Attack on Titan 2: Future Coordinates

The neverending battle between humanity and the Titans continues in Attack on Titan: Future Coordinates. The second portable installment based on the popular anime franchise delivers more of the tactical gameplay players have come to expect from the series, and also delivers some more story content for the more invested anime fans out there.

Despite the game suffering from many of the same shortcomings its predecessor had, the addictive World Mode and revisited storytelling make this sequel feel much more engaging than its predecessor. Granted, this is still a game that can only be recommended to die-hard fans of the franchise, but that doesn’t mean you should stay away from this title if you’re looking for an enjoyable action game.

More of the Anime

Attack on Titan fans might surely recognize the name of the game as being the same as the series’ first chapter of the second season. This is because this game, like Attack on Titan: Humanity in Chains, follows the events of the show very closely, using scenes from the animated series as the basis to construct the game’s Story Mode.

Being a direct adaptation of the show has its ups and downs. For one, if you’ve seen the show then there’s not anything really surprising or unexpected coming from Future Coordinates story. Sure, this is the same thing that happens in games like Naruto Shippuden Ultimate Ninja Storm Generations, but that game at least had some alternate scenarios that were worth exploring.

A World to Build

Unlike the first game, the exciting World Mode allows the player to create a custom character to fight the Titans with. Being able to create your own hunter and equip them with the always awesome Omni-Directional Maneuver gear is a blast. Even more impressive is that the customization options don’t end there. As you defeat Titans, you’ll get new Titan parts. These parts can then be used to create a custom Titan of your own. This is a nifty feature that’s sure to appease fans of collectathons for a while.

It also helps to the entire customization angle that, even for a 3DS game, Future Coordinates look decent enough. Sure, the character models are all a bit blocky, and textures leave a bit to be desired, but the action is speedy enough for most players to glaze over the imperfections caused by hardware limitations. The game’s Expedition Missions also add a ton of replayability, especially for players that are used to the bite-sized action of games like Monster Hunter Generations, but the lack of variety can make the game feel monotonous after a while.

All in all, this is a game that can only be recommended for die-hard fans of the anime franchise, for better or for worse. The lack of an original story and the bland gameplay are enough to turn down curious players that might have just a passing interest in the game, which really is a shame: there’s a surprising amount of complexity hidden under Attack on Titan 2: Future Coordinate’s dated mechanics.

Pros

• Good visuals for the hardware
• Faithful to the anime
• Fun customization options

Cons

• Lacks some meaningful content
• Repetitive combat and boring missions
• Blocky character models

Attack on Titan 2: Future Coordinates is a crazy 3D action game based on the anime Attack of the Titans, where the player will relive the great story and hunt huge creatures that enslave everything around them.

Plot

For those few who still don't know it, the Attack of the Titans series tells the story of humanity's last stronghold on the brink of extinction since the giants appeared on earth: huge, disturbing creatures that seem to find solace only in devouring humans. To protect themselves from their attacks, the last remaining humans build three enormous concentric walls that surround the remaining assemblages as districts, with the richer classes occupying the central portion of the titanic edifice. Humanity here is cornered by the titans, foolish giants who find nothing better to do than devour all humans who cross their path.

Gameplay

The gameplay unfolds in six episodes, each of which chronicles all the events of season one and season two in chronological order. The character follows the storyline most of the time, but sometimes the player will have to choose from several answers during dialogue with other characters.

The most interesting part of the game is the titan hunt. Once a giant has been identified, we can bind ourselves to various parts of its body and then, again using the triangle button gravine, try to press the only weak point, the neck, to eliminate it with the supplied blades. The second menu will allow us to use special skills, missiles or nets, useful for capturing giants for research purposes. To get to the vulnerable point:

• Hit "Square" to use the cables
• Cling to buildings like Spider-Man
• Reel the titan by restricting his movements