Attack on Titan (video game)

Lore & Background

The game's visuals match those of the anime series, and it features one player fighting multiple enemies. The 3D Maneuvering Gear can be used to ascend to high areas. Ten playable characters are available, initially only three selectable, with more unlocked through Attack (story) mode: Eren Yeager, Mikasa Ackerman, Armin Arlert, Jean Kirschtein, Connie Springer, Sasha Braus, Krista Lenz, Levi, Zoë Hange, and Erwin Smith. Attack Mode is divided into a main campaign and survey missions; the main campaign lets players play through the original story, with an epilogue featuring extra battles based on the manga. Players can upgrade equipment, create new weapons, and purchase a war horse from the home base. Completing survey missions and side quests unlocks more epilogue chapters and rewards EXP, materials, and gallery extras.

Reader's Guide

Attack on Titan is significant as a faithful adaptation of the popular anime and manga, bringing its signature 3D Maneuvering Gear combat to video games. Developed by Omega Force, known for the Dynasty Warriors series, it translates the series' large-scale battles against Titans into a hack and slash format. The game retells the story from chapters 1 through 33 of the manga, covering the first anime season, and adds original scenarios. Its commercial success is notable: it sold approximately 150,682 copies in its first week in Japan, outselling Street Fighter V, and reached 280,000 copies in Japan by April 28. Worldwide, it sold 350,000 copies in the West and a cumulative 700,000 copies. Reception was generally positive, with Famitsu awarding a score of 34/40 and PlayStation LifeStyle giving 8.0 out of 10, though some outlets gave mixed reviews. The game's legacy includes a sequel, Attack on Titan 2, announced in August 2017 and released in March 2018.

Did You Know?

• The game was first announced at a Koei Tecmo press event in Japan in August 2015, not at Gamescom.
• The English voice cast did record dialogue, and the game features full English voice acting.
• A sequel, Attack on Titan 2, was announced in August 2017 and released in March 2018.

Combat Mechanics & Character Roster

The game delivers a fast-paced hack and slash experience in which a single player battles waves of enemies across arenas that visually mirror the anime's aesthetic. A standout feature is the 3D Maneuvering Gear system, which lets players zip upward to elevated positions, adding verticality to the combat. The roster includes ten characters drawn from the series—Eren Yeager, Mikasa Ackerman, Armin Arlert, Jean Kirstein, Connie Springer, Sasha Braus, Krista Lenz, Levi, Zoë Hange, and Erwin Smith—though only three are selectable at the start. The remaining seven unlock as players push through Attack Mode's story campaign. That campaign itself splits into a main storyline retelling the original narrative plus an epilogue of extra manga-based battles, alongside a set of survey missions. The home base serves as a hub where players upgrade gear, forge new weapons, and even purchase a war horse for battlefield use. Survey missions and character side quests gate access to additional epilogue chapters and reward the player with experience points, crafting materials, and collectible gallery entries.

Narrative Scope & Story Beats

The game adapts the events of manga chapters one through thirty-three—the same arc covered by the anime's first season—and layers additional scenarios on top. The story opens in year 845, when ten-year-old Eren watches the Colossal Titan shatter the Wall and devour his mother, Carla, while the Armored Titan seals off escape. Humanity retreats to Wall Rose, and a grief-stricken Eren enlists in the 104th Cadet Corps with the Scout Regiment as his goal. Five years later, the Colossal Titan reappears. Eren's solo assault fails, leaving him with a severe leg wound and a squad of dead comrades. In a desperate moment he sacrifices himself to save Armin from being consumed. The Colossal Titan then destroys the Trost District Wall, and the Scout Regiment launches its 57th expedition to secure a route toward Shiganshina District, establishing supply points in ruined settlements along the way. The combined defense of the Garrison and Scout Regiments holds Wall Rose, yet inside the Walls a new terror emerges: the damaged barrier has been repaired by the very power of the Titans, forcing humanity to question whether Eren is a savior or another monster.

Development & Global Rollout

Koei Tecmo first unveiled the title at Gamescom, and a follow-up trailer dropped on November 6, 2015, alongside details for a Collector's Edition. Omega Force handled development under Koei Tecmo's publishing banner. The Japanese launch hit on February 18, 2016, targeting PlayStation 3, PlayStation 4, and PlayStation Vita. Western audiences received the game in August 2016, with the PAL market branding it as A.O.T.: Wings of Freedom, and new ports for Windows and Xbox One arriving alongside the international release. One notable production detail: the team had originally planned to record a full English voice cast, but budget constraints forced them to abandon that ambition, meaning the Western release shipped without localized voice acting. The game's lineage traces back to Hajime Isayama's manga, which was first adapted into an animated series before Omega Force translated the world into an interactive hack and slash format. A sequel, Attack on Titan 2, was announced in August 2017 and reached shelves in March 2018, confirming the franchise's continued commercial viability in the gaming space.

Sales Performance & Critical Verdict

Commercially, the title made an immediate splash in its home market, moving roughly 150,682 units in its first Japanese week and outselling Street Fighter V during that same period. By late April, Koei Tecmo reported 280,000 domestic copies sold, and the company's 2016/17 fiscal-year report later confirmed 350,000 Western sales, bringing the worldwide total to approximately 700,000. Critically, the game earned generally favorable marks. Famitsu's four-panel review panel gave it scores of 8, 9, 9, and 8 for a combined 34 out of 40. PlayStation LifeStyle scored it 8.0 out of 10, praising it as an excellent example of a passion project made right. Other outlets were less uniformly positive, landing the title in mixed territory overall. Still, the strong first-week numbers and the decision to greenlight a direct sequel—announced in August 2017 and released in March 2018—signal that Koei Tecmo viewed the property as a reliable franchise anchor rather than a one-off cash grab.

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