Attack On Titan Preview
Koei Tecmo brought a few titles people could try at E3, and Attack on TItan is one that has proven to be a very positive surprise. The anime is wildly popular, but the previous attempt just didn’t seemed to be able to bridge the gap, getting gobbled up by bad reviews. The movie also shared a similar fate, albeit much less so. In the case of this new Attack on Titan game however, Koei Tecmo has captured the thrill of slaying Titans of all shapes and sizes, and then some. You’ll take on the role of many of the characters throughout the anime, but a good chunk of the missions will be dedicated to Eren, and you’ll slay titans both in his human form, as well as his Titan form.
For the unfamiliar, Attack on Titan’s premise involves people living off in a walled off city, fighting for their lives against massive, abnormal looking humanoid creatures called Titans, that feed on Humanity. They vary in shapes and sizes, but all of them are unsettling, and right off the bat, the sense of scale in this game inspires an impressive sense of awe. During the time with Attack on Titan, we could try two different modes, one where we play as humans, using the 3D Maneuvering Gear, and the other, where we play as a hulking Titan that has a particular distaste for other Titans. Without divulging too much on the story side of things, it’s a very fresh idea, and the gameplay finally seems to have hit that sweet spot that previous attempts failed to capture previously.
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“…Koei Tecmo has captured the thrill of slaying Titans of all shapes and sizes, and then some.”
Players can maneuver themselves quite easily in the air, allowing themselves to execute surgical strikes on these giants, with varying effects. You can slice off a titan’s arms to prevent yourself from getting grabbed/swatted at, or you can sever their legs in order to make it easier to target the nape of their neck, the weak spot of these strange creatures. Titans have varying degrees of regenerative powers, but they are quite capable of taking cannon fire to the face and shrugging it off, so the best way to put them down is via the 3D Maneuvering Gear, at least when in Human form. Your swords and gas aren’t infinite however, so keep an eye on them, as you will get a chance to restock in missions. The mission I played also threw a few curveballs my way, making use of what are called Abnormals. These titans tend to have a unique property, such as being speedier, excessively huge, or even letting off blisteringly hot steam, doing damage to you if you get too close. For the most part, the Titans are rather slow, so these variations help keep the gameplay from becoming too dull.
There are various missions where you will play as Eren Jaeger, the primary protagonist of the anime, gifted with the ability to transform himself into a Titan as well. In this case, the gameplay admittedly is less exhilarating, but still brutally satisfying to experience. From what I’ve gleaned in the story cutscenes, Eren hates these Titans immensely, and it shows in his attacks on these titans (see what I did there?). You’ll gravitate between the two forms over the course of the story, but how far it is going to go into the anime’s story (which is still ongoing), remains to be seen. There are also new scenarios for fans to experience that didn’t occur over the course of the first season of the anime, allowing plenty of fresh content for fans to experience in what is an incredibly popular series. It may have taken a few attempts, but it’s nice to see a game with such interesting source material receive what is looking to be a very well-done adaptation. You can be we will be keeping our eyes on this one, folks.
