Attack on Titan follows these soldiers who use their equipment to go soaring through the skies to take down colossal enemies. Seems like a good game premise, right? It’s happened before, and they can be fun! When it comes to an Attack on Titan VR game, it seems like the sort of thing to go into more cautiously due to all the movement and the concerns about VR sickness or handling it right, but the execution Univrs used almost makes it feel like a Spider-Man sort of game.

I just really wish the titans' models weren’t so hideous and weird-looking.

Attack on Titan VR: Unbreakable is an early access game, so it isn’t all there yet. The concept is that titans are again attacking the cities and getting inside the walls, just like they did in the iconic opening parts of the manga and anime. In the two chapters you have access to, you can see what it’s like to fight back against them.

I was incredibly worried going into Attack on Titan VR: Unbreakable. All of the early details and videos made it seem like a very active game. After all, it focuses on the Omni-Directional Mobility (ODM) gear and zipping around the map. You’re even, ideally, supposed to be attacking while swinging too. The funny thing is while walking on the ground sometimes did feel a little uncomfortable, I didn’t feel uneasy or ill at all while actually using the ODM to fly around. It is really accommodating! It’s always the main reason why Attack on Titan VR: Unbreakable felt like a Spider-Man game.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BijYiRhxEGU

See, Attack on Titan VR: Unbreakable actually gets really in-depth about movement, and the actions used to soar seemed like ones Peter Parker or Miles Morales would use. If you want to quickly scale in one set, defined direction, you aim both the left and right controllers in such a way that their reticles line up together and look like a diamond. Then, you pull back on them. (Like how Parker or Morales would probably pull back on webbing.) After that, you then sort of pull and swing toward areas. Even the nature of swinging the blades that you can pick up, replace with new blades, and use to swipe at the back of titans’ necks or appendages feel like maybe a certain friendly, neighborhood superhero might with a weapon. It’s really neat and feels good.

So the gameplay is strong. But, in some cases, the depictions of characters isn’t? It’s weird. As part of the introduction and tutorial, Levi saves you as you’re being eaten by a titan. (Like as in you actually see yourself going over the lips, past the gums, look out stomach…) It looked like a 3D model, from what I saw, and it was great! But then when story segments with Armin came up, he very clearly looked like an unmoving, 2D figure. Like instead of animated segments setting things up, you’d see him static and flat in one position, the game would cut to black, you’d see him static in another position, things would cut to black again, and so on. I’d have preferred static images like the used for the introductory and expository segments instead. 

But I would take the Paper Mario version of Armin any day over the ugly titans. They look so bad in Attack on Titan VR: Unbreakable that they aren’t even scary. They’re just disgusting. It made me appreciate the Koei Tecmo Attack on Titan games more, as at least there these fearsome foes actually seem scary and menacing. In the VR adaptation, they’re too dopey and goofy to feel like a threat. I mean, yes, you will die in only two hits if one manages to actually swat at you before you get in the right position to attack them. But the enemy models and designs just look bad. 

I mean, look! Gross.

I will say that even though these are goofy and abominable, at least it is easy to see the neck for attacks. Also, the arms and legs are easy to swipe at and attack, so there are no hitbox issues when striking at them. 

I am genuinely curious about how the final version of Attack on Titan VR: Unbreakable is going to turn out, as the ODM mechanics are surprisingly fun! Like it really offered a sense of freedom, without making me feel queasy. Well, unless I was looking at a titan. Or needing to really quick spin and maneuver in circles to get around a titan to attack it. You know what I mean. There are some rough spots, which honestly could be due to it being an early access title. But it may prove to be an interesting Attack on Titan game, or at least a fun not-Spider-Man game with Spider-Man-like mechanics.

Attack on Titan VR: Unbreakable Early Access is live now on the  Meta Quest 2, 3, and Pro. 

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