The end of the game Attack on Titan: Wings of Freedom left us with Eren, Mikasa and Armin, the latter having managed to capture Annie Leonhart, a human capable of transforming into a Titan. A fairly classy sequence which also marked the end of season 1 of the anime. If there was any thought of picking up from that point with Attack on Titan 2, the developers at OMEGA Force decided to start from scratch. A good way to attract players who would have missed the first episode while introducing one of the main novelties of this game, the creation of its character. Indeed, if the previous opus made us relive the events of Hajime Isayama's manga through the eyes of the main characters, this time the player embodies an external character that he will be able to customize as desired. The adventure therefore begins by going through the character editor where you will be able to shape the hero of your dreams. The choices are varied and numerous which makes it possible to create a truly unique character. A good point that should satisfy players who like to stand out.
ALWAYS FAITHFUL
On the scenario side, your character is a survivor of the village of Eren and his friends. After also losing his parents, he decides to join the Exploration Battalion. A perfect excuse to follow the events of the manga as closely as possible while evolving alongside its protagonists. As mentioned above, you will have to relive all the important moments of the first season before you can engage with those of the second season. While this can be quite frustrating if you've played the first game, the story is still condensed and moves together fairly quickly. It is also an opportunity to better understand the new mechanics of the game before getting to the heart of the matter, but we will come back to this point later. Going back to the scenario, OMEGA Force once again followed the events of the manga to the letter. All the key scenes are there, and even if you haven't seen the anime, you can easily understand how the story unfolds. The cinematics, always so well done, skillfully underline everything and give rhythm to the game. We take great pleasure in (re)discovering these cult moments and we can only salute the studio developers who really left nothing behind. randomly. Enough to be in good conditions before going to cut the titan in the chain.
NERVOUS AND VIOLENT FIGHTS
Like the first episode, Attack on Titan 2 still relies on ultra-fast movements made possible thanks to the three-dimensional system. As a reminder, this is a grapple system that allows you to propel yourself through the air at completely insane speeds while having total control over your trajectory. No surprise here, the fights against the Titans take place in the same way as before. In order to be able to cut the neck of each enemy, you will have to spin around him in order to find a good angle of attack. The R1 key allows you to lock your target and just press triangle to rush over it. The mechanics are quite simple but when you have the controller in your hands, it's simply enjoyable. To make the fights spicier, the strongest enemies cannot be killed in one shot and it will often be necessary to damage other parts of their body in order to be able to finish it. In addition, the arrival of new titans such as the bestial titan and the armored titan brings a little freshness to the whole. On the other hand, the camera is still capricious when you stick to the walls. However, when we twirl in the air, the latter follows the action to perfection.
Another novelty of the game, in addition to your three-dimensional equipment, you will be able to use objects to fight the titans. So you will have at your disposal several secondary weapons such as molotov cocktails or blinding bombs that allow you to take cover when a group of titans takes over you. On the battlefield, you will also be able to build bases to strengthen your defenses but also stock up on blades and gas, your equipment running out over time. Beforehand, you will have to obtain construction points by completing secondary objectives. Unfortunately, do not expect diverse and varied missions since each time you will have to save a soldier or an inhabitant from the hands of the titans. A blessing in disguise since these facilities will greatly help you during battles. One thinks in particular of the infantry base which makes it possible to fire devastating cannonballs on the titans. All these new features bring a real breath of fresh air to the battles of Attack on Titan 2. The exploitation of bases offers new perspectives during missions and proves to be very useful when we see the threat looming before us. However, being a young recruit of the Battalion, you will have to progress before reaching the level of the best soldiers.
LIFE AS A SOLDIER OF THE EXPLORATION BATTALION
For this new opus, the developers have focused on social interactions and you will have to talk with a lot of people to progress your character. Simply put, by chatting with other members of your squad, your character will be able to befriend them. Then follows a series of dialogues with multiple-choice answers. Nothing very dangerous since only the right decisions will be taken into account. If you answer a character correctly, his confidence in you will increase and he will give you some advice that will allow you to obtain characteristic increases and new talents. If you won't get new hits from this, it will allow you to use the skills of every ally on the battlefield. Indeed, during battles, you can recruit members of the Battalion into your team. By pressing the L1 key and one of the arrow keys, you can order your ally to attack a specific part of a titan. The icing on the cake, the most powerful characters like Levi allow you to trigger ultra classy combos. An essential advantage when fighting against overly powerful titans. On the other hand, the developers may have had a heavy hand in terms of dialogues. If it allows to dwell in more detail on all the details of the story, you have to like the slow and poorly paced conversations. At first we play the game without problem but in the long run we end up somewhat avoiding discussions that seem futile.
THE WAR IS PREPARING
Much of the adventure takes place outside the combat zones, you will have to manage many aspects of your life as a soldier. In addition to acquiring new equipment from the gunsmith, you will also be able to improve your camps so that they are more efficient on the battlefield. It is even possible to give directives to the Scouting Battalion so that the recruits train more and become more powerful. You can also participate in side missions that allow you to obtain rare materials needed to craft more powerful weapons. One activity among many others that extends the life of the title and allows you to get a little more attached to the characters. Unfortunately, each activity quickly becomes redundant and it is not uncommon to skip some of them. Nevertheless, the content is there and players will have plenty to do before they can unlock all the characters in the game.
Indeed, in addition to the story mode, players have access to a bonus mode that allows them to carry out exploration missions in the shoes of the protagonists of the manga. On the other hand, to unlock them you will have to finish the game, but also befriend some of them. The most important are obtained simply by following the scenario of the game, but for the rest you will have to go chatting right and left. It's very frustrating but we quickly forget this detail when we understand that the bonus mode above all allows you to take advantage of the titan powers of Eren and other soldiers capable of transforming. A capacity which is certainly temporary but which allows you to take yourself for a god for a moment. The feeling of power from the blows of a titan is well transcribed but the fights in human form are much more interesting. To top it off, these missions will allow you to obtain a maximum of materials for your character which can improve their weapons drastically. A necessary step if you want to be able to go the distance during the most difficult missions. This mode also allows you to play with other players online, but the servers being empty, it is difficult to judge this aspect. In any case, high-ranking missions require a certain level of mastery and you will have to work as a team in order to survive. If you don't have anyone to play, don't worry, it's also possible to take part in these missions in offline mode.
CONTENT AT THE DETRIMENT OF VISUAL QUALITY?
If the game is much more complete than its predecessor, in terms of graphics it has not evolved too much. The environments of the manga are faithfully transcribed and the different sets of lights add a certain charm to the whole. On the other hand, the graphics in cel-shading always remain in withdrawal vis-à-vis certain productions of the same kind. The destruction of the sets is still poorly managed and during missions outside the wall, the environments appear as if by magic. A little incomprehensible when you see the graphic level of the title. Fortunately, the latter is still as fluid and although the graphics are not flamboyant, we are amazed during the fights. Same observation in the cities, which are modeled with care. All the sets immerse us in the heart of the adventure and help to make the whole thing much more exciting. Surprisingly, we quickly forget all these little visual flaws to fully immerse ourselves in the story and enjoy the game's dantesque fights.
