In Japan, especially on portable consoles, there is a large influx of licensed titles based on the anime of the moment, while for us poor Westerners the offer is extremely low and restricted to the more well-known ones such as Dragon Ball, Naruto and One Piece ( with very rare exceptions such as Jojo's All Star Battle). Fortunately, there are cases where a publisher like Atlus listens to requests from fans to take a title beyond Japanese soil. In fact, last July 2nd, after being postponed several times, it landed on the European eShop Shingeki no Kyojin: Humanity in Chains, based on the manga of the same name Hajime Isayama (and related anime) and published by Panini Comics. Developed by Spike Chunsoft, the title is offered at a price of 29,99 €, will it be suitable for everyone or just fans of the Titans?
Prayers won't solve anything
For the uninitiated, in the Shingeki no Kyojin universe, humanity lives enclosed within walls, to protect themselves from giant man-eating titans who have devoured much of the world's population. While the manga over the past couple of years has been exploring the human side of the characters, Humanity in Chains bases all its stories on the first season of the anime, released on Blu-Ray and DVD via Dynit. You will therefore find yourself being able to choose between different campaigns in history, starting with that of Eren jaeger and gradually unlocking the adventure from the points of view of Mikasa and Armin, as well as Levi and Sasha, present only as DLC in the Japanese version. The player will have to face a different number of missions with each character, some of which are only repeated
Japanese DLC already included in this version
changing the protagonist, including defeating all the Titans on the map, or defending the female Titan from the attack of other giants; there is no shortage of specific missions for each campaign: with Eren, for example, we will have battles in the form of Titan, while Sasha will have a high number of quests dedicated to collecting food and supplies. At the end of each mission, the number of damage inflicted, Titans killed, time taken and hits suffered will be evaluated, giving the player a rank ranging from a mediocre D to an excellent A +. However, there are some missions that end earlier than expected and unexpectedly (especially those of the fight between titans) leaving the player with the desire to beat his hands a little more but with the impossibility of doing so.
The 42 total missions can be completed in about five and a half hours and almost never represent a challenge: once practiced with the 3D maneuver control system (ODM Gear in the original), speeding through the buildings and killing Titans will come more natural than expected. A couple of objective defense missions are an exception, in which in addition to the ravenous giants,
Indecent and indecent AIyou will also have to deal with the indecent AI of the companions: if when an opponent grabs you, your ally is close to you, be sure he will try to save you at any cost, on the contrary, if the team members (up to four depending on the chapter) are far away and should you find yourself in danger, they will continue with their activities not caring about it and letting you devour with the usual Game Over. Another example of the CPU's stupidity can be found in the defense missions mentioned above: although there is a specific point to keep on guard, the team is willing to leave you alone in defense in order to sink their blades (failing miserably) in the neck of a titan; this stubbornness does not increase the difficulty of the title, but the frustration in not being able to take the maximum rating and in seeing the mission fail due to the incompetence of the other soldiers.
You are the soldier
After the first mission outside the walls of Eren, a new mode called World Mode will be unlocked: a management system set inside the Wall Maria, in which the player can create his own character through an editor, or use one of the protagonists of Shingeki no Kyojin, unlockable gradually in story mode. You will be responsible for the safety of humanity and you will have to improve the lives of citizens and the armaments of the soldiers: to do this, simply complete the missions both of combat and of scouting of materials outside the walls, rising in rank with each victory earned and increasing the number of the soldiers of your army. The World Mode also contains the multiplayer sector of Humanity in Chains, both locally (with four copies of the game) and online by searching for teams or creating your own, with which to face the most difficult missions or those in which the AI reveals itself more a hindrance what else.
World Mode turns the Fan into a soldier
Even for the world Mode, in fact, the same defect of the artificial intelligence of the story mode applies: fortunately by changing the equipment of the enlisted soldiers, you can make them really defensive by removing the ODM (and providing them with a heavy weapon like a cannon) and remedy the lack of reactivity by making them move on foot, also once the mission with the CPU team is completed, you will raise the level of affinity and you can enhance the characteristics of your character (with bonuses such as a quick recovery or less consumption of gas of the ODM). World Mode is definitely the flagship of Humanity in Chains and the ability for each fan to wage their own war against the Titans.
Unfortunately, having been released a few days ago, the online is still sparsely populated, as in the case of Code Name STEAM, and we were able to try online multiplayer only with American players. The missions faced as a group, however, were all of too high a rank (Humanity in Chains was released in May in North America) to give effective help to the team.
Where we go we don't need roads
Isayama has introduced a new way of fighting in the Shonen, the soldiers of Shingeki no Kyojin use a three-dimensional steam maneuvering system that allows them to move quickly in practically all directions using special grapples and thus bypass obstacles and enemies.
Spike Chunsoft has managed to give the sense of dynamism of the 3D GearSpike Chunsoft has managed to give the sense of dynamism of the ODM and to make it really fun to use, after obviously getting carried away with the controls. R is entrusted with the use of gas, while with Y you will sling at high speed towards a target or a precise point, the owners of New 3DS or a circle pad pro, will finally be able to use the second analogue to move the camera. X is entrusted with the blades (or other weapons in World Mode) and obviously, as in the series of the same name, also in Huma
nity in Chains it will be necessary to hit the titans on the back of the neck to kill them, once pressed X to attack it will be necessary to press it again within the indicator and thus deliver a critical hit. While challenging the titans, you will be able to move in flight with the circle pad, trying to reach the coveted weak point without being grabbed by the giants. There are also stages on horseback where you can run around the vast map while fleeing from the hungry assailants and stages from Titan thanks to the special power of Eren, in which you will hit hard and hard until you literally knock off the opposing heads.
Audio that wins ...
Humanity in Chains offers good polygonal models for the protagonists of Isayama's work, the settings, although few and often repeated, are made following the style of the anime's backgrounds (especially the sky), but the highlight is certainly the realization of the Titans: over 120 different elements of all categories, each with their own physical characteristics and speed of movement, which seem to have been transported by weight from the pages of the manga right into 3DS. To accentuate everything the presence of the original scenes of the anime and of the Japanese dubbing, which make the story mode of Humanity in Chains a perfect summary of the first 24 episodes of the series. The excellent original soundtrack closes the circle, capable of dragging the player into battle while slinging between roofs with the 3D maneuver. Spike Chunsoft's title is aimed primarily at fans of the original work even if digital-only distribution at a not-so-advantageous price could hold back many from buying.
Verdict 7/10 Mikasa es tu Casa Comment Shingeki no Kyojin: Humanity in Chains is the classic title made for fans and which is unlikely to please those who are not. Thanks to the soundtrack and scenes taken directly from the original anime, it manages to convince and entertain fans of Isayama's work above all thanks to the mechanics of the 3D maneuvering system that prove to be fluid and dynamic as in the mother work. Unfortunately, it is not without flaws, such as an all too easy Story mode and, especially, an indecent ally AI that most of the time entrusts everything in the hands of the player by standing by or intervening late. Finally, an applause to Atlus that in the western version has included the Japanese DLC and which has fought to bring such a title out of Japanese soil. Pros and cons ✓ Original soundtrack and dubbing✓ Movement with the fun 3D Gear
✓ World mode rich in content x Companion AI indecent
x Story mode too easy
x Price perhaps too high for non-fans
