For unknown reasons, Titans attack the Humans and gradually decimate the population. While Humanity is on the verge of extinction, the last Humans take refuge behind three walls 50 meters high. A short-lived respite when a century later appears a new form of Titan who manages to destroy the first wall without flinching. From then on, the city is attacked by the Titans who rush on the Humans present around the walls. Despite the intervention of the special forces, the young Eren Jäger lost his family. A few years later, the young boy joins the army to satisfy his desire for revenge against the Titans. Fans of the series will not be disoriented by the pitch of AOT Wings of Freedom since the game focuses on the events of the first season of the anime. If some will regret the absence of an original story, we must admit that we take real pleasure in rediscovering the key moments of the plot, while letting off steam on Titans at the mercy of our swords. A daring gamble on the part of OMEGA Force, which gets away with it with honors by offering a fluid narration supported by neat in-game cutscenes without compromising the rhythm of the fights, the real highlight of the game.
THREE-DIMENSIONAL SPACE
Accustomed to Musou (Dynasty Warriors and consorts) adapted from modern license, OMEGA Force has completely revised the formula of the genre to adapt to the specificities of the Attack on Titans fights. A real highlight of the series, the fights are largely based on speed and the ability to find angles of attack thanks to your two grappling hooks, the three-dimensional system. From then on, the attacks follow one another at a disconcerting speed and it is not uncommon to spend several minutes without ever touching the ground. Indeed, the movements are managed in an exemplary manner and we take pleasure in swinging at full speed through the city to find new enemies to burst. Small flat all the same, when the action is too fast, it happens that the camera tangles the brushes and it is not rare that it is blocked against a wall, which can quickly pose a problem when several enemies are within your reach. Beyond this small defect, the fights are no less enjoyable and very nervous. Here, no waves with a multitude of enemies but only a few Titans who will however be much more difficult to defeat. Indeed, the Titans being humanoids several meters high, you will often have to exhaust your enemies in order to give them the final blow in the neck, sensitive point of all the Titans. To do so, the player will have to target the joints of the giants in order to weaken them as much as possible before the coup de grace. And for the more stubborn who want to attack the neck of each Titan directly, know that pieces of equipment are placed in certain joints of the enemies. Thus, it will be necessary to think of targeting these zones in order to recover a maximum of object which can be useful to you thereafter.
On the grip side, the regulars of Musou will be somewhat out of place since it will be difficult to chain the enemies by simply pressing the attack button. Here everything is based on timing and your ability to trigger attacks at the right time. Indeed, once your grappling hooks are planted in the Titan, you will have to wait for the right moment to bring down your blades on the skin of these destructive giants. Otherwise, the player is very quickly exposed to the attacks of the Titans and this little game, it is better not to provoke them too much. Indeed, a single blow can be almost fatal for your character. Even if we regret the lack of variety in the actions of our characters, the fights gain in intensity when the player begins to really get used to the timing of the attacks. Thus, it quickly becomes easy to chain the enemies without ever stopping. Well almost, since the other peculiarity of the gameplay comes from the equipment, which will have to be constantly monitored. On the battlefield, you will have to be careful to regularly change your weapons and other gas canisters, otherwise you will end up with ineffective equipment against the Titans. So, although the fights are not always very exhilarating, there is a real feeling of power when you defeat a gigantic Titan and some passages will put your nerves to the test. Especially when you find yourself surrounded by a group of enemies ready to jump on you. And for the naughtiest among you, know that you will also have to take control of Eren in his Titan form. Here, the fights change drastically. No need to manage the timing of your attacks anymore since you just have to press the attack button galore to send big plums to your opponent. If these gameplay phases do not shine by their complexity, we still take real pleasure in destroying everything that is in our path and the violence of the Titans is clearly felt when we see liters and liters of hemoglobin pour out on camera
INNOVATION IS THE NERVE OF WAR
As in the face of any threat, man equips himself accordingly to defend himself. Thus, the protagonists of the game are no exception to the rule and throughout your adventure, you will have to improve your equipment or you will be shattered by the Titans in the missions to come. Thus, all the pieces of equipment obtained on the Titans can be used between two missions to forge new weapons with more edge or greater durability. The same goes for your grapple launcher, which can be improved to propel you faster towards the enemy. If the management of the equipment remains fairly basic, you will still have to think about going through this stage in order to increase your character's attack power. If the first missions should not be a problem for the basic equipment, it will quickly be necessary to improve it in order to face Titans whose skin will be more difficult to cut. At the same time, each mission will bring experience points to your character who will gain special combat abilities as you level up. For once, OMEGA Force has laid us an effective equipment system that does not encumber unnecessary details. Unfortunately, players won't spend a lot of time choosing their equipment since the differences between the weapons bring almost no variety to the fights. Thus, equipping a weapon with higher statistics will not give access to a new range of moves or even special bonuses.
In terms of graphics, the game pales in comparison to some cel-shaded titles of recent years. Some sets seem empty and generic but yet, we take a real pleasure in rediscovering the sets of the manga which are very well transcribed here. The pencil strokes are there and we really have the impression at times of seeing the anime again and this style so characteristic of the Attack on Titans. On the other hand, we regret that the destruction of the decorations is also bad with debris which disappears after a few moments and walls which collapse like pieces of polystyrene. Small details that tarnish the pleasure we take in dismantling the Titan in all its forms. Fortunately, what the game loses in its graphics, it gains in fluidity. The game constantly runs at 30fps and it is very rare to be bothered in the middle of combat by framerate drops despite the imposing size of the Titans. While some may complain about the graphics, others will be happy to have a game that offers heart-pounding combat with frenetic action but remains fluid in all circumstances.
