Attack on Titan is one of the most popular anime shows created, and as such, fans are quite excited about the upcoming game. Oh sure, it’s been out in Japan for several months now, but in the states and in Europe, it’s finally our turn. We finally get a chance to slingshot ourselves all over the walled city and cut down the incredibly disturbing-looking titans. If you’ve been lukewarm on the title, never heard of it before, or wondered why so many anime fans have been going gaga over it, perhaps we can help. We’ve created a little tour guide chock full of Attack on Titan game info to share everything you need to know before diving in.
No, we don’t go into spoiler territory with the anime or the story. But here are the gameplay details, the history behind the launch, and really everything you could possibly need to keep yourself informed about this title. It’s all about learning before you buy.
Attack on Titan releases August 30, 2016 in North America for PlayStation 4, PlayStation 3, and Vita. Stay tuned to our review which will hit the site in a few hours.
Attack on Titan - EYN2K
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Attack on Titan - Everything You Need to Know
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Attack on Titan was originally manga.
Attack on Titan released in the September 2009 issue of the monthly publication Bessatsu Shonen Magazine. By November 2014, Hajime Isayama's manga had 45 million copies in print. The only other manga to sell more than 2 million in print was One Piece. Attack on Titan was first published in North America on June 19, 2012.
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It was so popular, it became an anime series.
Wit Studio adapted Attack on Titan for anime that ran from April 7, 2013 through September 29, 2013. Funimation and Crunchyroll both simulcast the series for English-speaking audiences. Funimation later bought the license to the series to sell the media to fans. The series was 25 episodes long with four OVAs. Two films have also been created, and the second season of Attack on Titan was announced on the opening day of the first theatrical movie.
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Three video games have been made.
Attack on Titan: Humanity in Chains was the first "official" game, which released in Japan on December 5, 2013 for the Nintendo 3DS. A smartphone game launched next, Attack on Titan: Howl Toward Freedom. Attack on Titan is the third game, and Capcom is developing an arcade game based on the series as well. Additionally, in Blu-Ray discs of the series, a few visual novels were created with game-like features that cover spin-off stories about the characters from the series.
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Koei Tecmo announced the Attack on Titan game last August.
Koei Tecmo with Omega Force (the developers behind Dynasty Warriors) announced a game based upon the popular Attack on Titan anime for PlayStation 4, PlayStation 3, and PlayStation Vita. Even though the developer is the Dynasty Warriors team, the game would not entirely be like a Dynasty Warriors game. They said it would release in 2016 and provided a little teaser trailer.
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Game will start from beginning of story.
Rather than require players to have read the manga or watched the anime, Managing Director Hisashi Koinuma explained that the game will start at the very beginning of Isayama's story.
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PS4 is the leading platform for title.
In the same interview, Koinuma said that the PlayStation 4 would be the lead platform for Attack on Titan. Koei Tecmo usually develops for the PS3 first and then enhances it a bit for the PS4. This time, the game will be downscaled for the PS3 and look far better on PS4 than previous games have.
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Game will cover entire first season of anime.
Koinuma already said that Attack on Titan would start from the beginning, but soon after he announced that the game will cover all of the first season of the anime. In addition, the voice actors from the anime will be reprising their roles.
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Dynasty Warriors-ish gameplay revealed.
Attack on Titan will feature "tactical hunting action," requiring players to stay on their toes as the state of the battle constantly changes. Depending upon what the player does, the battlefield circumstances will change. This is similar to what Dynasty Warriors games have done before, except those scenarios were scripted. This time, what the player decides to do will change the direction of the battle.
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Publisher promises 3D maneuverability and specific destruction of body parts.
Player characters will be donned with 3D Maneuver Gear that will allow them to zip around the environment rather quickly to find titans and battle them. The slingshot and ziplining action will also be necessary to attack the titans' body parts. The only way to kill a titan is to attack at the nape of the neck, which will require some height and steady aim.
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First gameplay trailer released.
Koei Tecmo released the first gameplay trailer at Tokyo Game Show (TGS) 2015. It was well received as it was as full of action as expected from this title.
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Second trailer reveals 3D Gear in combat.
In late 2015, we saw for the first time how the 3D Maneuver Gear would work in battle in Attack on Titan. Also of note is that at this time, Koei Tecmo was still claiming that the game still did not have a final name.
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Gameplay footage on PS3 and Vita surfaces online.
Right before the release of Attack on Titan in Japan, Koei Tecmo streamed the title on the Vita to show how the game will look on the PS3 and the handheld. To quote Heath Hindman, it's definitely not as "buttery smooth" as the PS4 gameplay shown up to this point.
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Attack on Titan sells extremely well in Japan.
Attack on Titan released in Japan first in February of this year. Within the first week, the Vita version was the second best selling game in Japan with the PS4 version right behind it at number three. Street Fighter V released that same week and was in 4th place. The PS3 version was the 8th best selling game in Japan for that week.
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Release in the West set for August.
With Attack on Titan already out in Japan, Koei Tecmo finally announced when it would travel West. North America would receive it at retail for PS4 on August 30th. Vita and PS3 versions would be digital-only. Europe gets it one day earlier on August 26th, but the game is called Attack on Titan: Wings of Freedom.
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Watch your resources in battle.
To keep the rest of the world frothing for Attack on Titan, Koei Tecmo released two heavy-hitting battle trailers for the game that specifically show how much players need to watch their resources. Gas tanks can run out, and blades will get dull and need to be swapped out.
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The titans are game-specific, not from the anime.
While the Attack on Titan game will have titans from the anime, Koinuma told us at E3 that new titans will also be featured.
It will feature titans specific to this game. There will also be titans that have not appeared in the anime which fans of the original manga are familiar with.
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Players will have limited growth in the game.
To keep the game "faithful to the manga," Koei Tecmo has "limited the growth of the characters." There will be leveling elements, but the focus is more on developing and modifying their weapons to handle the more powerful titans.
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DLC confirmed.
Also from our interview with Hisashi Koinuma, we learned that there will be DLC for the title. None has been announced yet, but Koinuma said they are preparing it at this time.
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Multiplayer mode announced
The publisher announced an online multiplayer mode for the game, called Scout Mode. With Scout Mode, players can team up with three friends to leave the safety of the city walls and challenge the titans directly. The host for the session will choose the various missions available, and the missions will provide more insight into titans' backstory. All of the multiplayer missions are completely separate from the campaign and are not required to finish the main game.
