Attack On Titan 2

Attack On Titan 2

The attack of the titans is at the origin a manga published since 2009 which was adapted in anime. It is a work rather reserved to adults by its violence and through the themes. It tells the story of the last humans entrenched behind huge walls that fight against titans up to several meters. The main activity of these titans is unfortunately to eat humans. I did not have the chance to put my hands on the first episode, so I go straight into the series with this episode 2. Honestly, it's not embarrassing not to have done the first one for two reasons: the game repeat the story from the beginning, and this time, we play a character home-made that can follow the adventures from another point of view.

This episode is based on the first two seasons of the anime, which corresponds to twelve volumes of the manga (there are twenty four at the time I write these words, and the series is not finished; shovel spin off more or less interesting). Let it be clear: the game raises a lot of questions, introduces some revelations that will only ask a number of additional questions, and these questions will remain unanswered once the game over (unless you read the manga). As a result, the game does not really have an end, as it ends on a huge cliffhanger.

The season 3 of the series being announced for very soon (July 2018), it is very likely that this season is added in DLC, or that an episode 3 comes out fairly quickly. A season pass already exists at a dozen euros to add a dozen missions. Note that a DLC adding twenty costumes is available at a low price of 40 €. Ugly costumes too; You only have to see the "Bad boy outfit" for Eren ... Personally this tariff policy makes me think of a rape (... but if it is consented, it is more a rape then? Ah yes, It is not false).

Creating your own character is a good idea. The customization system is quite advanced and can be attached to it. The counterpart is that the story being worn by the other characters, one often feels just a spectator of the events experienced by the real heroes. The game offers a free mode where you can replay the missions with other characters in the universe (which list is also very exhaustive). Most of these characters will be unlocked each time they come out of the story (usually with their feet in front). It is also very nice to be able to play them, since most of them have a much greater power than your avatar, even when it will be at the end of the game.

Fighting takes place in large open environments of relatively small numbers; we often see the same. The three-dimensional maneuvering system during the fighting is quite well done, it is very dynamic, really intense, true to the original work in the management of gas and blades. A great success. We fix his grapples, we fly, we fly, we spot a titan, and we attack!

Each titan has anchor points (knees, elbows, nape) on which we will be able to fix his grapples to attack him. It will be necessary to be careful to strike with the right angle while avoiding to pass too much in the field of vision of the titan, at the risk of making him angry and to be caught on the flight. In addition to being a source of materials, dismembering the titans is vital if you want to capture the greatest titans with a rope. In any case, this combat system offers a real feeling of freedom and power.

Rockets of distress will locate the different missions. There are two types: green rockets to save allies who can be recruited to help you, and red rockets that indicate the main objectives. At first, you will only be asked to kill titans in all missions. Building protection, defense construction, or escort missions come in the middle of the game to try to vary all that, but in reality, it just amounts to killing titans, again, and again.

Too bad. The game could offer other types of missions, such as races that would exploit the horse that is perfectly underutilized. Or titan captures that are completely incidental to a mission. In the end, everything is very repetitive; we move to a titan, eventually we dismember it (to collect resources and facilitate the capture), and / or capture it although most of the time we will just kill it.

A surprise attack system can execute most titans at once, but you have to be responsive and anticipate your shot, otherwise the titan will take the lead. One or more bosses much more resistant will be to knock down at the end of each level. All this is pretty monotonous. On some fights, it is possible to temporarily control a titan. During these sequences, the feeling of heaviness and power is really there, unfortunately, they are much, much too short.

The equipment that you will take, blades, sheaths, and maneuvering system, you will have to make them yourself, improve them, strengthen them. For this there is a craft system associated with materials to buy or recover on mission. It is not possible to just buy an object that interests you; it will necessarily go through the craft box and therefore also by the loot. The game offers a system of relationships that can improve many things: character combat capabilities, easier training, gaining valuable skills, new places with new equipment and objects.

You will have to chat with the characters you meet who are quite numerous, maybe even too much. For example, you could link up with the merchant guild leader or father Nick, two particularly execrable characters and honestly difficult to justify learning from the military skills of these two. You can increase your affinity by answering characters' questions in the way that best suits their character, giving them gifts, or fighting with the titans.

The development of the character, in addition to the equipment, goes through a system of levels that unlocks a certain number of points. These points allow to activate skills that will increase your statistics of strength, agility, dexterity ... but also allow to unlock attacks or special movements, such as diving attacks, improved damage under certain conditions, or the ability to heal or change blades without touching the ground. Associated with good equipment, which can be more or less resistant or effective in certain situations (dismemberment, stealth ...), it allows to develop very different strategies.

The end game aspect is very rich. It is possible to redo all the missions to unlock the best scores possible (scores said SS ... yeah I wanted to make a pun on it, but I find nothing politically correct), then redo the missions to change the history and prevent the death of characters, and finally redo the missions in gehenne mode, a much harder mode to show who is the boss! (The boss is the one who does the SS perhaps?) For the hard-core, an online mode exists, which makes it possible to confront other players or to play cooperatively.

Graphically, the game is pretty. The art direction is very faithful to the anime, to the point of reproducing exact shots in certain scenes. As I said, the feeling of movement in 3D is very well done most of the time. Sometimes, when there are obstacles (trees and houses) the camera, combined with the transparency of objects in the foreground, makes it difficult to navigate. The music that accompanies all this is very good bill. I can not say if they are those of the anime, but they favor perfectly immersion.

The game still has a number of problems that, while not preventing progress in the game, can sometimes be annoying. Already, for a start, the game is quite repetitive; you can avoid it a bit by playing a titan from time to time, but it will not really detract from the feeling of always doing the same thing: knocking down titans again and again. When the titans become dangerous, the game loses legibility with black, white, and red hues that stand out, and especially it becomes impossible to untangle this titan, and therefore more opportunity to look around to organize a retreat or repositioning in anticipation of a more effective attack.

Similarly, when three titans lie on the ground, dismembered, trying to jump, stuck in an alley between two collapsing buildings, well the action becomes totally unmanageable. The game then presents big problems of camera jumps, while the character becomes almost uncontrollable. It may be noted that some titans move on all fours and that their animation would have deserved a little more work; when we try to attack them, we also find there big problems of camera and displacements.

Attack On Titan 2 is a very good game. The fights in 3D are very dynamic, the universe is rather pretty. The development of the character offers plenty of possibilities, be it skills, equipment, or relationships. The only real brake that could block you is repeatability. Personally, I have enjoyed the game enough to override this repetitiveness and go to the end of the story, but I admit that I will not do my best to try to become the specialist SS missions (Super Saiyenne, see!) and gehenne mode. For the fans of the original work, the respect of the universe, associated with the mastered gameplay, make it probably the perfect game for them.