Attack on Titan: Wings of Freedom (“Wings of Freedom”), is a brawler type (also known as beat em up) video game available on PlayStation 4, PlayStation 3, PS Vita, Xbox One and Microsoft Windows, based on the popular manga and anime series, Attack on Titan. Published by Koei Tecmo, the game essentially pits one player against a multitude of enemies, following the concept of the manga and anime series.
As a huge fan of the Attack on Titan series, I entered a competition to win the limited edition Treasure Box Collection of the game and won! This review will touch on not just the Wings of Freedom game but also on the the cool extras that came with the Treasure Box Collection.
Wings of Freedom follows the main characters of the popular series, including Eren Jaeger, Mikasa Ackerman and Armin Arlett, as they fight hordes of Titans (horrific, abnormal and giant creatures that terrorise and eat humans). The game’s story and plot is interesting and appealing as it captures key moments of the Attack on Titan series perfectly. For fans of the series, this game allows players to truly feel the rush and thrill that comes with utilising the 3D Manoeuvre Gear to propel their characters through the air and spectacularly kill Titans. Wings of Freedom is equally fun for those who are new to the Attack on Titan series in that it is simple enough to grasp the story, with Season 1 being retold, as well as having incredible battle mechanics, making it an enjoyable game that one is able to sit back and enjoy.
One of the first things I noticed with this game is the visuals. Before even getting started, I was blown away by the thick double lines, the way in which the game brought the 2D characters to life, and the overall look of the game. Never before had I seen a game that rendered 2D animation to 3D so well. Not only did the environment and characters look great, but the Titans too looked especially realistic and rather terrifying in 3D compared to their more flat, 2D counterparts in the anime.
However, as much as I love the Attack on Titan series and enjoyed the first few play-throughs of Wings of Freedom, I was disappointed to find that the game doesn’t offer more than simply flying through the various environments and killing Titans. There isn’t much else to the game, which can become rather repetitive and dare, I say, boring, after a couple of hours. The realistic feel added to the game, in the sense of having to keep an eye on supplies as well as constantly upgrade items and weaponry didn’t really make much of a difference in terms of adding more depth to the game, not to me anyway.
One of the features I was looking forward to most was the multiplayer feature. Wings of Freedom allows players to play with up to four others. Initially, I thought this would allow for more interesting gameplay, having to work together as a team to defeat Titans. However, the gameplay is much of the same with each player being able to choose how they want to attend to missions. For example, I could go off to defeat Titans in one area while a friend fights off Titans in another area close by and not have much to do with each other. I suppose playing with friends means that it would be easier to call upon them for assistance should things get a bit too challenging.
Nevertheless, Wings of Freedom is a game that I can certainly see myself playing off and on for years to come and will keep me entertained and immersed in the world of Titans while I patiently await the arrival of Season 2 of the anime series. The added benefit of this game is definitely the collectible items that came with the Treasure Box Collection such as the incredible soundtrack, the red muffler towel (which will bode well for Mikasa Ackerman cosplayers), cool badges featuring three of the popular characters, Eren, Mikasa and Levi, and an incredible collector’s artbook, which sadly, is all in Japanese. I imagine that had this been in English, I’d have been able to learn some rather cool things about each of the playable characters and the Titans.
As a fan of the Attack on Titan series, I would highly recommend this game to other fans. It is certainly a game that looks fantastic, will keep your fingers active and is a great game to keep you busy while awaiting Season 2.
