Rory’s 3DS Game of July 2015

For this month, there have been two games that I’ve considered featuring for this section. Whilst in both you control characters that wield blades, the enemies you fight are different.
So the question is, which 3DS game will I be featuring as my game of the month for July – the one based on a popular manga and anime series, or the one that is based on Japanese history? When presented with two choices, there’s one easy way to settle it – a coin flip.

The result was tails, and thus my Game of the Month is Shingeki no Kyojin: Humanity in Chains (Samurai Warriors Chronicles 3 was the other game, by the way).
Shingeki no Kyojin, or Attack on Titan, is a manga series created by Hajime Isayama that features humans fighting human-eating giants known as Titans.
Actually, the game was delayed in Europe due to licensing issues, which is probably the reason that it uses the Japanese name instead of the English one.

The game has a story mode, and ‘World Mode’. The story mode lets you play as one of five characters – Eren Jeager, Mikasa Ackerman, Armin Arlert, Levi and Potato Girl- ahem, sorry, I mean Sasha. Naturally, story mode follows the story from the anime – though only focusing on direct confrontations with the Titans.

World Mode allows you to create your own character, and take on missions that have no connection to the main plot of Attack on Titan. Of course, you’re still battling the Titans. World Mode can be played co-operatively with other players, thanks to the magic of the internet. Players can also upgrade their weapons and equipment by collecting materials.

Swinging through the locations in the game and attacking Titans is quite satisfying – the R button controls this, with your movement changing based on whether you hold or tap the button. It takes some getting used to, but it’s definitely worth it. As for attacking Titans, this is done with a combination of the X and Y buttons.
When a Titan is in range, pressing the Y buttons will allow you to latch on to it and you’ll start moving closer. When close enough, press X to initiate an attack, which is pretty much a quick-time event – hit X again when the yellow circle is inside the red ring to inflict a critical hit.
Whilst you can aim straight for a Titan’s weak spot – the nape of its neck – it’s safer to take out their legs first and render them immobile for a short while. This doesn’t prevent them attempting to grab you, but it does make it easier to go for the killing blow.

Attack on Titan– wait, no, I mean Shingeki no Kyojin: Humanity in Chains is a fun little game, and it is satisfying to take the Titans out. Whilst it is fun to play as characters from the main storyline, the World Mode helps to expand the game.