Clash of the Titans…again.
I went into the first Attack on Titan game with absolutely no knowledge of the source material. It turned out to be a solid romp with a few rough edges holding it back. With the sequel Omega Force has cleaned up a lot of the problems the first game had, but sacrificed pushing the story forward by forcing players to retread a lot of the same ground. The result is a much more polished experience that requires the player to experience a lot of the same story beats the first game already covered.
In a lot of ways Attack on Titan 2 feels more like the director’s cut of the first game. As I mentioned I spent the first 10 hours or so retreading missions (and even cut scenes) from the first game. What has changed is that now players take on the role of a new character that is simply along for the ride alongside the regular cast members. Players can customize this character and even have dialogue options with the main protagonists. It feels disjointed, and I imagine even more so for those that have watched the anime.
MSRP: $59.99
Platforms: XB1 (reviewed), PS4, Switch, PC
Price I’d Pay: $49.99
There are relationships within the game. Unfortunately it feels forced sometimes. There are meters that go up whenever a dialogue action is performed, and they do unlock some pretty cool abilities for my teammates, but it just doesn’t feel organic. It feels arbitrarily smashed into the narrative. I could have just as easily taken these characters on missions with me, and that be the way they level up.
Once I got past all of the fluff though, the game really opens up. Omega Force laid some seriously fun groundwork with the first game, and the second one really perfects those mechanics. Think of this game as Shadow of the Colossus with Spider-Man swinging mechanics and plenty of violence and you get the idea. Players have the ability to anchor themselves to any surface and shoot into the air. They also use these anchors to attach to the massive (and naked) Titans and dismember them. It is a bloody good time.
The sequel has perfected this mechanic, and even after hours of play, the combat holds up. It is immensely fun to execute, and managing things such as blades and gas packs for my anchors never got in the way. It felt more like good strategy. The sequel also adds in stealth attacks, which can take out Titans in one shot if executed properly. Players can also now craft bases on the battlefield, allowing them to replenish supplies when needed. It all feels overwhelming at first, but the game eases players into it and the strategy is deeply satisfying.
Once I finished the campaign there was even more to do. There are new missions to tackle, but the biggest addition is the co-op and competitive online modes. Co-op is self-explanatory and wicked fun. Taking down Titans with friends is definitely a blast. The competitive mode is also cool, allowing two teams to compete for scores by taking down Titans on the same map. It gets hectic. Sadly the online community is a little barren at the time of this writing. When I did get into a match though, good times were had by all.
The game looks outstanding on Xbox One X. Taking advantage of the increased power keeps the game running at a blistering pace. The art style is also unique and watching legs and arms fly off the Titans rarely gets old. Maps tend to get a bit stale at times as they reuse a lot of the same assets, and the fact that a lot of the content is recycled from the first game including cut scenes is kind of a bummer.
Attack on Titan 2 is definitely a better game than the first. I just wish it was more new than retread. Still for those that skipped the first game it is easy to recommend. You can basically skip the first game as it is almost entirely recreated here, with plenty of quality of life improvements. Add in the co-op and competitive online modes and it is definitely the better package. An action-packed romp that shows Omega Force has chops outside of the normal Dynasty Warriors formula.
Review copy of game provided by publisher.
