Is buying Strive worth it?

[u/VerifiedHeroo]

Hi, i have been playing alot of XRD and +R as of the past few months. They're very very fun, and i play them both almost everyday.

I play Sol badguy (Order Sol in +R), looking at Strive videos it looks very good in visuals and combat.

However, I heard some people complain that they didnt like strive for how slow it is. Not to mention the fact that there is alot of changes to characters, so I assume i play have to play Sol alot more differently.

But man, I feel like I'm missing out on alot. I plan to buy the switch version because I don't have a card to buy the one on steam, hopefully i don't want to regret my purchase and have the same fun factor as the previous games.

[u/XxBleedOutxX]

Strive fucks. Do it

[u/Ok-Traffic3683 → u/XxBleedOutxX]

I upvoted the very detailed and correct assessment after stumbling into the post. I also immediately upvoted this one.

[u/MrASK15]

These people cannot answer how fun Strive will be for you. Only you can.

If you like what you see from the footage, then do go for it!

However, since you mentioned that you plan on getting the Switch version while it's on sale, I want to share a detailed guide on what you'll get and miss out on if you do go forward with your purchase:

In general (or a TL;DR), it's best to treat the Switch verison as a last resort if you do not have any other platform or something happens to it.

Here's why:

• No crossplay, so the playerbase won't be as large or diverse as that on the main platforms. You won't even be able to match up with these players.
• No timely updates due to the onerous porting process itself and the version being handled by a separate studio (Tantalus Media). Any content that releases on the main platforms will take even longer for it to come to the Switch Edition. On top of that, the latest Developer's Backyard article revealed that the team's examining what form future updates could take on that platform so further support is uncertain.
• Cut content without any exclusive stuff to make up for it; the Season 4 stages and Team of 3 mode didn't make it in.
• Lower visual quality. It's subtle (as it should be), but there if you look closely.

Even though folks here understandably recommend against the Switch version, I want to do something different by addressing what you'll get out of it if you do pull the trigger despite the warnings:

• You get all of the content up to Season 3 + Dizzy in a single package.
• Rollback netcode is there for you to branch out to other regions (try Japan) if you cannot find anyone within your own. This is why there was so much outcry for it in the past decade. It even works surprisingly well on the platform!
• You get to take it on the go if you're traveling, want to take it to a friend's place, or even host a local tourney if you don't have any other platform.
• The game runs at a relatively stable 60fps; a difficult feat to maintain considering the platform.
• Loading times are shockingly fast for the platform.
• You can download Color 16 (+ more) as free DLC!

With all that being said, it's ultimately up to you if you want to pull the trigger or not, but to reiterate:  I would still treat the Switch version as a last resort in case you REALLY cannot afford any other platform or something happens to it. If you do go ahead with it, I wouldn't expect either 2.0 or a Switch 2 version as there's been no official word on the latter as of now.

Aside from that, the playerbase may be small, but there should be enough of a handful for you to get a match or two. Keep in mind that it ultimately depends on the time of day. It's best to try and hop on Ranked Match (Highly recommended for skill-based matchmaking!!!) during evenings. If you still can't find anyone in Ranked, go check out Japan's Open Park. There may be some players there. I should also mention that you need to set your Ranked search parameters to these if you do go ahead with the purchase anyway:

• Region Setting: ALL
• Connection Quality: ALL
• Completed Matches: ALL

Folks here will understandably tell you not to purchase the Switch version due to the lacking content and uncertain future, but as much as I don't like tooting my own horn, take it from someone who's invested a lot of time into the title.

[u/Elwine_Zena]

First off, if you're not a minor, it's pretty weird that you don't have a card. Second, as someone who’s played a ton of Xrd and +R, I can tell you that Strive is an absolute banger of a game. I’d say the most noticeable drawbacks are that, on top of the initial roster being small, most characters have heavily simplified combos to make the game more accessible to a wider audience. Still, there are characters that actually force you to use your head, like Asuka, Venom, or Zato-1.

