Credit: Arc System Works

Have you ever had the distinct impression that your bed has it in for you? Weird thing to ask, I know, but sometimes I worry my bed is self-aware enough to tilt itself and roll me out of it in the middle of the night. Or maybe I’m just a restless sleeper. Either way, I suppose it could be worse, I could have to sleep on Bedman’s bed-gone-wild. Here’s a guide to using Bedman? in Guilty Gear Strive.

Guilty Gear Strive Bedman? Character Guide

Bedman? is the newest character in Guilty Gear Strive, and no, that question mark is not a typo. He’s named like that because it may or may not be the Bedman we knew in Guilty Gear Xrd, considering he got blown the heck up by Robo-Ky and Venom. The old Bedman is gone, but his automated bedframe still lives for the express purpose of protecting his sister, Delilah.

As a character, Bedman?’s kit is reminiscent of Bedman’s moves in Xrd, but with a few twists. For one thing, he can’t manipulate time or teleport anymore, but his malfunctioning body does allow him to create all sorts of wild follow-up attacks. Also, Delilah is always hanging around during the fight, but don’t worry, you don’t have to protect her. She’s just there to beg Bedman? to dial it back (which he won’t).

Bedman? Abilities and Specials

Credit: Arc System Works

Bedman?’s primary gimmick is called error 6E. As I mentioned, his body is malfunctioning something fierce, so whenever he uses one of his special moves, error 6E activates, causing him to spark for a few seconds before unleashing a follow-up attack. The precise follow-up attack he launches depends on the special that was used. Additionally, he has two unique moves that can be used to alter the timing of error 6E:

• call 0x$0.20 (QCB Punch): Immediately activates a primed error 6E follow-up attack
• call 0x$1.00 (QCB Kick): Restarts the activation of a primed error 6E follow-up attack

Error 6E attacks won’t launch if your opponent lands an attack on you, even if you block it, so you’ll want to either keep up the pressure to prevent a counter or use call 0x$0.20 to pop it right away before they can stop you.

Next, here’s a list of Bedman?’s specials, their inputs, and their effects:

• call 4BA (QCF Punch): Bedman? launches a spike projectile directly forward. The follow-up error 6E attack launches an electric projectile that tracks toward the enemy’s position
• call 4B3 (QCF Slash): Bedman? transforms into a spiked top and rushes forward, dealing five hits. The follow-up error 6E attack sparks a large multi-hit explosion directly in front of Bedman?
• call 4B9 (Malfunction) (QCF Heavy Slash): Bedman? performs an overhead swing with its broken arm, sparking an explosion when it hits the ground that knocks opponents down. Hold the button down to delay the impact of the swing for a few moments. The follow-up error 6E attack has Bedman? pop his head off and launch it right in front of him, which detonates into a large explosion.

Finally, here are Bedman?’s Overdrive specials:

• call 13C (HCB Forward Slash, costs 50% Tension): Bedman? is covered in a dark aura that gives him a temporary attack and defense buff and powers up the effects of the next error 6E attack performed. The powered-up error 6E attacks deal more damage and have larger hitboxes, and are strong enough to activate an Area Shift. The empowered state will end on its own after a certain amount of time has passed.
• call 4CC (HCB Forward Heavy Slash, costs 50% Tension): Bedman? fires off a large, powerful shockwave a short distance in front of him. The startup on this attack is invincible.

Bedman?’s kit is good for players who know how to think a few moves ahead. You want to sprinkle your combos with specials to get error 6E in motion, and then strategically keep your opponent on the backstep while it warms up while also using the activation-changing moves to mess with their expectations. Bedman always was an analytical genius, so let’s find out if his bed has those same brainy chops.