Anime has never been my thing, people used to recommend them to be in Secondary school. None of them were appealing or captivating to me enough to stick with and I’d just move on. That was however until I saw Attack on Titan. It’s been over 4 years now since the show blasted itself into the mainstream. More and More teens were declaring themselves as Anime fans simply for watching this show. While that’s a topic for a different day, It certainly made me excited, I began to consume the show, soundtrack, fan game as well as the manga. After all this time I’ve still considered myself to be a fan of the series, so to play the first game when it released was like a treat.
Now with the release of AoT2 we are thrown back into the ODM gear and slice at some napes. I’ve had the pleasure of receiving a code for the Nintendo Switch version, so any comments about performance or visuals will take this into account. That being said, AoT2 feels like one of the best games I could have asked for on the Switch and I didn’t even know it. The ability to go on a quick scouting mission or progress the story in my own time feels like a blessing. One of the reasons I fell of the first game very quickly was the PC control scheme and never having enough dedicated hours to play through it. But alas now I can fly around a town while I get the bus and nothing will beat that.
AoT2 starts off feeling very similar to the first game, you’re back at the beginning of the show, going through all that training again. When I started I was very worried that this would just be the same game with a slightly longer story and some gimmicks. However right off the bat you are asked to create your own custom character, who will be inserted into the original story. While you won’t directly influence the narrative, you are almost like Forest Gump, being in the background of these major events and looking confused. While this can make some people feel detached, for me it felt as a great way to have a relationship with these characters, as you can use dialogue options when talking to them.
Knowing the characters from the show helps in this area to know what sort of answer they would like. Some characters would prefer the moral answer and some like it when you sound like a dick so you really do need to know them in this regard. By strengthening these relationships you can learn a range of skills that will apply to your character on missions. This is an area of the game I became surprising addicted to, engaging with all these characters and feeling part of the world was a boost to the experience for me.
When you’re not sat around talking to people you’ll of course, be fighting an army of titans. There’s a range of environments to explore including those from the first game, playing through the battle of Trost feels as intense as ever. But what about the gameplay!? Well you’ll be glad to know it’s just as satisfying as it should be, zooming around the streets, flipping in the air to slice and dice some terrifying creatures is something that gets addicting each time. As you get more comfortable with a style and a technique you’ll feel like a master within this universe and allows the player to feel invested in their performance.
However some would say its a repetitive cycle and boring. I agree with the repetitive nature, but I do not find any of it boring. I found myself unable to put down the switch in bed, promising myself “just one more mission.” But it never came. While you ultimately maintain the same goal (slice the neck) there’s always obstacles and factors that can make a normal assault feel like a challenge. Slipping up once can have a big consequence on your life as you rush to get back into the zone where you can calculate what to do next.
Coming in as someone who played the first game I was delighted to see how much this game opened up the further I progressed and everything looked nice while doing so. You’ve got the typical voice acting from the show as well as some familiar moments presented in a cut-scene. The devs have also remade some of those moments from a different point of view to represent your character being a part of that universe and it works for me. I will say though that sometimes the camera wouldn’t be exactly where I wanted it and would obscure my view of the action sometimes.
AoT2 takes the strengths of the first game and delivers a more open and personal experience taking you through into the second season of the show. The multiplayer mode is also quite enjoyable, however I wouldn’t be able to find many games in the pre-release and didn’t find it as exciting as I’d hoped, but still one of those things I can pick up and go at. Perhaps with more friends picking up the game I’ll have more fun.
At the end of the day you have a thrill ride of fun set in the world of Attack of Titan. As a fan of the show I would definitely pick this game up for the platform of your choice. While the Switch will be slightly less impressive visually, the ability to take it where you want can be a game changer for some. You’ve got some excellent gameplay with plenty of content and that’s exactly what a game about Attack on Titan should be. If you can look past the repetitive nature and minor hiccups then you’ll get a good 25+ hours at minimum.
AoT2 scores a 8.5/10 from me, the best experience available for AoT fans is right here!