Attack on Titan: Wings of Freedom (PC) Review

Attack on Titan is a surprisingly simple set-up. There are these big, gigantic monsters that tower up to multiple stories tall. They look like weird, deformed humans, and desire only one thing: to chow down on humans and give them a new home in their belly. They are practically indestructible, too, with only one thing that could be called a 'weak point.' There are about fifty stomping around outside now. Think you can survive?

Reflecting the plot of the anime/manga, the story follows several soldiers involved in a long, gruelling, and effectively losing war against these monsters. Who can blame them? The beasts are immune to most forms of damage and can only be killed by cutting them at the nape of the neck. The only reason the war isn't lost is because of three giant walls, except thanks to an exceptionally large titan a few years back, now it's only two. The plot is exactly what one would expect, following the series protagonists of Eren Yeager, Mikasa Ackerman, Armin Arlert, and Levi Ackerman in their battle against the titans' earlier arcs.

The game follows the twists and turns of the show fairly closely in terms of story. Fans of those will likely feel right at home, while, conversely, those who play the game then move on to the other media will feel more or less right at home. While the game can feel like it's dragging out certain bits a bit too long in order to fill its runtime, the core of the story is still firmly intact and solid. However, that isn't what makes this game so good.

What does it is the combat. Titans are huge beasts and, in order to combat them, the player needs to be able to reach the nape of their neck. In order to do this, they utilise special rigs designed to allow them to hook onto and swing from the terrain, and even the titans themselves; a feat that they have to do a lot. Titans, conversely, are not intent on going down easy. Each one has five distinct parts; two legs, two arms, and a nape. In order to kill a titan, only the nape needs to be destroyed, but it's not always that easy. Titans can move about rather swiftly, will be trying to grab and eat people constantly, and the approach angle to reach the nape can be difficult. As such, cutting the legs to hamper movement or arms to keep them from attacking can be essential, especially since some titans' napes can't even be attacked until certain parts are destroyed.

The result is an amazing sensation of swiftly and rapidly swinging through the cities, trying to get a proper flank on a titan, before darting in to sever limbs and go for the kill. This, in turn, makes it so that combat remains fresh and, most importantly, thrilling. A bad angle or two can turn what would have been a simple ambush strike into a quagmire as the titan starts running about and trying to kill people.

Sadly, that last word also hits on the primary problem with this game. People. While the player will be able to pick up on how to deal with titans and be scoring multiple kills quickly, allied NPCs… are dunces. Almost every fight that the player is not a part of will end up in a win for the titans, which, while adhering to their in-universe power, results in immense frustration at having to rapidly ping-pong across the map because the elite squad of experienced soldiers couldn't kill one small titan on their own without backup.

This is made even more frustrating on certain maps where the field is much more open and swinging about through the air like a radioactive man-spider can't be done. The result is that it feels like the player isn't just the 'only competent character on the field,' but that all other characters exist only to slow the player down and keep them from completing the game too fast.

Unfortunately, that is the second problem. Attack on Titan is over too soon. Even with expeditions to add in side missions, the game can be viably beaten in one or two sittings. Those already familiar with the plot will know what to expect, as well, leaving little more than the high-speed thrill of using a titan's arm like a swing before dashing in swiftly for the kill and progressing right on to the next one with ease.