The core premise of manga-turned-anime series Attack on Titan has always been fantastic: humans armed with swords and equipped with mechanical grapple guns that basically turn them into Spider-Man take on enormous naked giants who are trying to eat them. With the series’ action built around the incredible manoeuvrability and momentum of the Omni-Directional Mobility gear, the genuine unnerving threat of the titans, and the relatively fragility of its human heroes, it’s just primed to be mined for video game inspiration.
While official Attack on Titan video games exist, that hasn’t stopped fans from putting their own spin on the series. One of the latest nape-stabs at making a satisfying swingy-slicey Attack on Titan fan game comes from prolific fan game developer Swammy, who released an early version of a new game able to be played in single-player or multiplayer.
The game is actually a complete remake of a previous Attack on Titan game by Swammy, who has also adapted recent anime breakthrough Chainsaw Man and has a One Piece game in the works for early next year.
Swammy’s newest Attack on Titan game overhauls the older game of two years ago with new visuals and lighting in Unreal Engine 5, as well as an improved feel and responsiveness for the player’s ODM gear as they zip between buildings and trees and up to the heads of the monstrous titans. Those titans are also far more threatening now, munching on players (including in horrific first-person, ew) if they’re able to grab hold of them. There’s a roster of new characters to play as, too, expanding beyond just Eren Jaeger.
I just RELEASED my new FREE #AttackOnTitan Fan Game!
Fight Titans! Host your own Lobbys! Play with your homies!
Please RT to Support! pic.twitter.com/qfZXdNdkv1
— Swammy (@SwammyXO) November 26, 2023
It’s clearly early days, with a slightly goofy look to some of the movement and animation, not to mention some of the titans themselves. (Though, in fairness, the show’s actual titans are fairly goofy-looking to begin with.)
Even so, for a fan-made game, it does successfully look to capture that sense of speed and momentum, especially in first-person, with players showing pelting thunder spears at a colossal titan and whipping around to get at the titans’ exposed necks.
Swammy says upfront that the game is a work-in-progress, with plans for four or five updates in the future to add polish and features in response to feedback and testing with players.
Honestly, for the low price of nothing, I can’t wait to give it a go in a multiplayer lobby with some friends. It looks to get all the core ingredients right when it comes to a) big giants b) fun grapple things and c) oh god it’s going to eat me, and there’s an undeniable appeal to bombing around on ODM gear. If nothing else, it might offer a more satisfying coda to the anime’s recent letdown of a finale. See you in the comments, angry anime fans!