Game:

Guilty Gear -STRIVE- (2021)

Duration: 18:37

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She can't hold back anymore!

So yeah, I had to get to I-No eventually...and I was not looking forward to it. I'll be blunt, I haven't enjoyed playing as I-No in any previous Guilty Gear and Strive isn't an exception. A time-traveling witch who loves messing with people, I-No was pretty infamous as the final boss of the Guilty Gear X series, and she becomes the main threat in Strive (though Nagoriyuki takes the role of Arcade mode's final boss here). I-No stands out from the cast with a unique hovering dash for her ground dash. Being able to instantly take to the air gives I-No remarkable pressure as her aerials often require blocking high...but who's to say she can't just dash and immediately crouch to trick the opponents into blocking high?! Moreso than most, I-No prefers the air...though in a more grounded game like Strive...she feels even more awkward to me than any other iteration. Not sure what the competitive consensus is but she might ACTUALLY be my worst character. I-No has some annoying moves, like Stroke the Big Tree (yep) which is a fast deceptive low, or Chemical Love, her music note projectile that you can manually guide up or down, and her super, Megalomania, is a powerful command grab if she lands it close...and still lets loose a series of projectiles even if she doesn't get the grab. Let's see how rough this session gets! BTW, for whatever reason ranked was barren when I hopped online so I went into the Parks instead, so these fights are with NO ranking chances on the line!

Set 1: Castle of the Silver Fleet
Ky (KilluaKira) vs. I-No (me)

This guy's level 11 but he seemed to really know what he was doing. Must have actually USED the training mode! I did a bit of manipulative editing here and cut out one game, mostly because I just wanted to show the one where I put up more of a fight. I'll still freely admit I was outmatched here. I just liked this set! Also, we have my favorite I-No line at 2:05 here. Ky is a married man, I-No!

Set 2: Original Time Square
May (Byzer) vs. I-No (me)

I don't have much to say here but....this match kinda shows me why people hate May so much I guess! I haven't run into her nearly as much as others, but yeah....dolphin is very good and strong. I mostly kept this to pad the video out to be honest; I don't normally like showing complete blowouts but trust me, they happen a lot. (I can't believe I got launched by May twice in a row...when she had a sliver of health left...)

Set 3: "A Happy Family"
Zato-1 (PB Zagarko) vs. I-No (me)

OK so uh...according to the loading screen, this Zato is from floor 10...so how did I even have a chance here? Do they not know the I-No match-up? Where they just toying with me? Was little Timmy on his big brother's account? They're clearly not BAD at the game and knew some stuff with Zato but...yeah this felt weird. We played two more matches after this, and they won one but then I closed out the next one. I mostly did first-to-three in Park matches when applicable but I decided to not show the other two.

Set 4: Castle of the Silver Fleet
I-No (me) vs. I-No (BlankaChips)

Mirror match time! Is it me or does I-No have the longest intro in the game? It is very much in-character to draw things out to irritate her opponents at least. So yeah uh...let's get a look at what a GOOD I-No looks like! The biggest takeaway for me is that it's like I'm playing in slow motion comparatively. BlankaChips was able to cancel so many of I-No's moves into specials. Good to know that her forward Heavy Slash (where she spins the mic stand) can be cancelled into Stroke the Big Tree, among other things. In general I just don't have the finger speed or dexterity to cancel so many of her aerials into her specials, which is where so much of her pressure and damage come from. Good games there, BlankaChips, glad you left Street Fighter and played a game with GOOD online!

So yeah uh...I-No is not the character for me overall, and I'm not just saying that because she may or may not be bad. She could be the best character in this game and I still wouldn't gel with her. I just can't get used to that dash! She's got a lot of cool stuff going for her, but just not for me.

Next time we'll take a look at another character who has a lot in common with I-No...and I kind of had a much better time with them. Stay tuned!

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