Attack On Titan and Nioh are on full display at the Koei Tecmo booth
During the Electronics and Entertainment Expo this year, I was able to check out the Koei Tecmo booth and see what they have planned. Two games were front and center for Koei Tecmo, Nioh and Attack On Titan. Lets get right into it to show what the fuss is all about!
First up in the Koei Tecmo booth was Nioh. This game feels like a hack and slash meets semi RPG and splash some button mashing in there too. You could perform the same attacks over and over again to proceed in the game. I found myself using the same attacks and combos throughout the demo. However, there is multiple ways to proceed, such as hacking and slashing your enemies or just shooting them!
You’ll need to be quick on your feet since the enemies tend to attack in groups and fast. You will need to level up to survive as well as equipping new weapons along the way, thus the RPG elements. Nioh is another example of a game that has a “Stamina bar” and the more attacks you do in succession, the longer the recovery time. The enemies will get the upper hand if you try to kill them quickly because your stamina will run out. Nioh calls stamina “Ki” so keeping an eye on your Ki/Stamina is key to survival.
The game and the controls take some getting used to so I suggest taking a crack at the tutorial mode before you try to play the game. I know most people don’t like having a tutorial stuffed down their throats but this time its worth it so you know what you’re supposed to do and how! You will need to learn where things are as well as enemy attack patterns so there will be plenty of trial and error, which can be annoying at times.
Graphically, the game looks sound but there were times where it was hard to see things in the environment, such as a path to take to proceed in the game but things like this usually get fixed in the final build so I’m not too worried about it.
Next up at the booth was Attack On Titan. Attack On Titan has three gameplay modes to choose from, Tutorial mode, Battle mode, and Titan mode. The tutorial mode is a good place to start because it gives you the ins and outs of gameplay control for the humans like Eren Yeager and Mikasa Ackerman. After the Titans destroy their way of life, they decide to enlist in the military to help keep the titans at bay. You’ll have to check out the Anime/Manga series for more on the backstories of Eren and Mikasa because the game starts with military training.
The tutorial mode has the player play as Eren as he tries to show the military he has what it takes to defeat “every last titan.” The controls take a bit of getting used to and even when you think you have them down, you’ll need a refresher at some point. While playing the demo, it was hard for me to get the controls to do what I wanted them to, such as locking on a certain spot to attack.
Since the game takes some getting used to at the start, the Tutorial mode is the perfect place to begin. The Battle and Titan mode are more enjoyable but you’ll have no idea what to do if you don’t play the tutorial mode first.
Next up is the Battle mode, which takes the player behind Mikasa and how much of a badass she is. You control Mikasa and it’s up to you to take the Titans that get into the city down. You’ll have to bail out the rest of your squadron if/when they get into trouble fighting the titans by putting what you learned in the Tutorial mode to good use.
It felt like the camera moved way too quickly to see what was going on and it was tough to line up the perfect attack. There is a small window to attack the titan on the back of the neck and with the controls not being the tightest; it’s hard to get that attack in. Once you feel like you have the controls down, the Battle mode will be enjoyable, but not the best part of the game.
In my opinion, the best part of the game is the Titan mode. Being as spoiler free here, you play as Eren in Titan form and use him to kick some titan ass. This mode feels like the easiest to pick up and play right away since it feels like a fighting game. You punch, grab, and throw other titans to keep the city safe as well as the other members of your military platoon. You could also consider this mode a button masher since you alternate between punching and kicking.
There is a Rage meter which will activate special rage attacks when the meter is full. The more attacking you do, the more rage will be in your meter. The special attacks cue up a minor cut scene that shows off an impressive attack. I felt that this mode was the easiest to play so it should feel like the most fun too. You can destroy titans as well as parts of the city (innocent results of keeping the area safe) while you defend your comrades. The game feels and plays like you’re watching an episode of the anime or reading some of the manga. And fans of the series will like that!
