2018’s Attack on Titan 2 wasn’t a perfect game, but for fans of the manga and the anime, it was an excellent recreation of the property. Faithfully adapting the events that fans have become familiar with while also mixing it with enjoyable traversal, a content-rich experience, and slick combat, Attack on Titan fans had a lot to like in the game. Now, with season 3 out there in the wild, Omega Force and Koei Tecmo are updating the base game to add a lot of new content to it, from story content adapting the third season, to new modes, new weapons, and more. Recently, we sent across some of our questions about Attack on Titan 2: Final Battle and what fans of the base game can expect to see from the upcoming update. The questions below were answered by the game’s producer, Hideo Suzuki.
"If you include additional elements such as developing new equipment, and character development & conversations in Territory Recovery Mode, there is about 70 hours of gameplay to enjoy."
In terms of gameplay hours, how much content would you say Final Battle adds to Attack on Titan 2?
In A.O.T. 2: Final Battle, to complete the new Character Episode Mode and Territory Recovery Mode it will take around 30-40 hours. If you include additional elements such as developing new equipment, and character development & conversations in Territory Recovery Mode, there is about 70 hours of gameplay to enjoy.
Can you speak a bit more about the new original episodes in story mode and what fans can expect out of them?
Rather than adding to the Story Mode of A.O.T. 2, the brand-new Character Episode Mode covers the content of Season 3 of the anime. Within it we have included our own original episodes which serve as additional content which shows activities that aren’t in the comic or anime. For example, “Testing of the New Weapon: Thunder Spear” and “Constructing the Titan Gallows” shows situations that may have happened between events in the manga and anime.
How many new weapons does Final Battle add to the game?
Final Battle adds the new “Shooting Gear” equipment from Season 3; including guns, magazines, and the anti-personnel equipment. There is a total of 40 newly added pieces of equipment separated into 7 different series. The existing “Slashing Gear” has also had new top-level equipment added for each series, and 3 new series, to increase it to 15 new pieces of equipment. We have also added the Showdown Equipment to this entry- Thunder Spears for blades, and the Gatling Gun for firearms.
Can you elaborate on what Territory Recovery Mode is bringing to the table with Final Battle?
In Territory Recovery Mode, players are able to create their own original regiment and try to recover territory back from the Titans, while recruiting new companions and expanding their bases. The main purpose of battling Titans still remains the same, but we hope you can enjoy the process of recruiting and training characters who wouldn’t fight together in the anime. We have also included features such as original dialogue scenes for characters, bonus rewards for deepening character bonds, and an extreme difficulty setting to offer a high replay value to players.
Territory Recovery sounds like it’s going to be a very meaty experience, and the way it lets players customize their squads sounds like a dream come true for fans of the property- how did it come about, conceptually?
Even though there are a lot of impressive characters in Attack on Titan, especially enemies such as Kenny and Zeke from Season 3 of the anime, the playable characters and their scenarios are limited. To avoid that limitation, we wanted to make a stage where players could enjoy playing as their favourite characters. The result of this was the Territory Recovery mode!
Attack on Titan 2 has been praised for how faithfully it adapts the source material, and how well it captures the essence of the anime and the manga. How much of a focus has that been for you while developing the new DLC content?
The Character Episode mode covers the same content as Season 3 of the anime, but we had to proceed with developing the game before the anime ended. During the development, we paid a lot of attention to the design of the new characters, equipment, stories, and dialogues, and we discussed with the anime publisher many times to avoid any deviation from the anime.
Was there ever a conversation to save content from season 3 for a new game altogether, rather than adding it in as DLC? Why did you choose to go down the DLC route?
We thought that it would be difficult to only use the content from Season 3 to create a new game, and it would lack the volume of content needed for a standalone game. We also wanted players to be able to experience the game and the story of Season 3 as soon as the anime ended, so we decided it would be best to provide it in a compact package through an upgrade pack to A.O.T. 2 owners. We also have a bundled version of A.O.T. 2 and the Final Battle Upgrade pack, which features all the events from Season 1 through to Season 3, so it’s a game not only for fans of Attack on Titan, but for players who are curious about the series and would like to experience it for the first time.
"In Territory Recovery Mode, players are able to create their own original regiment and try to recover territory back from the Titans, while recruiting new companions and expanding their bases. The main purpose of battling Titans still remains the same, but we hope you can enjoy the process of recruiting and training characters who wouldn’t fight together in the anime."
With Final Battle, have you taken the opportunity to really focus on any feedback or criticisms you’ve received from players for the base game?
After releasing A.O.T. 2, we received feedback from the players and it was frequently mentioned that the controls were difficult and that the online co-op/versus modes were hard to play. So, for this game, we listened to that feedback and added the “Control Assist” feature which simplifies the controls when battling Titans, and then we largely changed the way that online matchmaking occurs.
These changes are not only for the players who purchased A.O.T. 2: Final Battle or the Final Battle Upgrade Pack, but have also been included in a free update for those who own the base A.O.T. 2 game. In addition, online matching is possible with those who own A.O.T. 2 or the Final Battle upgrade version – so we hope players who own A.O.T. 2 but haven’t upgraded yet will take advantage of these updates and re-visit the world of Attack on Titan!
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