Verdict Guilty Review (Mhalistar)
"A well made classic fighter that pays tribute to early fighting games. The game runs extremely well, there is a decent move set for each character and it has great replay value for its small budget."
Gameplay
Verdict Guilty has the 2d gameplay you'd come to expect from a classic fighter but with a twist. All the characters are either good or bad and each type has a unique move depending on which side they are on. With the good side you get the handcuffs which allows you to pull the right trigger like a grab and temporarily attempt to handcuff your opponenet so they cannot fight back but only flee for a short time. While the bad side gets the same move but it is a bomb that they attach to you and after some time explodes. It works good in the place of not having a super and also thematically with the game. All the other features here are exactly as you'd expect. Combos, blocks, throws, special moves are all present. The game also responds suprisingly well to all the inputs with seemingly no input delay.
Modes
The main modes I tried were Aracde, Story and Survival. Arcade allows you to go through the game with the character you select and small text exchanges in between. After beating your final opponent you'll unlock a new variant character for the one you've played. Story mode allows you to play through a story with each character while at the same time teaching you how both the game works and the character works and giving you objectives on each stage. It works very well for teaching you the characters moveset while also giving you background behind the character as the story unfolds. Lastly, in Survival it is exactly what it says. You try to see how long you can last.
Graphics/Art
I'm honestly very impressed with what the developers were able to accomplish here in terms of art versus the limited budget and asking price of this game. All the moves come out rather quickly and remind me of the olden days of classic 2d fighters. There is so much tribute here to Street Fighter 2 that it brings me a sense of joy and nostalgia when playing. Also, this is all in a good way. It doesn't feel like a knock off or unoriginal but truly tribute in its similarities. There are quite a few stages and 8 characters and as stated above, each character you beat the game with in Arcade mode will unlock a Variant character which is more than just a color change and typically has one or more parts of their art changed if you look closely enough. It is a unique way to reward the player with new skins and I really like this idea.
Music/Sound
It is all really well done for the time period it is trying to emulate. I found myself really not even taking direct notice of most of it as it all seemed unique yet so familiar with games that came out in that time period. I think they did a fantastic job getting the right people to handle this and it will stand the test of time because of it.
Multiplayer/Versus
For me, most games are hit and miss with whether Remote Play works well or not. I tested Verdict Guilty with a friend over Steam Multiplayer Remote Play and it worked really well. Neither of us seemed to experience any lag and moves executed quickly and precisely during testing.
Controller Support
The controller support was excellent for this game and never felt tacked on. Everything felt fluid and responsive.
Glitches/Bugs/Compatibility Issues
None. The game ran fantastically on Windows 10 which I tested it on. I didn't encounter a single crash or any bugs/graphical errors.
Closing Verdict
If you enjoy 2d classic fighters and don't mind a limited roster then this game is quite fun. It has plenty to offer with various modes giving you backstory or alternate attires and the game does an excellent job at teaching you the game. In addition, bring a friend along and I'm sure you'll both have a good time on this budget friendly fighter. I'll be interested to check out more games from the developer, Retro Army Limited, due to the quality of Verdict Guilty.
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