inept and doesn't know how to guard. To activate your character's IK, press P+K+S+HS simultaneously. If your character has a red outline and the tension meter has been replaced by a IK meter, you are in IK mode. Your IK meter acts as a timer and is correspondent to your Tension Meter upon activation (ie: if your Tension Meter is full, your IK meter is full too). Once your IK meter is depleted, your character starts to lose health until IK mode is either deactivated (by pressing P+K+S+HS in IK mode), your IK is input, or your health meter is down to 1. In short, it's not something you want to use very often, as the risk often greatly outweighs the reward. A successful IK will result in the word "Destroyed" appearing on screen.

Intermediate Gameplay

DEAD ANGLE ATTACK

• An alternative to Faultless Defense and Slashbacks, Dead Angle Attacks (DAA) are moves done from the defensive position that consume 50% Tension. To input a DAA, press forward (6) and any two attack buttons except Dust. Your character will turn white for a brief moment as the attack is executed. DAA's are only useful under certain circumstances, and shouldn't be relied on heavily due to the fact that they use half tension.

DUST

• The Dust attack is a slow, high-hitting attack that when landed on a standing or crouched opponent, launches them into the air for a long period of time, allowing you to follow up with combos that do more damage than normal. After a successful Dust, you can chase your opponent by inputting up (8). By pressing Dust in the air, you initiate an Aerial Dust, which differs between characters.

RECOVERY

• At the end of techable moves or combos, you can regain your character's balance by pressing any attack button while falling midair. This is an incredibly important technique, as it often prevents you from taking unnecessary damage. By inputting a direction on the joystick as well as any attack button, you can recover in different directions (also useful to prevent being thrown or attacked upon landing).

INSTANT BLOCK

• Similar to Just Defend in SNK games, Instant Block is what the name tells you; an instant block. Press back (4) just as your opponent's attack connects; if your Instant Block was successful, the guardstun of the move is reduced. This is a very difficult technique to master, as the timing is different for every move, but if utilized properly, can be an incredible defensive tool. A successful Instant Block will result in your character to turn white briefly.

TECHABLE COMBOS

• While some combos are always techable (able to recover from), this term refers to combos that would normally result in knockdown, but become techable due to either the player's poor timing of the input and/or the other player's failure to tech before the combo started. When the Beat Counter turns black during a combo, that combo becomes techable, and will not result in guaranteed knockdown. The easiest way to prevent your combos from becoming bad is to memorize the timing.

INSTANT AIR DASH

• To input Instant Air Dash (IAD), push the joystick to the up-forward, neutral, then forward positions (956). This allows your character to Air Dash without having to do a standard jump, thus cutting the amount of time required to Air Dash down to less than half. You can also IAD backwards by inputting up-back, neutral, then back positions (754).

TIGER KNEE

• Tiger Knee'ing moves in Guilty Gear is a way to use aerial special attacks on the ground by adding a jump input before you press the attack button to execute the move. For example, Sol's Sidewinder is 236+H and can only be used in the air. However, if you were to input 23698+H on the ground, you would end up doing the shortest possible jump just before the Sidewinder. This is one of the most useful techniques in the game, as some characters have many more options available on the ground if they use TK'd moves (though ironically enough, Sidewinder is a move that almost never lands when Tiger Knee'd, so just take it at face value as an example for example's sake). The term Tiger Knee refers to Sagat's original Tiger Knee input in the original version of Street Fighter 2, which was 23698+K.

ADVANCED GAMEPLAY

Unfortunately, advanced level play cannot be spoken of in generalities; everything from here on out is character specific. Head on over to the Character Movelist and Strategy section.