God Eater 2 – Rage Burst – Review

Animes are getting more and more turf on the gaming scene, and God Eater is the latest proof of this statement. With this enhanced version of the PSP and PS Vita title, you can start the fighting against the Aragami anew on the PS4, PS Vita and PC. With this new mysterious type of God Eater, will they be able to destroy these monsters once and for all? 

Story

In the 2050s, the world has been flooded with Aragami. These vicious creatures consist out of Oracle Cells, which are all self-contained organisms which are able to think and eat. Since the appearance of the Aragami, it would appear that there are millions of Oracle Cells, making it hard to exterminate these monsters. There is one small ray of hope: God Eaters. These people are able to wield God Arcs, special weapons made of Oracle Cells and a man-made core, which are effective against the Aragami. During their battle, it seems that the intruders are getting more and more advanced, making it harder for mankind to survive.

This is where your role starts. Your newly made character wakes up in a desolated laboratory room. A soothing voice gives you some explanation, when all of the sudden something quite drastic happens. It seems that you’re compatible with the new kind of Oracle Cells, which makes you the new member of the Blood Unit. This special force is capable of countering some of the newer skills of the Aragami, making them very valuable. This is where your story starts in an attempt to save mankind.

As this title is based on the anime, it is only natural that there is a profound story-line. It might be a bit different from what you’ve seen in the series, but at any rate: get ready to bash some Aragami and try to save the world. If you want to dive even further into this story, you’re in luck. When you buy this title, you get a downloadcode for God Eater – Resurrecion as well.

Graphics

God Eater 2 – Rage Burst has been released on the PC, PS Vita & PS4 and we’ve gotten the chance to test it on the latter. Although this title is the enhanced version of God  Eater 2, things tend to feel a bit dated when it concerns extra clutter or simply the detail level. The graphics certainly aren’t bad and fit the anime-like setting, but it would have been beneficial if there were some extras here and there. For instance, the few available areas are quite empty and not very detailed, while the fighting zones are even less furnished and will feel too familiar before long. Of course, everything is destroyed by the Aragami but that doesn’t really imply that everything should be similar.

The characters on the other hand stand out against the environment thanks to their garbs and the amount of details. During the cutscenes though, there are moments where the camera gets zoomed in, which gives you a nice opportunity to take a good look at your friends. The overall characteristics resemble thos of an anime series, although it would’ve been nice if there were more in-depth facial features and emotions available. It’s not like you’re watching something quite static, but some more fluency would’ve been nice. On another note, you can customize your own character when you start a new game, which makes it easier to relate to your character and it’s just a fun element to have.

Sound

When the world is destroyed and the existence of mankind rests on your shoulders, it’s only natural that you’ll be greeted with rather dark music. When you’re facing enemies, the style of the soundtrack might change a bit, but you’ll still recognise the same undertone. After a while, you might notice that certain tracks are looped quite fast, especially when you’re taking your time to talk to everyone in the headquarters. On another note, there are a lot of sound effects that give that extra dimension, while there is voice acting foreseen during cutscenes.

Each of the available God Eaters have their own characteristic sound, which also counts for the targets. Regarding the voices, all of the important characters have their own voice during cutscenes, and it is good to see that the intionation changes depending on the emotional state of the conversation, which makes it a bit more fun of course.

Gameplay

God Eater 2 – Rage Burst is an RPG with tactical elements where you will need to kill Aragami to preserve mankind from further destruction. Fighting these monsters is done by turning their own parts against them, namely the use of God Arcs, made out of Oracle Cells. There are two types of weaponry, namely the guns and close-ranged weapons. Each type has several different subtypes like snipers shotguns, hammers and blades. Your playstyle will have its influence on your favorite armaments, although each of them can be exploited and upgraded. These parts can be bought or obtained in various different ways. After you’ve defeated Aragami, your God Arc can tear out any special or interesting materials, while there are also other parts on the battlefield. It is possible to merge parts with your weapon, transferring skills for instance and making it more powerful during battle.

Before you can actually start to harvest Aragami, you’ll first need to be send there on a mission. The combat zone is always a predefined, isolated area where you need to kill all of the invaded enemies. Each of said enemies has their own specific characteristics and attacks, making it quite hard to just jump in and start smashing everything. Sometimes, tactics are needed to keep you alive, although a nicely filled item bag is also a bonus. If you’re thinking you’ll be facing these monsters on your own, don’t worry. You got a whole team of Blood Unit members to back you up and help you if necessary. For some missions, you can choose who you want to take with you which makes it easier to get a strategic advantage before even going to the battlefield. Each of the members can learn personal abilities, making them valuable in their own specific way.

Your God Arc has some other tricks in his sleeves as well. Rather than getting items, it can also copy abilities from enemies, which can be used against the Aragami. Your teammates can transfer their God Arc skill as well, making it even stronger. When you’ve successfully completed a mission, you’ll get some ability points, consumables, abandoned God Eater parts and cash which can be used to get new items.

Since you’re a member of the Blood Unit, You are capable of unlocking your slumbering Blood Power. Depending on your emotions and characteristic, you’ll get another type of power. This force is a way to amplify and transmit the human will. One of the biggest advantages is that you’ll have the possibility to use and enhance Blood Art. By using this awakened power, the first Blood Art gets more and more experience and might even activate other skills, which in turn can be trained.

Next to the serious work, you can also change your outfit and chat with everyone to get more intel. If you want to play with other people rather than AI, you can start a multiplayer game where you’ll be accompanied by real people. This makes it a bit more challenging of course, but certainly is a fun addition. Missions can be tackled together and you’ll be able to get a more strategic approach. In the end, it is up to you how you want to play the game.

Conclusion

If you like the anime and want to take up arms against the Aragami, you’ll certainly like this game. In God Eater 2 – Rage Burst, you’re placed into a special Unit that might be able to do something against the invasion of these enemies. Shoot and slash your way through these monsters, while collecting materials to upgrade your own elements. That being said, it would have been nice if the graphics were a bit more up to date though.

AnneMieke

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