The Freedom Wars 2 we’ve been waiting for.
What They Say:
Join the God Eaters, a group of humans imbued with the unique ability to wield God Arcs, specialized weapons to take down the nearly indestructible Aragami threat that has ravaged the planet. God Arc weapons can come in a wide variety of melee and ranged type capabilities featuring swords, hammers, sickles, spears, shotguns, sniper rifles, and more. Each weapon also comes with unique transforming functions, extending their utility by providing additional attack options to deal more damage. Players can determine which weapon works best for their playstyle and hone its intricacies when taking on missions in Story Mode or online with other GOD EATER 3 players.
Content:
God Eater 3 arrives on Switch later than its console and PC counterparts but this release was more than worth the wait. There aren’t a ton of massive monster-hunting action RPG’s on the Switch like this one (beyond Monster Hunter Generations Ultimate), and it’s easy to say that this is the best in the genre for the hybrid console at this time.
Having only spent a bit of time with the first two entries in the series, I found that the gameplay, speed of combat, and visuals left something to be desired that kept from being interested in this third entry but I’m happy to say that it’s improved in every way possible to deliver the best experience of the series just yet.
For starters, the combat will be familiar to anyone who played previous games and welcoming for newcomers who have never played a game like this before. You pick between various melee weapons from the slower hammers to the faster dual-wielding swords and large spears. There is enough variety in weapon choice to offer something for everyone.
In my case, I enjoyed using the dual-wielding swords and spear that you start out the game with and mostly stayed in that category of weapons for the duration of the story. You are mostly mashing the light and heavy attacks for your respective melee weapon in easy to grasp combos to build up ammo for your ranged weapon.
You can then switch to your ranged weapon of choice, be it a sniper rifle, assault rifle, and so on to blast away your opponent from afar. The combat feels speedier overall than before, while also having more accuracy and weight to it. Beyond that, you are able to “devour” your enemy in the signature God Eater way since your God Arc weapon is basically a part of who you are, making you like a monster, too, in the process.
Devouring your enemy allows you to use certain abilities as well as extract materials from the enemy after defeating it. Besides those abilities, there are other options like team attacks with your partners and more. Overall, there is a surprising bit of variety in God Eater 3 when it comes to gameplay choices, offering something for everyone while also not being too overwhelming.
If you want to stick to just the basic combos with your weapons, I found that this works decently for newcomers without having to memorize all of the various inputs. It does help, though, that the game’s main story does a great job of teaching you all of the mechanics early on in a gradual way that makes it all simple to remember.
But because the game spends the first chunk of missions to teach you the game’s mechanics rather than one or two, it does give the game a slow start that really takes a bit of dedication to get past to finally see where the story is going. But once the story does get going, it ramps up fast enough and you begin unlocking features that make the wait worth it.
Without going into too much detail, the main story of God Eater 3 is interesting enough and will certainly keep you entertained for the duration of its campaign, especially if you were a fan of Ufotable’s gorgeous anime adaptation like myself. You begin as a prisoner alongside other interesting characters, giving it the feel of being the Freedom Wars 2 we never got.
The graphics in this game are solid as well, though, it does seem to have some sacrifices in resolution to make it work on Switch. In handheld mode, the visual differences aren’t too noticeable while the TV mode looks pretty good. The sacrifices were necessary and welcome, though, since it does make sure the game is able to play well across both modes while never too dipping too much in performance despite the vast array of effects that will be on the screen at once.
The same goes for when you jump into multiplayer as my brief bit of time going on missions with other players online was smooth and it enhanced the singleplayer experience. There really is no comparison when it comes to playing with real players (given that they know what they’re doing). Multiplayer is expanded in God Eater 3 as well, offering the new Assault Missions.
The missions are like raids in other games, bringing together eight players online to fight together in challenging and exciting missions that I can’t wait to try more of. But if you are someone who prefers to play alone, you’ll find that the AI in this game is surprisingly great. The game will provide you with companions who fight with you and chat as battles go on.
Being able to play through a few story missions on my commute was fun as the companions are actually helpful. There were even a couple of missions where I avoided the monsters to pick up materials for all of the insane customization options and my teammates defeated the monster and won the mission without me.
Speaking of customization, God Eater 3 has some of my favorite character customization for a monster-hunting game like this to date. I was able to make a Kaneki from Tokyo Ghoul character that looked nearly just like him, in addition to trying other anime recreations. The best part is that you can customize certain aspects as the game goes on, allowing you to change and upgrade as you see fit.
In Summary:
Without a doubt, God Eater 3 is the Freedom Wars 2 I’ve always wanted. It’s the best in the series so far, expanding the combat to feel speedier, more meaningful, and with numerous weapon options. The main story is a solid fare that, while it doesn’t do anything too grand, it will be fun enough for those enjoyed the previous games or the anime.
The game is also best on Switch, offering a great starting point in the series for newcomers while giving veteran players deeper and richer gameplay than ever before with the raid-like Assault Missions and more. The graphics are where the game sees some sacrifices but they are not too noticeable and are worth the sacrifice to make sure the game performs as well as it does. God Eater 3 is the premier monster-hunting game on Switch.
Grade: B
Developer: Marvelous First Studio
Publisher: Bandai Namco
Age Rating: Teen
Release Date: July 12, 2019 (Switch)
MSRP: $59.99
Platform: Switch (reviewed), PS4, PC
This review was done with a review copy provided by the publisher. We are grateful for their continued support.