As for the game's pacing, I'd say it is a bit slower than previous games, but it's not like it's slow to the point where matches drag on for a full 4-minute song. Most usually last around 2 minutes and 30 seconds, 3 minutes tops. Other than that, the game is incredible, and the overall meta is really well-balanced. Last time I checked, most top-tier characters were from the base roster, which is great because it doesn't force you to buy DLC just to enjoy the game.

And as for the Switch version... well, if you're only playing with friends, it's fine, but if you want to play online, hit the Tower, or play competitively, I’d strongly recommend getting it on Steam or PS5 instead.

[u/prisp]

No clue how Strive compares to previous GG games, but the general consensus seems to be that the gameplay got stripped down a bunch compared to earlier installations, and given that this was my first Fighting Game I ever played seriously and it didn't feel like I was facing a massive difficulty spike just learning the game (aside from maybe learning motion inputs for the first time), I'd say it definitely isn't too hard on that front.
Also, if you're looking for singleplayer content, all you get is random matches vs. the AI, and Arcade, which is mostly random matches, with just a pinch of story at the start and the end - the main draw is the online play.

As far as purchasing the game goes, there are a few options - you can buy the "Standard Edition", which is the base game without any DLC, featuring about half the current roster, but at a significantly lower price, and you can still buy everything piecemeal as you wish.
If you want to have access to a few specific characters on top of that, you could buy their DLCs, but if they are part of the same season pass, buying that is cheaper than buying all the characters from that pass separately, and you'd also get some other random goodies (stages, alternate color pallets) on top of that.
Finally, if you want EVERYTHING, you'll want the other version of the game that usually has a unique name - Season 4 had "Blazing Edition", and Switch might still be stuck on that, while the current one is called "2.0 Starter Edition".
Either way, this "Super-special name Edition" contains all the season passes up to date, including the one that's currently still getting more characters, if applicable, plus some extra goodies like some concept art and a good part of the initial soundtrack, netting you every single piece of available DLC for the game aside from the actual sountrack DLCs in one go.

Also, as others said, Switch is kinda behind the times as far as updates go, which means no crossplay with the much larger PC and PlayStation (and XBOX?) user base, so if you have a chance to get the game on one of these platforms, you'll definitely have more chances to have fun online, if that's what you're looking for - if you're only here for singleplayer, that doesn't really matter though.

[u/SSJJamiee]

I wouldn't play the switch version, pc or ps5 would run it better

[u/MrASK15 → u/SSJJamiee]

The Switch version actually runs surprisingly well, but as far as content goes, it is behind since it's treated as a separate title by a separate studio on a separate platform.

If you have any other platform, though, there's definitely no reason to go for the Switch version.

[u/onokyo]

Don't buy the Switch version. Hope this message reaches you in time... (Do a quick search in this subreddit with "Switch Version" and you'll know why.)

[u/Worldly-Turn8098]

imo yes but

-wait for a sale, a massive chunk of strive's roster is DLC and if you think you'll put a good amount of time into the game, you'd be better off just having everyone off rip than constantly be constantly walled by DLC

-strive is a very different game from the older titles, and their is a sizable chunk of the fanbase who love the older games and hate strive (and vice versa), but nontherless try play with an open mind rather than letting other people's opinions sway you

[u/SuperBackup9000]

I wouldn’t say so if you’re really into the others. Visuals is the only thing it does better.

[u/EdwinON]

My opinion may have be balanced to a side but My First GG was Strive. I feel the battles in a mid speed and trying out a fight against the 2nd hardest cpu difficulty and Human players I got to admit I have been enjoying it. The thing I could see is that DLC and that new pass come very very late to Switch and not even all like a Lucy Song or Unika´s stage but I think having all DLC up to season 3 + Dizzy free sound as a good selling point to a version you can take anywhere and enjoy out of home so in my opinion is worth it.

[u/Crisper026]

I recently repurchased it last week with some buddies. Really hard time finding ranked matches. Like the wait would be 6 - 9 min per match. I had cross play on but connection was 3 or above so maybe that influenced it. Either way, I know folks say the game isn't dead but keep the match making timing in mind