Attack on Titan 2 - A.O.T.2 Review Summary

Highly Fun & Engaging Gameplay: Players consistently praise the game for its overall fun factor, engaging gameplay, and surprising depth. Many found it to be a significant improvement over its predecessor, offering a polished and enjoyable experience with good replay value.

Satisfying Titan Slaying Combat: The core combat mechanics, particularly the satisfaction of slaying titans and the unique abilities of titan shifters, are highlighted as major strengths. Players find the combat addictive, rewarding, and well-designed, with improved mechanics over the first game.

Faithful Anime Adaptation: Fans of the Attack on Titan anime appreciate how well the game adapts the source material, allowing them to experience the story from the perspective of their own custom character. The game successfully immerses players into the AOT universe.

Robust Character Customization: The ability to create and customize one's own character is a highly appreciated feature. Players enjoy the variety of customization options and the integration of their custom character into the game's story and progression systems.

Engaging Character Interactions: The social and relationship systems, allowing players to interact with and build bonds with various characters, are a significant positive. This adds depth and emotional connection, akin to social simulation games.

Poor Optimization and Performance: The game suffers from poor optimization, particularly on PC, leading to inconsistent frame rates and performance issues, especially during intense combat or crowded scenes. There are also reports of general clunkiness and various bugs affecting the overall experience.

High Price for Content: A significant number of players feel the game is overpriced, especially considering its age and the perceived lack of content or quality for its full asking price. Sales are also noted as being rare or insufficient to justify the cost.

Repetitive and Grindy Gameplay: Players frequently report that the core gameplay loop, including missions, combat, and progression systems, becomes highly repetitive and grindy over time. This leads to a lack of excitement and a feeling of stagnation, especially after completing the relatively short story mode.

Titan Combat and AI Issues: Issues with titan mechanics are prevalent, including wonky hitboxes, unpredictable movements, and unfair grabs. Some players find combat against titans to be boring or tedious due to high HP, repetitive strategies, and a lack of unique challenges from 'special' titans.

Inactive and Flawed Multiplayer: The online and multiplayer modes are largely inactive or 'dead,' with very few players. The co-op system is also criticized for frustrating design choices, such as requiring the host to complete missions alone first or only granting progress to the host.

Diverse Game Modes & Progression: The game features multiple modes including Story Mode, Another Mode (online hub/scout missions), and Wall Reclamation Mode. Story Mode allows players to create an original character and experience the anime's first two seasons with additional content, while Another Mode enables playing as various characters in scout missions. Progress and resources are shared across modes, and most modes support multiplayer.

Comprehensive Story Coverage: The game's story content covers seasons 1 and 2 of the anime, with the 'Final Battle' DLC extending the narrative to season 3. Players can experience these events through their original character or, with the DLC, through the perspectives of existing anime characters.

Accessible Yet Challenging Difficulty: The game's difficulty is described as easy to learn but challenging to master, requiring strategic thinking. While players can become stronger and make the game easier, the combat system initially presents a learning curve.

Unique Gameplay Mechanics: Players can engage in unique activities such as titan research with Hange, transforming into titans, and commanding a regiment in the 'Territorial Recovery' mode. This mode involves building an army and managing characters on a board game-like grid to reclaim territory. Capture nets offer an exploitable mechanic for easy titan capture.

Numerous & Challenging Achievements: The game features over 100 achievements, many of which require multiple playthroughs and specific modes like Inferno Mode (a higher difficulty New Game+) and Territory Mode for completion. Some achievements may be missable.

Mixed PC performance: Feedback on PC performance is mixed. While some users report smooth gameplay even on older hardware, others experience frequent frame drops, especially during intense visual effects. There's also a note that PC performance might be less optimized than on PS4.

Minimal bugs and errors: Players generally report a very stable experience with minimal bugs or errors, indicating a polished release. This suggests a high level of quality assurance.

Save folder creation issue: A critical technical issue reported is the game's inability to save progress due to the save folder not being automatically created. This is a significant blocker for affected players.

Wonky Titan behavior: One specific issue noted is inconsistent or 'wonky' behavior of Titans, particularly concerning their animations when falling. This suggests a minor animation or physics glitch.

Buy game on sale: Many players recommend purchasing the game only when it is on sale, as they feel the full price does not reflect its quality or value. Some explicitly state it's not worth the full price, while others suggest waiting for significant discounts.

Great for Attack on Titan fans: The game is highly recommended for fans of the Attack on Titan anime or manga, as it enhances the experience and provides an immersive feeling of being a Scout Regiment soldier. However, new players are advised to watch the anime first to avoid spoilers and fully understand the story.

Generally recommended game: Overall, the game receives positive recommendations for its enjoyable gameplay, fun factor, and good story mode. It is considered a solid experience, especially for those who enjoy the series or the unique gameplay mechanics.

Desire for future updates: Players express a desire for continued updates and additions, specifically hoping for content related to Season 4 of the anime once it concludes. This indicates an interest in the game's longevity and alignment with the source material.

Controller recommended: It is recommended to use a controller or gamepad for optimal precision and a better gameplay experience, suggesting that keyboard and mouse controls might be less intuitive or effective.

Critical save file issues: A critical issue prevents the game from saving due to a missing save folder. Players have found a workaround by manually creating the 'KoeiTecmo\Attack on Titan2_AOT2 JP\SAVEDATA' or 'KoeiTecmo\Attack on Titan2_AOT2 AS\SAVEDATA' folder, and ensuring sufficient drive space. Support also suggests moving the Documents folder.

Extensive game length: Players report that the game offers a substantial amount of playtime, ranging from 48 to over 100 hours, with some noting discrepancies between in-game and Steam playtime.

Engaging cadet story: The game's story centers on a nameless cadet from the 104th Cadet Corps, whose journey and bravery are chronicled through a diary, leading them to become a trusted member of the Scout Regiment.

Varied and detailed maps: Players appreciate the variety and detail of the maps, noting that older maps have been improved and new areas feel well-sized and not rushed.

Conflicting PC requirements: There is conflicting feedback regarding PC requirements, with some players stating the game needs a fast or high-end gaming PC, while others suggest normal specifications are sufficient.