It’s been two months since the release of Street Fighter V. In spite of a rough launch week and a number of hotfixes intended to patch up some of the game’s missing or undertuned features, this latest installment in Capcom’s classic fighting game series has already sparked vibrant competitive scene. New characters are slated to join the roster each month until at least August, too. Alex, for example, entered the fray last month to the delight of classic Street Fighter fans. This month, he’ll be joined by one of the series’ mainstays: American soldier and renowned family man, Guile.
In the lore of Street Fighter, Guile is one of the original World Warriors from Street Fighter 2. He entered the tournament to avenge the death of his Air Force buddy and mentor, Charlie Nash, who was killed in the events of Street Fighter Alpha by tournament organizer M. Bison. He continued his search for Charlie in Street Fighter 4, and now appears to have found Charlie (now simply named Nash) in resurrected form among the cast of Street Fighter V.
Check out Guile’s trailer video below:
In terms of his playing style, Guile has historically been suited for patient fighters who like to play “lame;” while this sounds like a derogatory term, it’s a term of humble endearment for players who make careful use of normal and special moves to control the pace of a match. This is also the case with Street Fighter V’s iteration of Guile. But this time, he’s gained a few new tricks to spice up his old gameplan of throwing Sonic Booms from fullscreen over and over again.
Guile’s signature Sonic Boom is a slow-moving projectile grants him superior control over the match’s ground game, as he can follow his Sonic Booms in to gain ground or frustrate his opponents with a wall of projectiles. His Flash Kick, meanwhile, punishes any opponent too eager to jump over the sea of Sonic Booms.
New to Guile’s kit is the ability to enter a state called Faultless Move, which allows him to move while crouching. Because Guile’s moves require him to hold down to charge the move before releasing them, Faultless Move will allow Guile to charge while moving across the stage, which is intended to grant him a level of pace control never before seen in the character.
Guile’s V-Skill is called Sonic Blade. This move allows Guile to rapidly charge sonic energy and place a stationary projectile on the stage. In addition to dealing damage, the Sonic Blade has the power to empower any Sonic Booms that pass through it, thereby increasing their durability against other projectiles. Sonic Blade can be used as a flexible pressure tool that can make opponents respect him while recovering from a knockdown, as well as grant him the upper hand in projectile wars.
His V-Trigger is called Solid Puncher. This temporary power-up state fulfills the dream of any Guile player (or, for those who have played the Alpha series, brings back memories of Charlie’s Sonic Break): Guile is able to throw continuous Sonic Booms! How exactly this looks in a match has yet to be seen, but Guile can press different button strengths to create a barrage of varying Sonic Booms to keep his opponents at bay, or to pile on damage at the end of a combo.
Guile’s Critical Art is his classic Sonic Hurricane. The attack is simple in that it is a massive, multi-hit Sonic Boom. Sonic Blade, however, also empowers Sonic Hurricane by increasing its damage and duration.
As a throwback to Street Fighter 2, Guile’s Air Force stage will make its appearance as the game’s first DLC stage. Players can also choose to purchase it with 70,000 Fight Money (in-game currency). Those who own the Season Pass will receive the stage for free as a token of thanks from Capcom.
In addition, new improvements will be made to network play in the April update. Ragequitters will be getting their just desserts if they leave online matches one too many times in the form of a temporary lockout from matchmaking. They will also receive an in-game notification that will tell them of their penalty.
Though Capcom gave no specifics, players will purportedly have an easier time connecting to Battle Lounge lobbies. The restrictions on finding an opponent in online play will also be loosened. Currently, this is especially an issue for European players, and hopefully this will allow them to participate in more games than before.
You can read the full scoop on the update on Capcom’s official blog.
The April Update for Street Fighter V will receive a release date “very soon.” Stay tuned for more details.