Attack On Titan 2: Final Battle – Old but gold
Attack on Titan 2: Final Battle (or AoT 2: Final battle) is an action hack slash video game. Developed by Omega Force and Published by Koei Tecmo it was released worldwide all the way back on 20 March 2018, with the expanded DLC “Final Battle” being released July 5 2019.
So why am I reviewing a game so damn old? (in game years anyway.) Because it’s really good and extremely underrated. That’s why.
Storyline
The main plot of AoT2 is pretty simple. It follows the main story of the manga and anime AoT. The standard game covers everything up to chapter 50 (or season 2 of the anime) whilst the DLC covers chapters 51-90 (and is somewhat up to date with the anime).
If you read the manga or watch the anime then I won’t need to tell you what happens, if you don’t and haven’t then… I’m not spoiling it for you.
Gameplay
It’s, at its core, a hack and slash game so the gameplay is pretty simple. You take control of your own custom character who joins the soldiers along with the main characters of the anime. This is the only real big difference between AoT2 and AoT: Wings of freedom (Aot2’s predecessor.) In Wings of Freedom you are forced to play through the story as one of the multiple main characters, however in this game you play as your own.
This may seem like a tiny thing but it’s really not. It changes almost everything.
You can make friends with the multiple main characters in the open area. Raising your friendship level with them awards your character special abilities that come in very handy depending on what you’ll use them for.
You can customise and upgrade your gear. Some gear works better than others and some will have you frustrated but finding the game easier. For example, some of the blades you can acquire have a long range and massive attack power but they aren’t very durable meaning you’re going to have to equip multiple abilities that raise the durability of your blades and stock up a lot more during missions but they usually are strong enough to kill and remove limbs first strike so you need to ask yourself if you wanna go slow and steady or power through and hope your weapons last you through the battle.
That brings me on to the topic of battle…
Kill all the titans!
The battle mechanics in AoT 2 very simple, it’s very Dynasty Warriors-ish with the way it gives you a massive score for hacking your way through as many titans as possible.
You press R2 to lock on to a body part (if you’re going for an instant kill this’ll be the nape) and the right analog stick to toggle what you’re locked onto. Pressing triangle whilst locked on will shoot an anchor into the body part from which you can go straight for it and assuming your timing and angle are perfect then press triangle again to attack that part. The cross button uses gas to give you a speed boost so you can deal more damage and the square button is a dodge (though there’s hardly any need for that except on the harder difficulties.)
I honestly think that the simplicity of the controls is why the game is so good. It’s not massively complex so it can be played by anyone but it’s still massively rewarding when you get an S rank on your mission because you did so well.
Also, on a less in depth note, slicing your way though hoards of titans flying through the air is just really damn fun. Also if you have the Final Battle DLC you’ll be able to use guns instead of blades. Flying from one places to another shooting explosives into giant monsters is simplistic but man is it fun..
The scout missions and side quests
During your time in the open area you can choose to take on scout missions. These are side missions that really ought to be completed if you want all the best materials for your weapons upgrades. During main story mode missions and during scout missions you’ll come across side quests where you can help another soldier in need. Save them and they’ll join your team (this also raises the final rank you get after completion.)
The game also has an SS ranking, which is the best you can get. However these must be attempted after you’ve finished the mains story once and only if you complete certain objectives. There is also a chance to save characters who have previously died and have them join you in daily life. If you re-do certain missions during the main story the second time around and complete the side quest requesting they be saved.
Bringing dead characters to life again is crucial as it’s the only way to raise their friendship level with you. Thus the only way to unlock more and better abilities.
Review
I’ll get to it. I love this game and have done since it’s release. I mainly wrote this review because I feel as if Attack on Titan 2 gets a lot of attention only from AoT. Not really gamers in general.
It suffers a lot from being linked to an anime I think. And so, people think that if they don’t like that anime they won’t bother with the game. I think this is a massive mistake.
Almost anyone can love this game and find it fun, it can be a bit grind-y at times but only if you’ve got a specific mission in mind. Other than that it’s generally a great hack and slash that’s addictive as hell. I can lose myself for hours on this game. Doing mission after mission, trying to max out friendship levels and capturing titans.
It’s not life changing and it won’t change console or PC gaming as we know it but it is massively enjoyable. A year after it’s release I’m still hooked.
Maybe it’s the simplicity of the game that makes it so darn re-playable. Maybe it’s the fact that I’ve resigned myself to having to get the platinum trophy. Whichever it is, Attack on Titan 2 is criminally underrated but I for one love it!
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