Review by John Hellier
Well here is a turn up for the books, I can’t think of any lyrics to open this review with. I must be losing my touch or something. Ah well, let’s get right to business…JAEGER!!!!
Attack on Titan 2 Final Battle (AoT2FB from here on, unless I need to pad the word count) from Omega Force and published by Koei Tecmo is the complete version of AoT 2 which was released last year and includes the Final Battle expansion from this year. Think of it as the game of the year version if that helps. That being said, be prepared for a whole lot of game.
For those who don’t know, Omega Force is the studio behind the Warriors games (Dynasty, Samurai, Hyrule, etc.) If you haven’t heard of these games, I can only assume you have been living under a rock, as there are, hyperbolically speaking, hundreds of games in these series.
In a very basic sense, in each game, you fight through thousands (not hyperbole this time) of enemies each stage. To keep things on track, they are fun games and pretty epic, highly recommended. On to backstory part 2, Attack on Titan…
Anime fans out there probably already know about A.O.T. (figure it out yourself) but for the dirty uninitiated out there, here comes Attack on Titan 101.
Humanity has been forced to live behind 3 massive walls in order to protect themselves from Titans, giant human-like beings that do nothing but eat humans. Imagine 15-meter tall naked people with no genitals and creepy grins and you are close.
Anyway, after 100 years of peace behind the walls, the Colossal Titan (guess why it is called that) turns up, breaches the outer wall and humanity gets thoroughly munched. The survivors hurry behind the remaining walls and prepare their defenses…
Pretty sure that covers the background, I don’t fancy writing any more essays. So Attack on Titan 2 Final Battle follows the plot of the anime, well depending on the mode you are playing at the time it does.
See there are multiple story modes on offer, this being a GOTY of sorts. Story mode sees you play as a custom character who just so happens to be at all of the same locations as the characters from the show. This is a little jarring honestly, but this might just be the fact I binge-watched the series again before playing the game.
Another mode (yes, that is what the mode is called, Another Mode) you select one of the existing characters, or your custom one, and play through missions solo or cooperatively online.
Next up is Character Episode mode, which follows on from Story mode with the existing characters only, Mr (Or Mrs) custom didn’t get an invitation to this mode.
Finally, there is Territory Recovery mode, where you create your own regiment to reclaim lost territory apparently. I didn’t get around to playing this mode, although with all the others on offer and a limited time to play I hope you can understand why.
I think it’s apt that a game with Titan in the title is getting a long review because I’m not sure how I’d have cut this down to fit onto a single page.
Then again, I’m a writer, not an editor, it’s not my job to destroy, I am a creative…Sorry, my brain got frazzled by all the backstory stuff, needed a breather, I’m good now, let’s keep going.
My first question about AoT2FB was “How is Omega Force going to explain hundreds of Titans on screen at once?” Because having played previous titles, I (foolishly as it turns out) just expected a similar experience to the Warriors games.
The look and feel are the same, but the gameplay is very different from what I was used to. At least, what I was used to form a Warriors game. Because you are going up against literal giants, you need something a bit more effective than hacking at shins…Oh god, more backstory. Sit down, the class is in session.
The Titans are large lumbering creatures that are pretty much humans as I’ve said earlier. However, they have the ability to regenerate from wounds, which is why humanity had to retreat behind the walls.
Even decapitation isn’t effective, the Titans only weak point is a small area at the nape of their necks. Needless to say, doing damage to such a small area of a giant-killing machine is difficult, so in order to help humanity created Omni-Directional Movement gear, or ODM for short.
Basically hip-mounted grappling hooks and jetpack in one. These are used to swing around the Titans in order to slice at their napes with swords. Lesson over, class dismissed.
Now, where was I? Oh yeah, game review, how could I forget. Using the ODM to zip around the levels taking out Titans is a joy to control. Now while not on the same level as Spiderman (I’d say play it, but chances are if you own a PS4 you already have) the controls are intuitive and before you know it you will be traversing large sections of towns without ever touching the ground.
Combat is similarly engaging, where the skill comes from ODM control to get the best angle of attack, rather than just spamming attack after attack. Admittedly after a while combat does get a tad samey, although saying that it’s always impressive taking down a cluster of Titans in a smooth flow of attacks chained together.
Between missions, there are open areas where you can interact with the other characters in order to boost friendship and unlock group attacks, places to upgrade and create better weapons and equipment, and side missions to increase your level. This is in Story mode mind you, each mode has its own gimmicks.
Now I could go on in-depth about the other modes (apart from Territory as I said) but I think I’ve made it clear I really enjoyed my time with Attack on Titan 2 Final Battle.
Sure it’s not for everyone, but nothing is. If you aren’t one of those people offended by anime or only play fortnite or something, give AoT2FB a chance. If nothing else you will get value for money with all of the content.
Overall Score Given 9/10
I know it has nothing to do with Koei Tecmo or Omega Force, but I really wish series 4 would hurry up…
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