After the success of Wings of Freedom, Koei Tecmo takes us back to the lands haunted by giants with Attack on Titan 2, the latest installation of the video game based on the manga of Hajime Isayama.
While Wings of Freedom saw us take on the role of the heroes of the manga, in Attack on Titan 2 we will have the chance to create our own character, which will integrate into the history of the saga without making heavy changes.
Welcome to the 104th Recruit Training Corps
Attack on Titan 2 faithfully retraces the chapters of the series, obviously introducing some small innovations. As already mentioned, throughout the arc of the story mode we will play the role of an unnamed young cadet, the same age as the protagonists of the saga, who will live with them the joys and sorrows of the world in which they live.
The story of our soldier is told by an external voice, who will read it
directly from the notebook that our man used to fill with information.
This narrative device is pleasant and gives a touch of "epic" to the narrative, also prompting the player to wonder: “How did the notebook end up in the hands of third parties? what happened to our character? ”.
The First Mission, used as a tutorial, will see us engaged in hunting the Female Giant inside Wall Sheena. After a first approach to the use of omni-directional mobility gear, unfortunately the mission will end with a cutscene.
During the first arc of the title, which sees the growth from recruit to cadet of our character, all the main features of Attack on Titan 2 are presented, such as secondary missions, friendship system with companions, forging of equipment, capture of giants and base building.
wings of Liberty
Attack on Titan 2 introduces a progression system similar to that of Person di Atlus: by making friends with the main characters of the cast of the series, we will have the opportunity to get to know them and unlock different skills.
These skills, equipped by spending specific points, provide different bonuses to our character.
Although the choice of Omega Force is nice and able to give more depth to the game world, it is frustrating: to increase the level of friendship with the characters we will be pushed, during the dialogues, to give the "correct" answer, thus removing weight from the characterization of our soldier and giving it to the actual result we want to obtain.
This precludes the possibility of building a real character that is part of the world, with his personality, his doubts and his thoughts.
Also, at least initially, the enhancement of the soldier's skills is tightly connected friendship levels: Only at a later time will we be allowed to take part in training, the goal of which is to increase one of our statistics.
The main feature of the title is, of course, the clash with the giants.
Use theOmni-Directional Mobility Gear is much more satisfying by donating a
real sense of aerial freedom. Furthermore, the experience is improved by the possibility of developing and strengthening one's arsenal, choosing from a wide range of models, each with its own peculiarities.
The AI of the giants turns out to be convincing: As in the series, the giants move and act out of hunger, making them predators quite easy to avoid. THE anomalous giants, on the other hand, they exhibit different and almost animalistic behaviors, which makes them scary and risky creatures to approach.
If the giants capture us, a minigame will start with which we will be given the opportunity to free ourselves or, alternatively, have our companions perform an action to help us not become an improvised meal.
Up to four characters can be recruited during each mission, each with their own special ability. They can also be given a specific command which will be completed as soon as possible. Once this is done, you will need to wait some time before it is still available.
As you progress through the story mode, the reconnaissance: side missions, the completion of which will unlock new information in the scout log and, in addition, new areas and missions outside the walls.
During the reconnaissance we will have the possibility to bring an ally with us, whose friendship level will increase after the completion of the mission.
Attack on Titan 2 also adds the Alternative Mode, where we will have the opportunity to take part in different missions - disconnected from the main plot - using the main characters of the saga.
A cruel but beautiful world
The title, locked to 60 fps on pc, it is fluid and well detailed, despite some small problems of little impact with the depth of field: at times, from a distance, the giants may seem not very detailed or even grainy.
Overall, Attack on Titan 2 has good textures albeit not of high quality. There were also no drops in framerate.
The audio sector turns out to be a pleasant surprise: the songs of the title, faithful to the animated adaptation of the saga, they are able to arouse emotions during the most intense fights or the most dramatic events. To season everything is added the dubbing in the original language.
The war on the giants never ends
The story mode of Attack on Titan 2 is not very long, to complete it will be necessary to the maximum 15-20 hours. In order to increase longevity, however, there are obviously the - secondary - reconnaissance missions, the mode Alternative and a good sector multiplayer.
With the Annihilation mode, the 8 players will find themselves divided into two teams of soldiers and will have to compete in killing giants to get the maximum possible score.
Nella Predator mode, added after the launch of the title, players instead take on the role of Giants: creating disasters within the inhabited centers, they will be forced to feed on humans and avoid the attacks of the soldiers in order to get points.
In conclusion
With Attack on Titan 2, Omega Force has achieved a satisfactory result: a full-bodied title with good longevity. Starting from Wings of Freedom, Koei Tecmo has succeeded in creating a video game with no particular merits or defects, but able to keep the players - fans of the saga and not - glued to the screen.
